Show Your Appreciation

A Dairy Queen restaurant in Hopkins, Minnesota, has been getting a lot of local and national attention lately. Store manager, Joey Prusak, was serving a blind man and saw him drop a $20 bill. He then witnessed the woman behind him snap up the money as if she had dropped it. Prusak asked her to return the money or leave. She opted to leave, but not until after she had created a scene. Prusak apologized to the other customers and went on serving them. As soon as he had a free moment he approached the blind man who was sitting and eating, and gave him $20 of his own money.

Shortly after this event an anonymous letter was received by the owner of the Dairy Queen stating, “Joey has forever sealed my fate as a lifelong customer.” This letter was eventually posted for all employees to see. From there it was posted on Facebook, and it didn’t take long for the story to go viral.

Prusak has indicated that International Dairy Queen, Inc. called him directly and told him he would be receiving “something” in the mail.

Prusak definitely did not do this for recognition or reward; “I felt like the right thing to do was to give him the money,” he said. With this in mind, it’s even more special to hear that this act of kindness is being talked about, acknowledged and that he is receiving some well-deserved appreciation.

It is important to show your appreciation and thanks to others. It is uplifting and encouraging and often puts into motion the action of paying it forward, and that touches a lot of people.

Following are some ways to consider showing your customers just how much you appreciate them.

ACTION STEPS

• Send a handwritten letter of thanks when a situation calls for it, or send one simply “just because” to thank them for being your customer.

• Offer a personalized gift to show your appreciation. Our quite personally™! album (ZJ album /ZB online) has a fantastic selection of products that are perfect for this.

• Make a personal phone call. It doesn’t get much better than hearing it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Remember to keep the calls brief, but meaningful.

• Mail a greeting card on special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. The Business Greetings™ catalog has you covered for special occasions all year long.

• Take them out to lunch if they are local customers, send restaurant gift cards to those who are not.

• Spotlight them in a monthly “Customer Spotlight” email sent out as you would a newsletter. Include brief information about the customer (name, location, etc.) and why you appreciate them. It’s also nice to include a photo if you have their permission.   

• Support their business or organization (if applicable) by way of a charitable contribution, buying product from them, or sharing business referrals with them.

• Invite them to a customer appreciation event you are hosting, simply to say “Thank You” for their business.