5 Daily Goals to Reap Rewards: #1, Gratitude

At a very early age I was struck by something my grandfather would say about a certain accomplishment, trait or possession: "Don't be proud, be grateful." I believe it is absolutely essential to practice an attitude of gratitude in business and in life, to achieve greatness.

One late afternoon I was in the car on the way to a sales call, and I got a phone call from one of my customers. He needed to make an adjustment to one of his orders already in the system. This required a call to my company, a few minutes after regular office hours. To my surprise my customer service rep answered the phone. Within a few minutes she had completely handled this new request; I called my customer back to let him know the order had been changed, and everything was good to go. Realizing this was an opportunity to express an attitude of gratitude, I sent my customer service rep a thank you card, with a Starbucks gift card enclosed. I then sent another card to my customer, thanking him for the business, and thanking him for the opportunity to work with him.

A few days later, my customer service rep called me to thank me for the kind card and gift card. She was overwhelmed by the act of thanks; she noted that she had been working in that office for nearly 2 years, and up to that point no one had ever expressed their thanks in such a nice manner. That same day, I had a meeting with my customer, and my card was being proudly displayed on his desk. It was a great way to open up our meeting. From that time on, my customer service rep has always been friendly and helpful when ever I call with an issue or in need of assistance. And my customer knows how much I appreciate his business, and our business relationship has continued to grow, on a personal and professional level.

Make time each and every day to be thankful for the opportunities made available to you. And do not pass up the opportunity to express your gratitude to those who support you: your customers and clients, co-workers and family. "Thank you," may be the best return on investment you make all day.