Gratitude is free (and it’s good for you)

If you are scrambling to adapt, you are doing all you can to continue to make it happen. New hours, new services, new skills; and it just keeps going. If you are scrambling to keep up, maybe you waited a little too long to build your e-store or your pipeline is a little dusty from too much lockdown Netflix. Don’t worry, it’s ok. Your bell has been rung and now you are playing catch up. Good for you. Keep going. And if you are just straight up scrambling? Without a playbook or a purpose? You are in a tough spot. But guess what? That’s ok too. (No. Not really.) 

But the truth is, none of us can do this alone. Every success story is fueled by the mini-stories along the way of people helping other people. That is precisely why expressing sincere gratitude is where it begins and ends for Bounce. And not just around the holidays, but all year long. A few thoughtful words or even a little gift can go a long way; kindness will do that.   

We’ve assembled a short list of ways you can demonstrate compassion, sincerity and above all gratitude, towards the people that care, have you covered and drive you towards success. 

• Be specific: there is nothing emptier than a platitude. When you thank someone for their help, make sure that you are specific in defining what they did and how it helped you achieve what you needed to get done. 
• Memorialize: as a design firm, we get the opportunity to create beautiful things for our clients. One way we thank our clients on a successful project is to professionally (or DIY) frame a designed element and send it to them and their team, with a heartfelt note. We did that with a client and our framed gift is still sitting on the CEO’s desk. (That was a year ago, btw.) 
• Write a note: when was the last time you picked up a “thank you” card, wrote a brief note of appreciation and dropped it in the mail? (Old school? Definitely.) But Twitter, Tik Tok, Ding Dong or whatever other app can’t ever take the place of a personally addressed, handwritten note. Virtually no one does this. (Just make sure you write legibly!) 
• K.I.T.: or “Keep in Touch” Grrrrr…. another throw-away platitude that littered our high school yearbooks. But there is wisdom in those 3 silly words. Take 5 minutes, find that colleague on LinkedIn that you had a great business experience with a few years back and write them this note: “Hi. How are you?” Then sit back and watch what happens. If they reply, ding! re-connection made. If not, send them this month’s edition of Bounce Ahead, then repeat to another great colleague from your past who made you smile. It works.    
• Create community: after March’s lock down, one of the first things we did was form alliances with other businesses that complement, not compete with Bounce. Forming strategic relationships with other businesses makes us feel connected, expands our capabilities and possibility of being offered business in places where we are not even known. Try it out!   
• Food: if all else fails, show that particular person how much you care by inviting them for a cup of coffee and cake or a yummy lunch at a local business. Like a moth to a flame. If you’d like to invite us over for socially distanced cake and coffee just say the word by emailing us at, ideas@bouncemarketingconsulting.com (George will be there.) 
• Be kind. Self explanatory! 

Maintaining a sense of gratitude keeps us grounded and humble. (And it just feels good, so there’s that.) But if you aren’t sure how to express your gratitude to that special colleague or business partner, drop us a note and we would be happy to talk it out.  

And last but in no way least, we must thank Amit, Arasele, Tony, Jeff, Donna, Vince, LaToya, Katie, Andre and Anne—the members of Bounce’s incredible team of professionals who help us grow our business by offering their expertise and delivering their best work, every time. We look forward to 2021 and beyond. Thank you for being a part of Bounce.