Showing your clients that you appreciate their business can deepen your relationship with them and make them feel they are not just another number. The tokens of appreciation do not have to be expensive; often, it is merely the thought that counts.
You can use a number of formal and informal methods to show your appreciation in a tangible way, suggests George Hartman, CEO of Toronto-based Market Logics Inc., who adds that your objective should be to demonstrate that “you value the relationship.”
Here are some considerations when showing your appreciation:
> Different folks, different strokes
You must know your clients: their personal preferences; what matters to them; their values; their families; etc.
“The better you know your clients, the more you can be specific in showing your appreciation,” advises Joanne Ferguson, president of Advisor Pathways Inc. in Toronto. You should do different things for different clients in order to have the greatest impact. For instance, recognize that not everyone values a round of golf or dinner at a restaurant — even though these forms of appreciation are often quite appropriate.
> Be different
“Expose clients to things they have not done before, such as inviting them and their friends to a cooking class,” Ferguson recommends. Besides having fun, she says, this “can be intimate.”
When appropriate, you can get clients to bring their children to an event, Ferguson says, which doubles the impact of the gesture.
“People cherish unique experiences and remember them for a lifetime,” says Aiman Dally, CEO of Toronto-based Copia Financial Solutions.
> Remember little things
Keep track of personal anecdotes your clients have shared with you. By remembering the details your clients have mentioned “you can connect with them in a human way,” Ferguson says.
For example, a client might have told you about a trip he or she is taking. She suggests that you send them a book that is related to their destination or to read while on the trip. Or, Hartman suggests, you can send them articles of interest.
> Note life events
Acknowledge milestones in your clients’ lives in a tangible way, Ferguson says. Hartman advises that you can use informal or “one-off” methods to show your appreciation by sending flowers on a client’s birthday or providing tickets to a sporting event or the ballet.
In addition, you can also acknowledge milestones of close family members, such as a child’s graduation, Dally says: “Give a customized gift that shows you went out of your way.”
> Throw an appreciation event
Holding a social event for your clients is a good way to interact with clients in an out-of-the-office setting. “Do something that they will remember,” Dally says — such as hiring a popular band or hosting the party at a unique location.
As well, you can invite your clients to an event to which they can bring their spouses and children, such as a picnic in the summer or a Christmas party.