Business owners will find it difficult to establish, develop, and maintain successful relationships with customers if they do not show them appreciation, says Chichi Okoye.

Business owners will find it difficult to establish, develop, and maintain successful relationships with customers if they do not show them appreciation, says Chichi Okoye

Many people believe that marketing is just about advertising or sales. This view of marketing is centred on the transaction, and often, very little thought is given to nurturing customer relationships. Customers are often not given the recognition they deserve. I consider this a short-term approach to marketing.

Relationship marketing has a different focus. Here, the goal is to develop long-term relationships with clients, customers and business associates. Naturally, people who practice this type of marketing also want to build profitable businesses. They know, however, that cultivating and nurturing strong relationships with customers and clients will encourage customer loyalty over time. And this, in turn, is more likely to result in business growth and success.

Many business owners will find it difficult to establish, develop, and maintain successful relationships with customers if they do not show them appreciation. I do not know anyone who likes to be treated simply as a source of revenue by businesses. We all want to be appreciated, as demonstrated by these sayings:

"When you praise someone for something they have done, they will do even better." – Nigerian (Igbo) proverb.

"Someone who receives a gift with gratitude will receive even more from the giver, later on." – Ghanaian (Twi) proverb.

"There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread." Mother Teresa

"The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated." William James

Business owners can show appreciation to their clients by sending thank you notes or cards. How many times have you received one of these from someone you did business with? And how would you feel if you received a heartfelt thank-you card in the mail (without any promotional material) after you purchased a product or service?

Now picture this scenario. You visit an optician and buy a new pair of glasses for hundreds of pounds. A week later you receive a card thanking you for your purchase, and wishing you a clearer vision with your new glasses. Wouldn’t you want to continue doing business with that optician? I know I would.

And yet many opticians, and indeed other business owners, do not seem to understand how important it is to show appreciation to their clients and customers. Many businesses are quick to send out promotional materials by email and post. Needless to say, many of these emails and letters leave the recipients cold and they are often consigned to the trash can online and offline. A note or card thanking the customer or client for their business and referrals would go a long way towards making them feel appreciated.

Many business owners know the importance of standing out from the crowd of competitors and the value of creating loyal clients and customers. Sending thank you cards will help business owners to achieve both goals.

Do not underestimate the power of a thank you note card in business. Sales trainer Tom Hopkins says:

"Because I understood that building relationships is what selling is all about, I began early in my career to send thank you notes to people. I set a goal to send ten thank you notes every day. That goal meant that I had to meet and get the names of at least ten people every day. I sent thank you notes to people I met briefly, people I showed properties to, people I talked with on the telephone, and people I actually helped to own new homes. I became a thank you note fool. And guess what happened? By the end of my third year in sales, my business was 100% referrals! The people I had expressed gratitude to were happy to send me new clients as a reward for making them feel appreciated and important."

That is the power of business thank you cards. I like sending them to everyone, especially my clients because I know that customers are the lifeblood of any business. I have also received thank you cards from some of my clients, and this has validated for me the importance of nurturing long-term relationships with my customers. Sales and advertising have their place in marketing, but for small business professionals, a relationship-based strategy is essential to long-term success.