with guest John Ruhlin#FranchiseSecrets Ep 42
Building our customer base, our retention rates, our overall relationships throughout our franchises are all things that can lead to an abundance of success. What if I told you that a small gesture, such as sending a gift, could lead you to achieving these matters? The impact that follows a small thoughtful gesture can result in positive pivots to a company. If it seems so simple, why are more people not doing it? The answer is, there is more depth to gift giving then we consider. Usually, when giving a gift, we don’t reach beyond the surface.
Showing gratitude is a key component in obtaining excellent business relationships. What if you had proper guidance to gift giving and could reach a higher success through it? Whom you gift, what you gift and when you gift all differentiate between just being another business partner sending a gift, to becoming a top priority in one’s head. A new friend of mine, John Ruhlin, bestselling author of Giftology expresses how to gain client retention, loyalty, referrals and new customers with the proper utilization of gifts. John states, “When you’re a giver, everybody around you want to lift you up and see you win.” John guides listeners on how to become one of a kind givers, which lead will lead you to success and wins.
Reaching Relationships Through Gift Giving
Obtaining new clients, receiving access, getting in touch to a specific key person or even obtaining referrals is important. Many must agree that these are all important scenarios that each business owner wants to achieve. Reaching out through gifts is one way to achieve these relationships. How do we know what to send, when do we know to stop reaching out, how do we know who to turn to for access or referrals? John started cold, he did not have open access and with his personal knowledge and experience, become successful, closed many deals, built many profitable and true relationships all with his efforts of thoughtful and strategically gift giving. Once you reach these relationships, maintaining them is important, this is another strategy John helps us to understand. John expresses that when achieving these relationships, it is important to pour into the relationship, how to avoid putting limits on gift giving and how these factors can make the world of difference.
The Overlooked Platforms of Gift Giving
How many of you have a list of people or customer’s that you check off each Christmas when sending a standard gift too? It is good business practice to recognize these current customers. However, have you ever thought about sending gifts to people outside of your norm? This is one component we often overlook by sticking with a standard gift giving list. Many times, we do not consider external people, who at the end of the day… have a huge impact in the business relationship we are trying to maintain. We often overshadow our own employees, because we resort to their paycheck or benefits as a source of showing gratitude. Is this enough, will this set us apart from another organization who has the ability to gain our employee’s loyalty? We often do not consider what John refers to as, the inner circle. Learning about the inner circle and how to include them in our appreciation process, is definitely something that will allow us to stand out from others. Broadening our horizons on who we consider when gifting plays a major role in becoming a priority to others.
Aside from John digging deep with us to realize who all we should recognize with gifts, he also expresses how timing is another key factor that sets us apart from others. Many business owner’s feel it is a good strategy to send gifts on important holidays, conferences or other specific dates. Of course, many feel this is a route for them to show appreciation to another. What if we could stand out and be different then every other person in their life sending gifts on the same day, or at the same event? John shares some great insight on how to stand out and become a top priority to someone’s thoughts all by putting a little more thought into the timing of our gifts. We want to be remembered, we want our receiver to recognize our gift as a thought, and not just receive another standard gift.
This leads to the gift we give. This can be an area where many slip up, all by not putting enough thought into a gift. Discovering what makes each receiver tick, relating to them, being sure we find gifts best suitable for them makes a difference. Stepping outside of our norm of sending gift cards or other reoccurring gift items can leave an impression that not many other gift givers leave. Many companies utilize what is called, a swag gift. We often feel swag gifting will help receivers remember us, since it usually has our brand on it. Have you ever wondered if Swag gifting is the best route, or have you ever wanted to dig deeper and explore other avenues? If you have been struggling on finding a way to be thoughtful with each gift you send and who you send it too, you are not alone. John speaks to us in spirits to help us overcome these overlooked platforms.
The Risks and Results
As anything in the franchise world, gift giving does have its risks. If we take gift giving to the extent that John shares with us during this episode, it is guaranteed that we will become a higher priority. However, allowing ourselves to extend to this level comes with a risk. Is it a risk worth taking? John shares with us some risk-taking stories of his own that are truly eye-opening. Along with his real life stories, he helps to educate us on the different outcomes that may transpire with taking risks.
My takeaway, is understanding the importance of properly expressing appreciation and that learning how to step out of the box can really separate us from the rest. Sometimes, it is hard to get out of our norm, and we don’t know where to begin. However, becoming different is the only way we can truly achieve different results as well as different levels of success. Nobody wants to feel like they’re being bought off, or that they’re being gifted another standard gift, but everyone loves to feel appreciated. John helps us to prioritize and overcome the overlooked aspects of gift giving, turning it into a way to truly show appreciation to other’s. To anyone who has trouble stepping out of there norm, or just don’t know where to begin… I encourage all of you to tune into this week’s episode and discover the ways we become different.