Badassery Magazine Issue 2 July | Page 36

pack: reach out to them via Relationship Marketing. Celebrate them; be known as someone who truly cares: send them cards honoring your relationship and keep in touch with them so you can acknowledge occasions that hold significance to them. Cards: birthday; thank you for your business/referral; congrats on the new office or promotion; holidays, etc., sent on a regular basis, will endear you and solidify the human relationship, which is far more important than the business aspect. When you run across an article that is noteworthy in their industry and/or addresses a topic-of-interest to them, send them a copy. If you happen to be connected to them on Social Media, mention/tag them when sharing [tasteful] posts. Everyone likes some recognition … to be made to feel they matter beyond the business transaction. When you single them out, either as an individual or with their company, it makes them take notice of you going a bit beyond the norm on their behalf and, rarely are they unappreciative. check or the contract and uses our goods/services, they are people with thoughts, feelings, life events, interests and long memories … make sure they always have a pleasant one of you! We started this article with a statistic so it seems fitting to close with another: true, authentic, Relationship Marketing operates under the “80/20 Rule” ... not the traditional one, but something I learned from Kody Bateman in 2015: If you celebrate the relationship 80% of the time, the remaining 20% will be easy to navigate with referrals, retention and goodwill! Seems like a WIN-WIN to me!!! About the Author This habit can also serve as a conversation starter in the upcoming meeting/phone call you have scheduled with them. People [continue to] do business with those they know, like and trust and if you reach out to them, authentically, the chances of you having career-long clients/referral sources and lifelong friends greatly increases. Another benefit of authentic Relationship Marketing is how likely they are to advocate for and refer to you, without you asking. We all know that folks talk when they are dissatisfied. In fact, it’s safe to say that if one person said it aloud, at least 10-12 others were thinking it. Lesson: people, especially peer-professionals, talk within their circles and when the decision-maker feels good about you and your goods/services, they are more likely to tell others – sometimes even unsolicited – about how well you care for clients. With that kind of endorsement, who wouldn’t want to seek you out to do business? MARCIA WHYTE, Founder/Chief Content Officer of GratitudeSpeak, a professional speaking/training platform, has always believed that relationships make the true difference in having a successful life and business. Her strategies, listening ears and ready smile, have built her reputation as “The Queen of Gratitude” in circles where she is well known. She is fond of the saying, “A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you!!!” Always remember that no matter who signs the 35 gratitudespeak.com   