You have insurance to cover your health, home, vehicles, belongings, and business. The insurance protects you against loss from unexpected problems. You probably wouldn’t dream of being without it. You may never use it, but you realize how important it is.
While you still need insurance to cover property and liability, showing appreciation in your business can act like an insurance policy. It protects some of the most important assets – your reputation and your relationships. Investing time and effort in showing appreciation to your clients and colleagues can protect you when something goes wrong.
There will always be problems that arise in business. If a customer has a problem with your product or service, they will probably come to you and complain. Often, you aren’t the first person to hear the complaint. They may have talked with friends, family members, or colleagues first to vent their frustrations. If you don’t have a relationship with them, they come to you with disappointment and sometimes anger. They may be in “fight” mode – pushing to get their problem corrected. It can quickly deteriorate to a defensive scramble to satisfy the customer.
Consider an alternative. You develop a relationship with your client and make them feel appreciated for doing business with you. Now when a problem arises and they come to you, they are more relaxed about it. They have confidence that you will take care of it. They are much more forgiving. Because you have established a positive relationship of appreciation, they will be more likely to come to you first. If they don’t share the problem with friends and family, it protects your reputation.
The problem itself doesn’t change, but the approach is completely different when you have created a relationship based on gratitude from the start. Problems can be handled with respect and without outsiders hearing about it. Client relationships can be saved. When the relationship is saved, you don’t have to spend time and money finding a new client to take their place.
Every business runs into problems from time to time. There will be misunderstandings, delays, mistakes that happen. If you build relationships first with gratitude, problems will seem smaller to your clients and will be handled easier. Consider it an insurance policy that you will draw from over and over. Something will go wrong, but your clients will be more understanding and willing to work with you to find a solution.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Deb_L_Brown/477798