Graham McGregor: The big impact of doing small things

Small things can make a big difference. Photo / Thinkstock

Opinion

One of the things I see over and over again is the big impact produced by doing small
things. Here are two examples:

Business Example:

I received a delightful email recently from a client in Australia who sells contact lenses.

I have been giving scratchie lotto tickets to every one of my contact lens clients since the start of 2012. I include either a hand written note or a printed letter acknowledging their value as a client and how to reach me should they have a problem.

This week, a client emailed me saying that she is now referring all her friends to me. She takes customer service like mine very seriously. This tells me that people buy experiences and feelings, not just products. I have heard this line before but I truly believe it now. I want more referrals like this. It is far better than advertising. I used to think that this sort of thing took too much time but it is worth it!

My client has discovered is that investing a small amount of time and money to show your clients that you appreciate them pays off when you do it consistently.

Personal Example:

Over the last few months I have been rediscovering the pleasures of cycling as both a fun way to get fit and also spend more time with my wife.

Seventeen days ago I made a dumb mistake and thought it would be okay to pedal down a very steep and winding hill three times faster than was appropriate.

The result was messy as I lost control on a sharp bend and hit a roadside bank at just over 60 kilometres an hour.

I wrote off my bike and did some rather painful damage to my own body at the same time. (3 broken ribs, a fractured scapula, a fractured clavicle and various assorted lacerations and bruises.)

I spent a few days in hospital and was sent home with a huge amount of painkillers and other drugs to help me mend my very sore body.

I should be fully recovered in 6-8 weeks time and I'm very grateful I didn't kill myself or have far more serious injuries coming off a bicycle at that speed.

Now here's the positive part of this story...

A few days later I received a lovely little get-well card in the mail from a couple who had heard about my cycling mishap.

It was handmade and had a fun picture of a bicycle with the words 'ouchy' on it.

The get well card also had a fun little stick figure of a person with the words 'ouch' on various parts of the body and real sticking plasters attached as well.

The best part of all was the note inside the card that read...

"Dear Graham, I hope this finds you feeling better each day. Sorry to hear about your accident. Glad you are here to tell the story. Stick to the ASB Bank matey, leave all
other banks alone. Take Care. Keep smiling. Johnny & Faye."

What I really liked about this card was first of all it was fun. So that cheered me up. Secondly it was from people that I don't actually know that well. I felt really special
that they had taken the time to create this delightful little get well card and send it to me.

I think that in both business and life the small things that we do often have a bigger impact than we think they might have.

So I invite you to do a few small things this week to show the important people in your life that you really do value them. I know they will appreciate it.

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."; Robert Brault

Graham McGregor is a marketing consultant and the creator of the 396 page 'Unfair Business Advantage Report.' www.theunfairbusinessadvantage.com (This is free and has now been read by business owners from 27 countries.) You can email Graham on graham@twomac.co.nz