Thanksgiving In August

Thank you.

Thank you SO much! I deeply appreciate what you did for me. You are fifty kinds of AWESOME and I just can’t thank you enough!

Here is a quick lesson to learn. Or, as in my case, re-learn.

We’ve all heard of 'Christmas In July', it’s an actual thing now… but 'Thanksgiving In August'? Let’s see if we can make another thing out of nothing, something I’m exceedingly good at anyways.

I am deep in to my 4th decade in the Promotional Products Industry. I have a lot of experience and a lot of solutions under my belt. I also have some pretty trendy jeans under my belt, but this isn’t a fashion blog, so don’t confuse me with the facts. The point is… there are always opportunities to learn, to grow, to approach things fresh and different, to keep yourself energized and productive no matter how long you’ve been at this branded merch game.

I had such an opportunity recently. One of the many duties I have the pleasure to perform is as the Editor of various promotional products industry newsletters, going all the way back to my Son Of Cribbinformer newsletter for the extinct Walter W. Cribbins Company in the early 1980’s. I’ve edited regional and national newsletters and for a few years, edited SAACTimes for our regional association. A few months back I was editing an internal promo publication for HALO Branded Solutions account managers that includes input from ‘the field’ via a Letters To The Editor-type column. I was editing the current issue of Promobobo (they let me pick the name myself). It’s easy, when editing, to focus on spelling, punctuation, sentence fragments and errors and not to actually PROCESS the information. But one heartfelt letter, about appreciation and giving thanks, was so well done, it really resonated. I sat up and took notice. And I learned something. Actually, I RE-learned it since I’ve been down this road before, gave it a whirl, had positive results - and promptly fell back into old habits.

The article talked about appreciation, about thanking clients for orders. All clients and all orders, big or small. Showing sincere appreciation for their business by sending them a HAND-WRITTEN thank you card in the MAIL with a POSTAGE STAMP on it. Remember those? Not an email or a text. But actually picking up a pen and writing out a card with genuine human feeling and, if you’re left-handed, ink-smudges. Further, it talked about thanking suppliers for coming in to our office, buying lunch and hosting a presentation.

I loved that. I immediately put that into effect here in our Chatsworth branch office. HALO Branded Solutions, as you know, is a large distributor. In most cases, HALO is one of the top 2 or 3 customers of most any large supplier. They already give us the best pricing, prioritized service, special rebates, and other perks. They come in to see us weekly. I have supplier meetings scheduled through the end of this year… and they are already asking about 2019. So, they love HALO, we love them, they come in frequently… and we rarely think to say ‘thank you’. We give them orders… lots of orders. They produce them and we pay them and everything is fine… but we hardly ever say those magic words.  

Until that newsletter article reminded me of the POWER of gratitude.

So, now, we send hand-written thank you notes to our Southern California area reps and supplier partners who come by to see us, to make a presentation, to bring in lunch or afternoon treats. I have my Office Manager, Rosalba, take care of this, and she does a great job. And now I have valued suppliers THANKING ME for THANKING THEM. I feel good about it and they feel good about it, and the next time I need something extraordinary, I’ll most likely get it not just because we’re HALO but because there is positive energy and appreciation working on our behalf. And this goes for anyone, large or small.

Sprinkle that sugar. You have the power to make someone’s day simply wonderful. Show appreciation, really mean it, and say thank you ALL THE TIME. You’ll feel great and positive energy will imbue your every move. Suppliers will be thrilled to hear from you not because of the orders you book, but because they LIKE you.  

So, lets us give Thanks during this time of Thanksgiving In August festivities. Give thanks to our clients and to our supplier partners – ALL the time for EVERYTHING. The effort will circle back and pay dividends that can’t be calculated, but you’ll receive them nevertheless. The POWER of saying ‘Thank You’ is a lesson to learn and re-learn until it remains a part of your daily activities.

Pass the cranberries, please. Thank you!