Sun, March 14, 2010 - 10:08:08

Small, Nice Gestures Can Increase Your Bottom Line

In this month’s Journal of Marketing Research, a new study published by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology professors Jaideep Sengupta and Elaine Chang suggests that flattery, even when insincere, can have a positive effect on consumers.  But, as the authors of THE POWER OF NICE, we believe that the most impactful way to create a good impression—whether with customers, coworkers, or friends—is through even our smallest acts of genuine kindness.  That’s why, when we read Chris Brogan’s story of stand-out customer service, it really struck a chord.  And especially for small enterprises like the one he describes, a friendly gesture can be a boon for business.

Brogan writes that every Wednesday, the owner of his favorite comic book store in Boston sends him a TwitPic of his weekly comics. “Not some weekly comics. MY weekly comics,” he underscores. 

Although the simple action of snapping a photograph with a camera phone and uploading it to TwitPic, takes just a few minutes, this little, good-natured act has not only helped to foster a friendship between Brogan and the comic book store owner, it has increased Brogan’s interest in comics and encouraged him to make purchases on a weekly basis.  And what’s more, the shop owner’s five-minute-a-week time investment has now earned him powerful word of mouth with a ringing endorsement on one of the web’s most well-respected and highly read blogs.

That’s the power of nice.

And you can make it work for you, too.  All you have to do is start with one little random act of kindness a day.  Whether you take five minutes to send a handwritten thank you note to a client whose business you value or help your customers carry their shopping bags to their cars even when they’re not heavy, there are an infinite number of little ways you can make yourself extraordinary in the eyes of others, just by being nice.  And in our wired world, they just might share the experience with their Facebook friends or write about it on Twitter, immediately extending your reach to possibly hundreds (or, in Chris Brogan’s case, hundreds of thousands) more people. 

Now, how’s that for a nice return on investment?

Posted by Linda and Robin