When was the last time you said thank you to your colleague? How about your employee? Or even your customer? These two words are used so often in our daily lives and in business that we don’t think much of them. Yet the power of thank you for your business will bring you tremendous success if used right.
We don’t attribute much thought to these two words, but they are one of the very few words first taught by our parents. Before even teaching us the alphabet, our parents had already taught us to say thank you. Why did our parents teach us this expression before anything else? That’s because it is the most impactful phrase you will ever use in your life.
There is so much more to this simple phrase when you use the words “Thank you” for your business. Besides fostering gratitude, a paramount virtue for any human to have, “Thank you” also possesses immense power. It has the power to bind people, build loyalty, and bring businesses to greater heights.
A Thoughtful Thank You for Your Business
“Thank you” may seem simple, but its meaning is a lot deeper than we think. “Thank you” is an abbreviation of a more personal phrase, “I thank you”. The word “thank” is derived from the Latin word, “tongēre”, which means “think”. It can be loosely translated as “I will remember what you have done for me”. So when you thank someone for their favor or service, you are actually telling them that you will commit to memory their gesture of goodwill.
Hence, it is imperative that when you say thank you for your business, you don’t come across as thoughtless and inauthentic. You have to truly mean it and feel it. When you are heartfelt about your gratitude, people will feel your authenticity.
And when you’re genuinely grateful, you grant power to these two simple words. The power may not be felt immediately, but the ripple effects are profound. There will come a time when you get to witness the benefits of saying “Thank you”.
Don’t make the excuse that you are too busy at work. It takes only a couple of minutes to compose a sincere thank you letter, or even just select a small gift as a token of thanks. This time taken is not time wasted, for it reaps great benefits for everyone involved.
In our current fast-paced society, many of us use the excuse of lack of time to do away with things we deem irrelevant. Unfortunately, expression of gratitude is rapidly becoming one of these so-called trivial things.
Yet, to people on the receiving end, it is an invaluable gift that they will cherish. When you think about it from their shoes, you will know that the little time you’ve taken to thank them is much appreciated. Because so many others don’t bother to do it. People will see the effort you’ve put in and respect you for it. When you value others as fellow human beings, you will be equally valued as a person.
The Benefits of Saying Thank You for Your Business
Being grateful has tremendous positive effects on both individuals and the organization. Once you know about the benefits that gratitude can bring, you will realize that it is a powerful tool to be reckoned with, particularly in business.
Boosts Physical Health — On an individual level, being thankful can improve your physical health. According to a 2012 research, grateful people report feeling physically healthier than other people. This is likely because grateful people appreciate every little thing around them, and are thus more willing to take care of their health.
Improves Psychological Health — A 2018 study conducted at the University of Texas, Austin, showed that writing thank you notes improve well-being for both writers and recipients. And another research at the University of California, Davis, revealed that expressing gratitude relieves stress.
Strengthens Social Support — And on a societal level, studies demonstrate that gratitude enhances social support. Douglas Conant, the former CEO of Campbell Soup, is well-known for his expressions of gratitude to his staff. He has sent around 30, 000 handwritten notes to his employees and other people he worked with.
After he was involved in a severe car crash in July 2008, he received an overwhelming amount of get-well notes from everyone he worked with. By saying “Thank you” sincerely, he built a culture of mutual appreciation that earned people’s admiration, which gave him the needed support to recover quickly from his near-death accident.
Makes Everyone More Helpful — When you express gratitude, it doesn’t only make people feel good. It also influences the people around you to be more helpful. Studies have shown that people provide more help when they’d been thanked as they appreciate being needed. Hence when you make a point of saying thanks, you actually help to make the world a better place.
Appreciate the People You Work With
When you cultivate a workplace where gratitude is valued, you create a positive environment 0f mutual appreciation and trust. Whenever you work with other people, be it your employees, supervisors, co-workers, or vendors, don’t forget to show your gratitude by thanking them for their efforts in aiding you.
When you do so, they will go the extra mile the next time to help you achieve your goals. But there is a delicate balance between expressing genuine gratitude and giving insincere thanks. So how exactly do you go about expressing your heartfelt thanks in the workplace?
Saying Thank You to Employees
Many leaders are hesitant to say these two simple words. You might think, “Why should I say thank you when my staff is just completing the tasks I ask of them?” Or you might think, “I’m already giving them a paycheck. That’s appreciation enough.” This kind of thinking only makes your staff feel unappreciated, which affects their work performance adversely.
While there are many ways to express your appreciation to your employees, don’t rush into giving them monetary benefits! Wait, doesn’t everybody love money? Yes, most people love money. But monetary gifts can strike as rather impersonal. On top of that, once your employees have spent the money, they will soon forget about it.
In the long run, it might be more effective to say thank you in a more personal way. You can thank your staff in a variety of means, by buying them treats, presenting gifts or certificates, or even writing thank-you notes to them.
The simplest way though is to say it out loud. Say thank you for anything they’ve done that you appreciate and be specific about it.
Your gratitude has to be earnest and authentic. Don’t just say “Thank you everyone for a work well done.” Notice each and everyone’s efforts and thank them individually for it!
If you want to say more than thank you, you can choose to compliment them on their work. A positive feedback on their work will make your staff feel valued and appreciated.
And when you appreciate your employee, they will show their gratitude by performing their best for you. Research conducted at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania shows that managers who said “Thank you” to their staff motivated them to work hard.
You have to appreciate your employees not just for bringing you the desired result, but also thank them for going through with the process. When you do so, you show that you are not result-oriented and that you recognize their efforts.
When you are being authentic about your thanks, your staff will feel appreciated and recognized, and in turn, perform better. You in return will get motivated and productive employees who are constantly growing, and a burgeoning business that attracts a large pool of talent.
Saying Thank You to Supervisors
And how about employees? Many employees have the mentality that their bosses should be grateful to them for being willing to work for them. As an employee, you have to understand that gratitude is a two-way connection.
When your manager thanks you for your effort, you should also thank them for their recognition. When you show your appreciation to your boss, your boss will naturally be more inclined to treat you with gratitude and respect.
There are, of course, many occasions when you can express your gratitude to your supervisor. But some of the most important times are when they give you sound advice or during your promotion.
The most personal way to thank your boss would be by sending them a private note. If you choose to write a thank you note by hand, it will certainly be a memorable present for them in this digital era.
It is crucial to build a good relationship with your supervisor. If you just stick your head down and quietly finish your work, you will not have any job satisfaction. If you don’t have a good relationship with your boss, you will not only miss out on opportunities for job advancements, you might even feel unhappy at work. Start nurturing your relationship with your boss now by saying a sincere thank you!
Say Thank You to Customers
In the modern e-commerce era whereby online stores are rapidly replacing traditional brick-and-mortar stores, it is increasingly challenging to have any form of human interaction. How do we maintain a warm and genuine relationship with our online clients?
Be Personal in Thanking Your Customers
An easy way is to send personalized “Thank you” emails to your customers. But to really attract customers and build a loyal customer base, you have to go above and beyond mere online interactions. Be creative in expressing your gratitude! You can start by personalizing your product wrappings with handwritten messages, or even personally delivering gifts to patrons.
Care about Small Customers Too
And don’t just focus on your big-spending clients! You might think, why should I bother about a small-time patron when I don’t get the big bucks from them?
The truth is, you never know the reason as to why they are not spending on you. It may not necessarily be that they don’t have the means to. They might just not be as into your product or service. Or they might just be using your products or services for a trial period to compare you with your competitor.
Start thanking your small customer, build a relationship with them, and you might find them growing into your big customer. When you truly listen and appreciate every single client, even small-time ones, they will turn their loyalty towards you. And this is how you increase your profits. Not by splashing advertisement boards across the country, or placing advertising banners on every website.
Make Your Appreciation Real
This idea of appreciating every customer rings especially true in the current social media era. You have to run your business not as a large, soulless bureaucracy, but as a warm, small-town shop.
Now that the public has become used to communicating directly with brands, people will notice instantly if you are not being authentic. It can be difficult for brands to is to keep things real on social media, as they are not influencers who are real people and can easily make followers feel like a part of their lives.
But if you can show that you are real people running a brand, you will attract followers. One way to be authentic is to be thankful and express your gratitude. Reply to every patron’s messages directly, whether in a Facebook or Instagram comment or a direct DM. Be sincere in your interaction with them, and always thank them for their patronage.
Be Thankful to Your Old Customers
You also have to remember, that for every client you gain, you face the threat of losing another. So how do you keep your old patrons loyal even as you seek to attract new customers?
You have to make your clients feel that you listen to their opinions and truly appreciate their loyalty. And how do you go about doing that? Of course, there are plenty of ways to get your customers to stay, but one of the most crucial and easiest is to say “Thank you”.
Express your gratitude by offering exclusive loyalty programs to your current patrons, give them the VIP treatment they deserve. When you say “Thank you” to your customers, they feel appreciated.
In turn, they will express their appreciation to you by purchasing more of your products or services. If you manage to gain enough of their loyalty, they might even introduce their friends and families to your brand!
When You say Thank You for Your Business, Your Business will Thank You for being Thankful
No matter how contrived it might feel in the beginning, once you get into the habit of thanking people, you will find yourself truly comprehending the virtue saying thank you for your business. You feel better, learn to become a better person, you influence people around you be better, and you gain social support.
When you show your appreciation, you empower yourself with supportive employees, bosses, vendors, and customers. With the support of these important people in your life, you will see higher profits for your business, and your business will thank you for it.
