Gratitude is rare…and even more special!
Usually, the best any of us can hope is that clients will pay their bills promptly. It’s rare they take the time or effort to say thanks for a job well done. After all, that’s what they’re paying us for and what they expect.
So it was especially gratifying when an email from the Chairman & CEO of a happy client popped up in my BlackBerry on a recent evening.
“Outstanding job turning a potentially ugly situation into a favorable outcome and keeping the bank out of harm’s way. Anyone facing a tough PR matter will hear only one response from me: ‘Call Roger Gillott.'”
(Is it more than a little immodest to include this note in my blog? Definitely. But it’s so nice that I can’t help myself.)
It’s a two-way street, of course.
Whenever issues arise with that client in the future, he can be sure I will go beyond the 110% effort that I usually give. And should I be asked if I recommend a banker in the region he serves, his will be the only name that others hear from me.
In the business world, “networking” is a concept that’s become so ubiquitous it’s commonplace. Indeed, there are more networking groups than you can shake the proverbial stick at. Some are amorphous. Others break down by size or specialty. The idea is to build relationships based on general familiarity and trust.
The email from the banker takes that relationship a giant leap beyond. It is based on a deep and mutual knowledge that is both professional and personal. It is a sense of deep and enduring gratitude, both for what was achieved and for going the extra mile to offer a heartfelt thanks.
Gillott Communications is a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that specializes in high-stakes Crisis & Reputation Management with more than 50 years of expertise in strategic communications, corporate public relations, and working with the media.
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Roger: Being an attorney,I’m often thrust into situations with various levels of employees in companies I represent. When those people do a good job supporting me (which is almost always the case), I make sure their colleagues and bosses know about it. That always advances my stock in that company both because those people are anxious to take care of my needs the next time I appear and, as a result of that, I end up producing a better service for the client. Then I compliment them again and the party continues.