Have You Said Thank You?
September 16, 2010
Whatever you will achieve, you will achieve with the help of a lot of other people. Whatever you have achieved, you have done so with an enormous supporting cast. Have you said thank you? Have you done so lately?
Who are you grateful for?
The Thank You List
1. Have you said thank you to your dream client for giving you their time and allowing you to explore the possibility of working together in the future?
2. Have you said thank you to all of the stakeholders—especially those with no formal authority—for helping you to understand the ground truth, and the reality of their needs with the greatest details. Have you thanked them for helping to understand their constraints and how your solution might impact them?
3. Have you thanked your existing clients for their continued business and their support? Have you thanked them for all of the times that have served as a reference for you when you needed proof to win a dream client? Have you thanked them for working through all of the problems and challenges that you have faced together through the years and for helping you and your company to stretch and grow? Have you thanked them for the trust that they have placed in you?
4. Have you said thank you to your internal team? Have you said thank you for all of their support in helping you to deliver the value that you promised your dream client during the sales process? Have you thanked them for helping you to deliver the outcome you promised, acknowledging that the accolades and the praise really belongs not to you, but to them?
5. Have you said thank you to your sales management team and their supporting staff for making all of the special arrangements that enabled you to give your dream client the exact solution that they needed—even though it was something extraordinary and difficult for them to give you and your dream client?
6. Have you thanked your family for supporting and for being there for you even when you weren’t there for them because you working—even when you weren’t at work? Have you thanked them for their unconditional love, their understanding, and their support?
7. Have you thanked your mentor and coaches by paying forward what they have given you in the way of help, support, assistance, and guidance? Have you been as free and open in sharing your time and knowledge as those that have shared with you? Isn’t that the thanks that you owe them?
Could you have done all that you have done without these people? When was the last time you said thank you? Who do you need to thank right now?
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