By Julie Bonnell, vice president operations, for the Resolutions blog series

I appreciate you taking the time…

Yes, you, the person reading this blog post. I appreciate that you are investing this moment of your busy day to read my thoughts, and I understand your time is precious. Quick check-in question — how does this make you feel? I am hoping it makes you feel good and that the next couple of paragraphs will provide you with something of value.

Saying “I appreciate you” or “thank you” is something we can do to grow and maintain the relationships that build our business. It’s so simple and yet we miss countless opportunities to do so. When we do take the time to let customers know they are valued, we open the chance for a connection and to make that person feel good about their experience engaging with our company. If the appreciation was sincere and specific, it may open up a dialog now and/or in the future where you can gain insights into their perceptions and viewpoints which can be used to improve the strength of the relationship.

That simple and sincere “thank you” could net you instant feedback in return about what your customer values, or it could give you the opportunity to ask for additional input about what you could do better, such as a service you could add that they would find useful. Building a strong connection will lead to them thinking of you first when a need presents itself because you made them feel valued.

Give it a try.