Kindness alone can transform the climate of your workplace, which results in improved business performance across the board.
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You can invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in CRM software, know more about your customers than they do and discover little or no brand loyalty exists. Or — consider utilizing additional approaches!
I began writing an article on kindness in the work place and how company corporate culture can be transformed at no cost resulting in lower attrition, enhanced customer loyalty, increased profits and greater shareholder return.
Serendipitously I found myself reading a passage from a novel circa 1909. The book written by Arthur Train a former ADA in New York City is a little gem. I found it in a compilation published in 1928 by Charles Scribner’s Sons.
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Kindness can take many forms and there’s no doubt that if we are mindful … we can make huge differences in people’s personal lives.
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A fascinating read — it’s the recollections of an English butler working for a noveau riche American family and deals in great part with the stock market, bucket shops, the gullibility of the populace and in general the same kind of financial wheeling and dealing that still exists to some extent in 2015.
Ironic that it was written more than 100 years ago and 20 years before the great crash.
Although the section on kindness doesn’t relate to Wall Street it beautifully sums up how easy it is to spread a little good cheer — and the incredible enhanced business trickle down effect.
“There is a little cripple boy who lives in the opposite house … he sits by the window in his father’s library and watches the people passing up and down … “
“Well Miss Patricia never goes out of the house that she does not wave her hand to him (although she has never met him) and he watches for her every day and smiles and waves back and is always looking for her.”
“And one day I was at the window and I felt so sorry for him I sort of waved too and he nodded right back and smiled, and now I know him very well. It does not cost anything to smile at a little sick boy but every time I do when I go back to work I feel like singing.”
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Kindness makes a huge impact in all aspects of business!
This may sound pollyannaish. It’s not. I’ve witnessed it in action as both a certified life/corporate coach and entrepreneur running a one man Direct Marketing agency that services major corporations.
My firm has specialized in loyalty marketing for over twenty years. Much of it spent in the casino industry where learning about customers has been taken to a whole new level.
We have shared lots of successes — particularly in building new business and creating promotions to drive repeat client visits. However, that’s not the same as building the loyalty that’s critical to lowered marketing costs and sustained bottom line growth.
Many companies get lost in the wealth of data they’ve accumulated and overlook the most important way to build loyalty — “The Human Element.”
Here’s a Mind Acrobatics™ challenge for anyone looking to improve business at no cost!
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Often we get so caught up with the stress of just making it through the day that we lose awareness of all that makes life worthwhile.
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Pick a work week — How about Monday February 23rd? Commit to perform one act of kindness for each of the five days. When the weekend rolls around see how you feel.
Continue this practice for a few months and then assess your overall business’ performance. I can virtually guarantee you’ll be pleased with the results.
Good will and kindness are innate components of human nature. Yet often we get so caught up with the stress of making our numbers or simply getting through the day that we lose awareness of all that’s most important.
Enjoy life more and watch as business flourishes!
Employees and customers keep your business thriving. Invest in Kindness!
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Photo: Leo Grübler/Flickr