Thanksgiving means offering up your appreciation to those you love and care about…for me one of the greatest joys and blessings is my EWM family. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for those of us in EWM’s Relocation Center’s to say “thanks” for your support and confidence and to offer warm wishes for a “Happy Thanksgiving” from Chris, Diane, Kate, Linda and Sherrie.
Our goal in EWM’s Relocation Center is to always provide support, encouragement and the opportunity to help you grow your skills and your bottom line. To that end, I wanted to share this great e-article by Brian Prasley, author of InspHIREd, is an Audience Captivator. He is the President of TrainOne, Inc. and COO of Charlotte-based BuyGitomer, Inc. in Charlotte, NC. It seemed timely and relevant and a wonderful way to remind all of us of what “thanks-giving” is all about. Happy Reading!
It’s that time of the year again when people are in the mood to be grateful. Unfortunately, the “spirit of the holidays” is limited to only a couple of months each year. Do you focus on helping strangers and appreciate the little things more in the months of November and December than the rest of the year? Chances are, you do.
You may plan to “do good” throughout the year to help others achieve greatness. But your personal needs become more important than the challenges of other people, especially strangers, so the “do good” is replaced with “I’ll try.”
Think about how can you extend those “do good” intentions to include all months. And be sure to include your own needs in developing your “do good” plan.
Here are some thoughts to reflect on this Thanksgiving:
THANKS. Children are taught early on to say “thank you.” It’s a magic phrase that loses its power because it’s said so often with little meaning. The word thanks is one of appreciation. Appreciation is the most important basic human need. If someone genuinely appreciates what you did for him or her, it makes you feel better too. When you make someone feel appreciated, they’ll always remember how you made them feel.
Think about how you say thanks to others. How can you make it more personal? “Mary, when you stayed late last week to help the bank write that new account it really made a big difference. I appreciate your dedication to our company.” Mary may or may not believe what she was doing was “extra” work, but she’ll feel appreciated with that one comment. The same is true with your customers. Don’t assume they know you appreciate their business. Tell them and be specific so they understand you really do know how important they are to your company. People have choices and your job is to make sure they choose you instead of your competition.
GIVING. Giving should go beyond the exchange of gifts. It’s about understanding what’s important to others and helping them. When you’re working with a client, give them something different. Think symbolism! A gift should symbolize something of importance to the 
other person. Everyone has received a gift and thought to themselves, “What were they thinking?” If your customer has children, they’re the most important priority in their life. So find something you can give that’ll impact his or her family. Be careful you don’t get too personal with someone you don’t know well, but think beyond a gift card. I have a customer who takes his son fly fishing every summer. I’m looking to find unique or matching lures to give him that he can share with his son. Discover what’s important to others to make your giving more personal and memorable.
Thanksgiving is more than being thankful and giving to others. My good friend, Mark, told me, “Life’s most special moments occur when you’re serving or giving to others.” Look at this season as your opportunity to build your business by personally thanking your customers and giving the gift people really want, appreciation. As you spend time with your family and friends over the next few weeks, think about how you can incorporate the two thoughts into your plan for the coming year, not just the holidays.
Brian Prasley, author of InspHIREd, is an Audience Captivator. He is the President of TrainOne, Inc. and COO of Charlotte-based BuyGitomer, Inc. in Charlotte, NC. He gives seminars and works with businesses to develop best practices, keep customers loyal, and increase revenue through effective selling skills. He can be reached by calling 704-333-1112 or [email protected].