On today’s episode, Anthony is sitting down with his guest, John Israel. He’s the founder and Chief Gratitude Officer of Mr. Thank You, a consulting firm focused on client and employee retention. John is one of the most sought after speakers and trainers who teaches companies big and small how to become irreplaceable by creating thriving relationships both inside and outside the organization. His work has been featured on ABC News, Fox News, and Good Morning America. In October 2016, John’s love of people lead him to start a social experiment that became a book and TEDx talk and then eventually the Mr. Thank You project.
The Mr. Thank You Project started when John was selling Cutco knives as a young man. He had built a relationship with a customer who eventually ended up canceling her order. Naturally, John was impacted by this, but not in the way he thought. It wasn’t the lost sale that he was upset about, but the relationship itself. After a conversation with his mom, he decided to write a letter of gratitude to that customer. The thing about gratitude, John says, is that it’s a reflective state. You have to pause and think about the experience and ask “what is good about this?” A few years later, that same customer called back asking to place an order larger than any in John’s career. Suddenly, it was clear. People want to feel like a person, not a customer.
This experience kickstarted the Mr. Thank You Project, which began as a commitment to handwrite 5 thank you cards every day for a year. When he speaks to companies about loyalty, he speaks to them about gratitude.
Today, he gives keynote presentations that inform companies on how they can become irreplaceable. As our society moves further and further into automation, it’s hard to compete. In fact, there are many jobs that have as high as 98% likelihood of being automated in the next 20 years. The question John looks to answer is what is that 2%? It’s the human aspect that cannot be imitated. There are three aspects that allow people to stay relevant:
-
Advocacy, persuasion, and influence. A robot simply CAN’T fight for you. People can. Empathy is a very human interaction.
-
Coaching and leadership. People leading people is something that can’t be replaced.
-
Education and expertise. When you’re working with a person, there is a fear of making a mistake. A person who has been through the same experience offers comfort.
Next, John talks about how to apply it. It starts with getting connected. Think about interpersonal, everyday relationships. What goes into a relevant relationship? There are three questions you want to know the answers to.
-
What do they value?
-
What are their goals?
-
Where does it hurt?
By keeping these in mind, you stay irreplaceable. Until then, you become a commodity.
John talks about how to apply all of this, how to acknowledge difficult times, and how we can be better, irreplaceable sales leaders.
What You’ll Learn
On today’s show, John Israel fills us in on what it means to be truly grateful and how we can use gratitude to create meaningful, genuine relationships that last (and pay off).
LINKS
@themrthankyou on Social Media
mrthankyou.com/ir
