It's fitting to discuss "giving thanks" since we are in the midst of celebrating the many things we are thankful for during this month of Thanksgiving.  In business, the #1 thing we should be thankful for is our customers, which is rather obvious since they are the reason that we are staying in business, and they help us to afford putting a turkey feast on our tables (figuratively and literally).  It's a given that we are thankful for them, but do they feel appreciated?  Before I give you tips for taking your thankfulness beyond just saying "thank you," let me tell you about an experience that we are currently having with one of our vendors (crossing my fingers that they will read this and finally choose to be different)...

About 8 months ago we learned that we HAD to change vendors for a service that our business HAS to have, and rather than having the ability to pick and choose who could serve us for this imperative need, our hands are tied as there are no other options for our unique issue.  Crazy, I know.  This service costs us 4.5 times MORE than what we used to pay (again, our hands are tied), and this cost is no drop in the bucket- we're talking hundreds more per month.  Yes, going into this partnership, we were already unhappy.  So fast forward through a painful transition process of a mediocre set-up process to months of very impersonal and less than satisfactory exchanges, and here we are, all of these months later, and we do not feel appreciated, not even a tiny bit. It's so bad that often their emails don't even close with a "thank you" when they send a bill that is insanely high in price.  When I attempt to add some personality into my exchanges with them, I get nothing in return, and they do nothing to recognize us for any reason and certainly not now during the holidays. So let's move on to what they have taught me, via bad example, to review what we all should do in order to make sure that our customers know and feel that we appreciate them...

Combine all of the above special extras with sincerely stated/written "thank yous," and your customers will feel like they are a VIP.  Also, you will set yourself apart from other vendors by being different, which in turn will mean your customers will keep coming back for more and will spread the word about how amazing working with you can be. 

What ideas do you have for showing your customers your appreciation?  We would love to hear from you by making comments below.  Also, please download our Top 10 Customer Service Skills List.  It's a great guide for mastering the basics.  And to those of you who celebrate this holiday, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!