Attention Sales World... Leading With Gratitude And Heart Becomes Jet Fuel To Revenue Growth.

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” 

Henri-Frédéric Amiel

As we begin our time together, please reread the opening quote, and as you're thinking about the quote, I would like for you to think about this one word... congruency.

When it comes to gratitude, does your walk match your talk?

One last time, reread the quote again, and now think about your clients....

When was the last time you truly and I mean truly complimented, sincerely thanked, and shared deep gratitude towards your clients for doing business with you?

And no, I do not mean just around the holiday season.

Now is the time to bring back compliments.

Now is the time to bring back appreciation.

Now is the time to dig in and have meaningful conversation.

Now is the time to show gratitude.

Just a bit curious... Where would you be in sales without your clients?

I believe gratitude is a pathway toward connectedness. This begs the question, how connected are you to your clients?

As you read the following quote by Brother David Steindl-Rast, think about your clients and your relationship with them...

“Look closely and you will find that people are happy because they are grateful. The opposite of gratefulness is just taking everything for granted.”

Brother David Steindl-Rast, is a 96-year-old author, scholar, and Benedictine monk, known to many as the “grandfather of gratitude.” His TED talk has been viewed almost 10,000,000 times.

According to Br. David Steindl-Rast,

"Gratefulness is the experience of feeling grateful or thankful for something. It is not just an emotion, but also a way of life, a perspective or attitude that shapes how we perceive and interact with the world around us."

Are you all starting smell what I am cooking up here?

Here's where I am going with all of this... I believe leading with gratitude can become a huge pathway to revenue growth.

Simple for some, yet so difficult for many to comprehend, but when your client's feel valued and appreciated, they are more likely to return and recommend you to others.

Expressing gratitude helps build stronger relationships with your clients. This will lead to more collaborative opportunities that can positively impact your revenue growth.

To experience this revenue growth, you must immediately step away from behind your keyboard and start communicating with your clients.

When was the last time you had a heartfelt and open conversation with one of your clients?

We all live inside an extremely chaotic and digitally driven business world, however; I promise all of you this...

Your clients are starving for attention. They're starving for affection. They're starving for real human and heartfelt conversation.

GRATITUDE IS A CHOICE

We all have choices. I firmly believe that you are 100% responsible for how you show up.

It's not your manager, leader or company's responsibility, it's yours.

Therefore, how are you showing up for clients?

How are you showing up for your friends, family and even the company you work for?

Are you proactively leading your life with gratitude or reacting with gratitude? Stop for a moment and think about what I just said.

When you choose to plant the gratitude seed, you will reap the revenue harvest that follows.

The words of Robert Louis Stevenson offer the perfect analogy.

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

Your daily actions define you. Therefore, what are you planting?

What you plant becomes your pathway to progress. The small daily seeds of gratitude soon blossom into tomorrow's revenue harvest.

A study from the University of California Berkeley states, 

“Research suggests that gratitude may be associated with many benefits for individuals, including better physical and psychological health, increased happiness and life satisfaction, decreased materialism, and more.” 

The study went on to state that,

"Gratitude is also important to forming and maintaining social relationships. When you engage with someone and express gratitude for them, they are in turn more likely to express gratitude in return."

Again, I must ask you... Where would you be in sales without any clients?

Being grateful is spontaneously generated from within, it is an affirmation of goodness and warmth. 

Again, we all have choices. When it comes to your clients and your relationship with them, expressing gratitude builds relational strength.

Expressing gratitude shows you care. Here at Selling from the Heart, we refer to this as giving a rip.

Expressing gratitude reciprocates the kindness shared and felt in your relationship. 

Expressing gratitude celebrates the positive in your relationship, bringing the both of you closer together.

Expressing gratitude opens the door to more relationships.

Expressing gratitude helps you network with your clients.

Expressing gratitude paves the way for more future acts of kindness.

Your attitude is always within your control, make it a grateful one.

HEART COMBINED WITH GRATITUDE DRIVE HARD DOLLARS

To quote Roy T. Bennett,

"You are not rich until have a rich heart."

Can client richness and revenue growth be found in kindness, generosity and connecting at a heart level? You bet it can.

Right now, some of you might be saying, “Larry, come on man. Get real... this fluffy stuff... how can it drive hard dollars?"

Well, I ask you to think about your clients... what would you do and how would you act, if they decided to take their business elsewhere? How would you feel? How would this impact your thoughts, your actions and your sales results?

Soft skills yield hard dollars.

In a Baylor University study, they linked gratitude to increases in share of wallet, sales revenue, sales growth and customer commitment.

Furthermore, this study went on to site... "expressions of gratitude can be beneficial for both buyers and sellers as it creates a boost in interpersonal connection."

Giving compliments from the heart, with sincerity and gratitude will strengthen the relationships with your clients.

Can gratitude close the relational gap with your clients? I believe it can.

When your clients feel seen, heard, and valued by you, and when they feel that you genuinely care about their well-being, this soon creates a sense of deep connection and trust.

Kindness, generosity and gratitude may also be expressed through acts of service, such as going above and beyond to meet your client's needs or by helping them in ways that are not directly tied to the service you provide.

These heartfelt acts create a sense of reciprocity and gratitude, which further strengthen the relational bond.

Ultimately, and quite often, it's the non-material qualities of kindness, generosity, and heart-centered connection that truly enriches relationships.

Gratitude is the relational bridge builder to revenue.

INCREASED REVENUE STARTS WITH HEARTFELT COMMUNICATION

I would like all of you to reflect upon these questions...

• When's the last time you thanked your clients for doing business with you? And I mean sincerely thanked them for doing business with you.
• When's the last time you thanked your clients because they put their trust in you?
• When's the last time you thanked your clients for the opportunity to serve them?

"No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."

Alfred North Whitehead

Wise and confident sales professionals acknowledge that gratitude ignites relational growth which in turn drives gains in real revenue.

Some of the best people I know, have a healthy appreciation and an overwhelming abundance of gratitude.

They're committed to practicing gratitude daily. They communicate it daily. They live a thankful lifestyle.

Hang around me long enough and you will hear me drop a quote from Don Barden and his book, "The Perfect Plan".

The elite 1% lead themselves as servants. They know the answers to these three questions before they ever make a presentation to a client or those they lead...

"If I am to serve this person, will it be right for them personally, professionally, and in their spirit?"

Don goes onto say,

"If so, then and only then will I present myself to them with an attitude of gratitude, real education, and ease of doing business, because that is what servants do."

What is your attitude towards gratitude?

Gratitude drives real revenue growth that is sustainable and will stand the test of relational time.

GRATITUDE IGNITES YOUR RELATIONSHIPS AND FUELS YOUR SALES RESULTS

Whether you are a sales leader, a business owner, executive or a quota carrying salesperson... You must express gratitude to your clients because we do know they have other choices. There is always someone out there trying to earn their attention and their business.

Are you grateful each time they choose you versus someone else? Do your clients know it?

Don't expect their business because you're not entitled to it. You must keep showing meaningful value and renewing their interest in you.

You can’t afford to take for granted your clients. Show them love, do something special, tell them you appreciate that they chose you and then work your ass off to earn their loyalty.

A proactive, heartfelt approach to gratitude opens the referral door, driving incremental revenue. Real relationships based upon gratitude enhances your sales funnel.

Here is how this could play out... start with your top 10 clients, find 6 people inside of these accounts (key decision makers and influencers), this gives you 60 people to proactively show your gratitude towards.

Here is how your conversation could go...

"(Insert name), thank you for your trust. I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to serve you. This means a lot and I am extremely grateful to you and your company. In thinking about your circle of friends and associates, would you be open-minded to bridging an introduction to 2 of them? Just looking to have a conversation to share some ideas and insight, would this be alright?"

This will surely test your relational strength, wouldn't it?

Let's just say your average sale is $20,000. From these asks you receive two names and introductions; this equates to 120 people (60 people inside your top 10 accounts x 2 names). For this example, we will use 25% - win ratio. In other words, 25% of these referrals lead to a sale.

Folks, this is 30 sales at an average of $20,000 and you have just increased your sales revenue by $600,000!

People... this is completely doable! Would you agree?

What would this $600,000 revenue lift mean to you, your career and your family?

LET'S CONCLUDE OUR TIME TOGETHER

I'm here to inform you... people crave a genuine, authentic, real-deal and selling from the heart professional. And by now, if you still do not believe, just ask your clients.

I encourage all of you to lead a sales life full of authenticity and integrity rather than the pursuit of lining your sales wallet.

Showing your emotion isn't a sign of weakness. It's a sign of strength. It builds memorable bonds that transcend your business relationships.

In summary, gratitude is a powerful tool for building and strengthening relationships.

By expressing your sincere gratitude towards your clients, you promote positive emotions, reinforce positive behaviors, and mitigate negative emotions, all of which fuels relational growth.

Allow me to leave you all with this...

How much, in quantifiable numbers, will it cost you to remain in a status quo and numbing mindset?

 Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.