"Umm, you're welcome!" I said after a slight pause. A man in a white polo shirt came to the drive thru window at KFC while I waited for my food order. "Thank you for coming to our store!" he said with a big grin. His greeting was so unexpected! In the 18 years I've lived in my town, I've visited the store for family meals many times. Never has a store manager greeted at the drive thru,. but today was different.

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After setting the bag with chicken and biscuits on the passenger floor of the car, I had to stop again when I heard the clerk say to me, "You have an excellent day! Thank you for coming to our KFC!" What? Did I hear that right?? I was thanked again for buying dinner from KFC! As I drove toward the main thoroughfare, I couldn't help feeling glad that I bought dinner at that restaurant. Even looking forward to going back the next time.

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What made the difference for me? Certainly it wasn't the chicken. As a matter of fact, we changed my order twice so I wouldn't have to wait 7 more minutes for "original recipe" to be cooked. (I know, what is 7 minutes? That's a topic for another day!) It wasn't the speed of the drive thru. No, it was the gratitude of the manager and his employees that made the difference.

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What kind of feeling do your customers walk away with? Do they know how much you appreciate their business? When they leave, are they looking forward to the next visit to your establishment? What can we learn from this store manager and employee?

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1. Everyone loves to be appreciated. I teach people how to close more sales. I know all the ways to make people want more of your product. Yet, when the store manager walked to the window to say thank me for buying dinner at his store, I couldn't help feeling good that I chose to buy dinner there. I'm looking forward to meeting that manager again. Why? Because I'm just like everyone else. I like to be appreciated. And appreciation creates loyalty. If you want loyal customers, show them you appreciate them!
2. Make eye contact. The store manager made a point of walking to the drive thru to look at me when he said thank you. We all love to be made special. Mary Kay Ash put it this way, "Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.' Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life." That simple act of looking at me and speaking to me created a desire to return to the store. Why? Because the store manager and his employee took the time to make me feel important.

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Sales is a bigger picture than just creating profit for your company, or ensuring a bigger commission check. Sales is about creating relationships with people. The sales process is all about that. It can't be about cute phrases or manipulation. It's about serving the customer and helping them solve their biggest need. And sometimes, our biggest need is just feeling important.

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If you feel that sales is important to your business, but you just don't know where to start, consider joining my membership website. For a low monthly price, you can learn topics like how to develop the proper mindset to grow your business, and how to become more effective at picking up the phone to prospect for your business. Interested? Check it out, and see if it will work for you.

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How are you creating customer loyalty in your business? What can you do to make your customers feel appreciated? I'd love to hear how you work to build sales success through customer loyalty.