It is said that ‘a true friend sticks closer than a brother’. Who do you consider to be a friend? Or who regards you as a friend? What milestones have you made in someone’s life for them to classify you as a friend? These are the questions that cross our minds when we think about the people around us that we consider our friends.
There are so many forms of friendship with their respective characteristics that classify them. But today we’d like to dwell on one characteristic of friendship that really stands out for us. Wikipedia describes it well as ‘the ability to be oneself, express one’s feelings to others, and make mistakes without fear of judgment from the friend.’
Don’t get us wrong though, this does not imply that your friend will not occasionally stop you in your tracks or call you out when they see you moving in the wrong direction. A genuine friend will look out for your wellbeing.
We believe friendship takes effort and you have to continuously work at it. Ask yourself, when did you last appreciate your friends? How did you appreciate them? We hope it was not just with those common and impersonalized forwards that make the rounds on social media declaring the celebration of friendship week. We have nothing against them but as your friend, we’d feel touched if you put in some effort and time to make us feel special by, for example, sending us a personal email, or taking the time to make a quick call, or even sending us a simple personalized greeting card via the mail. You’ll agree with us that it’s the simple acts of appreciation that melt your heart away, right?
Let’s look at the same concept from a business perspective. How do you view your customers? We look at them as friends to your business because out of all your business competitors, they chose your products or services. These customers, clients or patients play a fundamental role in the growth of your business. Their positive or negative feedback gives you an idea of what to change or improve in your business, or drives you to identify gaps in the market to diversify your business.
Recently, we heard about a young lady telling her friends how touched she was to receive a birthday card, prior to her birthday this month, from a resort hotel where she had treated herself to a weekend of fun in celebration of her birthday last year. This resort hotel has earned itself a loyal customer and an excellent referral source. That extra effort is really worth it for your business.
As we celebrate Friendship day on 05 August 2018, we invite you to send a free greeting card. Remember a personal touch need not be costly, but it will make your customers or friends feel appreciated. Click here to send the free greeting card and don’t forget to share the outcome with us.
