Reap Rewards with a Sincere Compliment
The fifth principle for successful website creators is:
Give compliments freely and often.
It’s one of the least expensive and most effective tools you can employ to:
- Create loyalty among your employees and clients
- Build goodwill
- Feel good about your work and your place in the industry
- Motivate your staff
- Receive personal and professional rewards in return
- Increase sales
- Make friends and influence people
The personal and professional rewards of freely handing out compliments on a regular basis can’t even be measured — that’s how enormous their impact can be. Leo Buscaglia infers how huge it is, though:
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
Good as Gold
A compliment can have an effect on people that’s similar to how they respond to receiving cash. In fact, a study cited by The Scripps Research Institute calls praise a “social reward” that actually boosts productivity and enhances motivation, just like any other treasured prize. While some may argue that those personal and professional rewards are just manipulation techniques, when a compliment is sincere, it’s taken as genuine.
And isn’t all marketing and employee motivation tactics just various forms of manipulation? Getting others to feel good about themselves, about you and your work, and about the world in general is never a bad thing. Two intentions can co-exist: buy from me and feel good about me are two seemingly different ideas, yet they go together as seamlessly as checking and savings. You can take that to the bank!
Keep It Real — And Positive
For those involved in website creation, from designers and coders to content writers and graphic artists, the notion that “it’s all good” doesn’t always fly. But if you get in the practice of seeking personal and professional rewards by handing out genuine compliments, you just may find that some of it is good. Look hard enough — and granted, sometimes it takes effort — and you can find something in everyone to praise.
In the 21st century, you need to be careful about how you sling your brand of praise. For example, men and women must be careful about complimenting the opposite sex on how they look, lest you be charged with harassment. And put-downs disguised as compliments, like “you look good for your age” are non-starters. But that still leaves a whole lot of room for handing out personal and professional rewards like swag at a tech conference.
Consider, for example, a few well-placed compliments that easily apply to many of the people you encounter in business:
- “Good job on that recent project.”
- “You have a great sense of humor.”
- “That was really effective the way you handled that disgruntled client.”
- “You pick out the best gifts.”
- “I really appreciate the way you stepped up.”
- “Your directions were really clear.”
- “Your business model translates really well online.”
- “Your enthusiasm is infectious.”
- “We appreciate the trust you’ve placed in us.”
- “I like your confidence.”
- “You’re so responsive.”
- “Great shoes!”
The list truly can go on and on, but you get the idea. You can be personal without tripping over those sensitive topics that make people uncomfortable.
Feed the Hungry
In the stressed-out world of high-tech, where competition is fiercer than ever and new challenges appear daily, people are starving for honest appreciation. A commendation for a job well done, recognition for effective communication and business ethics, admiration for well-honed skills, regard for a specific task well done, appreciation for style and substance — all are signs of respect that go a long way toward changing the world, or at least easing the pressures of the day.
And it costs you nothing. Paradoxically, when you give a compliment, you reap your own set of personal and professional rewards. In addition to boosting productivity at your agency, you give your clients a reason to come back and tell their friends about you.
It feels good to do good, to be nice and to add a little sugar to the recipe of the day. You feed your own soul when you take just a tiny bit of effort to look for the good in everyone and tell them so. Mark Twain may have said it best:
“I can live for two months on a good compliment.”
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words that empower your business to succeed. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters, and more, with cross-links and thorough internet research.
