It might not be quite the holiday season that we're all expecting this year though. But pause and think for two minutes. Rather than think about all the things we can't do why not pause and think about all the positive things we can?
We live in a fantastic part of the world with access to so many great attractions from Northumberland and the stunning castles right the way through the coastline across the whole of the North East of England. This is a fantastic part of the world to take a holiday. I’m not going to use the word staycation I am going to describe it as a full holiday because that’s exactly what it is when you go to one of these fabulous venues. How will holidays help you increase sales for your business? It’s really simple: Think about the fantastic times that you’ve experienced in previous holidays. Think about the memories that you have built over the years when you have been on your own holidays. Just take two minutes right now to pause and to think about the best holiday that you ever been on. I bet that if you did pause and think about this you’d have a broad smile on your face. That warmth, that smile and that fantastic feeling is one that you need to focus on when it comes to your sales. We call this the green line effect. What do I mean by that? It’s that moment where you really put your customers or your clients in a really fantastic positive emotional state. It doesn’t need to be something complex and expensive it can be something really simple that really makes that their day and provides them with that positive emotional association with your business. One of my most memorable moments in a recent holiday was the service, smiles and warmth that I got at the Ariston Cafe where we stopped for lunch one day while travelling route 66. The memories of that holiday still resonate with me, and I still tell people about the fantastic service and experience we had while having lunch. The team did nothing more than give me a few gifts, talk to me, remember me and engage me in a genuine and warm conversation. It cost so little money from (from their perspective) and had such a big impact from my perspective. What can you and your team do right now in this changing world to give others that same warmth experience and memory? And why would this benefit your business? Well, if you take some time to put your consumers onto the green line (that positive emotional space) you start to create advocates of your business. Advocates are the people who will tell others about you and they will come back bringing along their friends, family, contacts, network and their suppliers with them. This is the simplest and most effective way to grow your business and your sales. Creating groups of people who absolutely love what you do and will tell other people for you. It sounds really simple and that’s the brilliant thing it is just that simple. Where might you start with your business? Here are three really simple things you could do this week: 1. Speak to every one of your clients this week and try and find one or two personal things about them. You need to remember these things to build on conversations and make sure you focus on the relationship beyond the transaction. 2. Give a small gift or token of appreciation to your existing and to new clients that you meet this week. It doesn’t need to be a big lavish gift it can be something as simple as a postcard, a physical reminder to say thanks to them for spending money and time with you. 3. Make them a cup of tea. This only works if they actually like cups of tea. Find out what they like to drink, tea, coffee or water and make sure that you have that ready for them for each meeting that they attend with you. A tiny thing but it shows that you are focused on them and the relationship and their needs rather than just the transaction you involved in. Any business can take advantage of the green line effect. You and your team can spot a multitude of ways to help your customers get that positive emotional engagement with you and your business. The things that you get right in this space will create the ongoing memories and spark the dinner table conversations that people will share about you as an individual and your organisation. So, while we are in holiday mode let’s make sure that we are creating those holiday like memories for every client and customer interaction. Right now I’m off to create some of my own new holiday memories.
