It is Thanksgiving week, and you’re looking forward to spending the weekend feasting with family and friends. But before we get to the festivities, this is the perfect holiday for taking time to say “Thank You” to those people who’ve helped your business become what it is and will be. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be so happy or successful.
(1) During this week, be sure to say thanks to your team. Whether you’re a company of 2 or 100, you have people who work hard year-round. They make plenty of personal sacrifices to work overtime, weekends, and yes, even holidays. They sometimes miss ballgames and can’t be around for family events. Yes, you pay them well, but they still sacrifice to help you build your business.
You might consider having a Thanksgiving lunch at the office for the entire company—maybe consider inviting their families. It could even be done the week after Thanksgiving and on a Saturday, so everyone can participate without interfering with family holiday plans.
If you’d like to do something a bit more personal, nothing touches people more than a handwritten note or card. Take some time to write a special message thanking each of your team members for what they do—and be specific. Don’t write a boilerplate thank-you note. Make it mean something. Consider throwing a gift card in the note to a restaurant so your employee could take his/her family out for dinner.
Your employees shouldn’t be the only ones you take time to thank this Thanksgiving season. (2) Be thankful for your family and friends. So many of you have tremendous stories of fighting through and overcoming hard times. During difficult journeys, you’ve had loved ones that stood by your side and supported you every inch of the way.
It doesn’t have to be this week, but to say thank you to your loved ones who’ve always been there for you, consider taking some time off. Surprise them with a little weekend getaway or a trip. If money is tight, maybe just buy them tickets to a ballgame. Or go camping. Or just go to dinner with everyone. Find something everyone will enjoy doing. At least you’ll be there together as a family. You can never spend too much time with those you love, those people who support you.
Of course, (3) Thanksgiving season is the perfect time to be thankful for your customers. They’re the ones who put money in your pocket, food on your table, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head. So many members do some special things to thank their customers. For example, some members buy their club members a turkey on Thanksgiving—they prepurchase turkeys from a local grocery store, and they mail each of their customers a voucher that they can redeem for their turkey.
Another member buys pies for their club members. The member personally delivers the pies to each club member’s home. He rings the door and tells that club member thank you. If the customer isn’t home, he leaves the pie with a special note. Yes, doing something like that will cost you money, and it may not have an immediate financial return, but how do you think that simple gesture will go over with your customers? Yup, it will leave an impact. You’re not losing that customer.
On that note, while I have your attention, I would like to say a very special THANK YOU… to you, my valued member. Thank you so much for being a part of our organization and family. Thank you for trusting me to help you with your business. Thank you for helping me provide for my family. I appreciate you very much.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving 🙂