Let me be completely honest – this is something I’m still working on. It’s far too easy to let the milestones and “wins” in your business fly past you when you keep your nose to that grindstone.
Wins are really, really easy to miss.
Whether it’s a “thank you” email, an approval on a project milestone, or even winning an unexpected award, I find I’m in continual danger of:
- Only the boss (me) seeing it
- Failing to recognize “we’ve really done something great here” and moving onto the next email
- Forgetting to gather these moments together and look back at them when we review our business
So this article is all about celebrating!
How to Celebrate
I had to laugh at this title – what a ridiculous thing to “learn” or work on. Shouldn’t we be great at this part?
In our business we’ve been trying to make a point of recognizing the successes – we’ve even (cringe) set policies around it:
- “For the Win” channel on Slack – Our office messaging system has a channel devoted purely to recognition of our “Wins”. We post client “thank you” messages, design approvals, websites going live, good meetings, Google reviews, new leads and signed contracts. Anything we can, to make sure the team sees the encouraging moments flowing through our business each day.
- “The socials” – Our bigger milestones (typically the larger website launches) we mention on social media. What’s interesting – between an article on SEO advice, an article on strategic differentiators, and a post celebrating a client’s website launch – the website launch had over double the organic reach and almost 5x the likes/reactions. Even your neighbors love to hear about your wins.
- The website – Most businesses today can edit their website content. Just a tip: Never stop tweaking your website. We try to make a point of adding our latest awards, adding testimonials, and are discussing adding “2 years later” stories to our case studies. It takes a bit of work, but it’s worth the effort.
Between an article on SEO advice, an article on strategic differentiators, and a post celebrating a client’s website launch, the website launch had over double the organic reach and almost 5x the likes/reactions.
We do it for a few reasons. Our staff need to know they’re a part of something wonderful – something worth celebrating. Our network/connections need to hear the good news in the world (not just advice articles). Our “future clients” visiting our site need to know we’re trustworthy and see that we “walk the talk”.
Beyond any of this, our leadership (Matt, Marni, Myself), need to remember we’re doing a good job. In my brain, the “problems to fix” category is a lot larger than the “we’re doing good” category – that’s just how my brain works – but these policies (ugh, what a terrible word) help correct that.
The Wins
Here’s what we’re celebrating this year…
- We won 8 awards from 6 different organizations
- We’ve received 11 new 5-star reviews on 3 different platforms
- In the last 3 months we’ve celebrated 14 “moments” with our team on Slack, ranging from positive reviews to website launches, to beautiful designs (and we’re still getting better at posting)
- We’ve helped 86 clients with their website, brand strategy, or marketing material
- We’ve completed all of our quarterly goals and sales targets (so far) and are on track for Q4
- The best part? Our little company has donated over $30,000 (so far this year) to amazing charities like Helping Families Handle Cancer, Camp Evergreen, Habitat for Humanity, Women in Need Society, and other humanitarian causes.
– Courtney McLaughlin, Calgary Public Library FoundationWe are so grateful for the support and the excellent customer service and would happily recommend True Market to any business looking to amplify their online profile. Thank you!
Looking Back
Whether your company is big or small, there’s probably more to celebrate than you realize. Each week, each month, each quarter and each year, collect those moments and share them. Your team needs it, and you may even find it helps you stay positive and recognize the worth of your work.
Keep your eyes on the wins, and don’t let your busy schedule distract you from celebrating!
