Reward your customers and suppliers
I have been recently faced with some age old dilemmas:
Do you buy your customers a Christmas present? Do you send out a real Christmas card? Or do you just not bother as in this day and age – because you thank them as you go?
For me, the past 8 months have been huge. In the space of a week, I went from being on maternity leave and looking forward to returning to my job, to being made redundant, to starting my own business – CRAZY. But somehow, being made redundant was the catalyst I needed to get things in motion to work for myself doing something I love and working around my young family.
Starting A New Business Can Be Hectic
The first twelve months in any new business are such a whirlwind we often don’t have time to think about things outside our normal every day tasks, let alone take 5 minutes to thank people along the way. So for me, this Christmas – it was a no brainer. I am sending gifts and cards (albeit small ones all sourced from local business owners in Melbourne) to not only my customers, but also to suppliers and contacts that have helped me in my journey to be a successful business owner.
“Why am I bothering you” might be thinking? Doesn’t this cost money – for zero return? I might not get any “gifts” back in return? Probably – but that is not going to stop me!
Reward Your Customers And Suppliers
To run a successful business I feel that you need a database of happy customers AND a good source of contacts you trust that you can call on to help your business grow – such as graphic designers, printers, mentors, advisors, and virtual assistants, to name a few. This source of contacts, if nurtured, developed and respected, can in turn become a wonderful referral source once those relationships have flourished.
Thanks Everyone
But it is for none of those reasons really I am sending gifts or cards – my motivation this year is to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me.
A Successful Business
Not only have you let me fulfill my dream of having a flexible and rewarding “job”, but the amazing people along the way have helped share my dream, share my story and share my experience – and if it wasn’t for these supporting and understanding business owners I wouldn’t be successfully running Healthy Business Finances.
Do you reward your customers and suppliers? And what do you?