According to a customer experience impact report, the top reason why companies lose their clients, is because they feel poorly treated. And one of the major contributors to negative customer experience is when businesses fail to show their appreciation.If your customer gift budget is a fraction of what it used to be or even non-existent, no worries.

How can you still show your appreciation for their business? A simple, more personal way to say thank you can be more effective than an expensive box of chocolates or bottle of scotch.

In my last post “5 Ways to Say Thank-You on Your Non-Existent Budget”, I listed five ways to express your gratitude and appreciation. Here’s 5 more no or low cost ways to say “Thank you”.

1. Recognize and Reward. Do you have a “on-time every-time” client that is never late with a payment? Perhaps an “Ambassador” that is always recommending you or maybe an “organizer extraordinaire” who never calls with last-minute requests? Have they been a client of yours for 1 year, 5 or 10 years? Why not make certificates for your most deserving clients? Buy a tasteful, inexpensive frame to showcase it.

2. Tweet a coffee. If your customers are all over the country, through Starbucks “Tweet a Coffee” program, you can send a $5 Starbucks eGift card to your customers in Canada and the U.S. by using their Twitter name/handle. I send one just before I have a skype meeting or conference call so they can have “Coffee with Cathy”.

3. Send a Treat. When a company policy say no gifts, a tin of cookies is a great way to show your appreciation, allow your customer to accept graciously and be able to share so that it’s not just for them. It’s like a pay-it-forward thing.

4. Make Friends. What better way to say thank you than to send a new customer to your client?  A double whammy when you recommend one of your best clients to another of your best clients. Can you say WIN- WIN? They’ll certainly never forget that.

5. The True Spirit of Giving. It’s not about giving or getting ‘things’ but the ‘why’. Make a donation to your client’s charity in their name. Buy 10 dinners at the local Gospel Mission or buy a goat for HIV+ women in Kenya and give it on behalf of your top client. What better way to say thank you than to send a new customer to one of your top clients?

Now Go Get Connected!

About Cathy Kuzel

With 25+ years of experience as a successful Entrepreneur and Business Consultant helping Entrepreneurs succeed, she is recognized across Canada for her in-house and public seminars on “All Things Small Biz”. Named one of the Top Ten Mentors in Canada, Cathy is the Founder of The Connected Woman Association, Author of “Are You a Collector or a Connector?”; “I’m on the Phone!”; the internationally known “Daily Espressos” and is a networking maven.