You can go above and beyond to take care of your clients and create insanely good programs or courses to get them the results they want so badly. But still, often something is missing, namely the connection between you and your clients.
Listen on Apple: https://fastforwardamy.com/apple86
Listen on Spotify: https://fastforwardamy.com/spotify86
Listen on Google: https://fastforwardamy.com/google86
Do you recognize this in your client relationships?
Help is on its way!
Today, I will talk you through how you can apply the 5 love languages of Gary Chapman to your business, so you can better facilitate connections and relationships with your clients, potential clients, people you work with, as well as in your personal relationships.
What are the 5 love languages?
Have you ever heard of the 5 love languages? You may have heard about them, but have you ever used them for business?
Running two businesses and having a roster of over 400 active clients, I have come to realize how important it is to make people feel seen, heard, and appreciated. And the 5 love languages can help you accommodate your clients' needs so much better.
The key is to know how your clients receive love and appreciation and how you best show them that love and appreciation.
When you know that, you can connect on a much more personal level and start building genuine connections that will ultimately improve your customer experiences and boost sales.
The 5 love languages originate from Gary Chapman's book with the same title, The 5 Love Languages.
He names the following 5 love languages:
- Words of affirmation
- Gifts
- Quality time
- Physical touch
- Acts of service
I'll explain what they are in a second, and then we're going to find out how you can apply these love languages to your business.
#1 Words of affirmation
Surprise, surprise! Words of affirmation are naturally all about words.
There's the famous quote, ‘actions speak louder than words,' but honestly, for some people, WORDS speak louder than actions. I belong to the last group of people. In fact, ‘words of affirmation' is one of my primary love languages.
If you love unsolicited compliments, you most likely score high in this category, too.
Translated to business
How can you use words of affirmation towards clients?
For instance, let's say a client shares a win with you. You can, of course, reply to them through text, saying, “Wow, great job,” but what might be even more powerful is to send a quick video you record with your phone and tell them in person how great of a job they did!
Maybe you're in a group session, and you pick someone to talk about a win. During the session, you call out that person and affirm with words.
You can apply words of affirmation to your team relationships, too. For example, my team and I always do a round in all wrap-up meetings to show appreciation for something someone else did, like “I appreciate you because you did this thing…”. We make it as specific as possible and really want everyone to feel heard and appreciated.
It shouldn't come as a surprise: my entire team is big on words of affirmation, too! Luckily for us, that means we speak the same ‘language'.
#2 Gifts
I love showering my family and the people I care about with gifts, but not everyone thrives on this kind of love language.
Recently, I took a friend out for dinner and wanted to get a bottle of champagne for us. My friend doesn't care about spending money on an expensive bottle of bubbles. Instead, she places quality time over receiving gifts.
And it might be like that in other relationships, too. Someone simply might not place value on receiving gifts. By offering to pay for something or buying something for someone, it might have the opposite effect: she might experience it as boasting instead of me treating her and showing her I appreciate her!
Translated to business
Looking towards the business side of things, you can do several things for your clients.
At the end of last year's Business Freedom Elevator™️ program, we sent out mugs to every coachee with the Dutch quote, “Goe Bezig” (in English, it translates into “You're doing a great job.”) Sure, it was an investment that cost us thousands of euros, but it was my way to show and make sure that the people who thrive on this love language would feel appreciated.
TIP: If clients aren't connecting with you on a call, they might feel more connected if they get a gift. And this has nothing to do with materialism. This is just how some people operate.
#3 Quality time
Quality time can be spending time together, giving each other full undivided attention, but it can also be having a really good conversation. I know I feel super connected to people when we can have a good talk. I don't necessarily need to see them all the time though, a good talk every once in a while is enough for me to feel connected.
Maybe you're different and feel like you can't connect with someone unless you're in the same room.
Translated to business
In client relationships, some people may need more time to connect than your current calls or coaching offers. To make sure everyone feels connected, you could for example organize a happy hour or a coffee chat event with your clients, virtually or in person.
Don't mistake this for extra coaching sessions. Some people don't necessarily want to learn more from you; they just want to spend time with you and other coachees. In that sense, spending quality time with clients is one way to facilitate better client relationships.
Quality time can also be a trigger in sales. For example, someone might be convinced about your offer, they want to buy it, but they just need 5 minutes of one-on-one time with you to get over the fence. Get them on the phone or talk to them through voice notes, this will help you get the sale!
Maybe you're also interested in this: 5 Power Habits to Fuel Your Success with the Business Dad Vincent Vandeputte
#4 Physical touch
Contrary to popular belief, physical touch doesn't have to be about sexual behavior. A person who thrives on physical touch is naturally more touchy, and simple gestures like a pat on the back or a hug can be ways to show love and appreciation.
Translated to business
Of course, there's a limit to how touchy you can be with clients, especially if you're running an online business. Instead, look at some of the other love languages, for instance, gifts. Find a way to make gifts a feast for the senses and have the gift fill up the physical space to represent you.
The mug is just one example, and you can provide clients with other gifts. However, think about something they can hold and use. Maybe even add something to the gift that smells differently. For me and my team, I will simply pat someone on the back when I think they did a good job. It's my way of showing them I see them, and I appreciate their dedication to the project.
#5 Acts of service
I do love it when people do stuff for me, but I'm not an “Acts of service” person myself.
When you show love through acts of service, you give up your time to do something for someone else that you know they would like.
Translated to business
Regarding your clients, acts of service are all about going above and beyond. This can be linked to outstanding customer service, short response time, and being very clear in your communication to avoid misunderstandings so everyone feels helped on time.
For our Business Freedom Elevator™️ program, we have a support group, kind of like a tribe, in which students will help each other out whenever something comes up. That's also a way that acts of service can manifest themselves by helping the group facilitate the acts of service themselves.
Be a chameleon to understand the needs of others
If you think you're doing everything you can for your clients but still feel that you're missing some connection, research if it's because you're speaking different love languages.
Find out how your clients show and receive love. This means you will have to be a chameleon sometimes in order to understand other people's needs. That's how you grow your business.
We don't grow by doing what we do; we grow by accommodating our clients' needs while staying authentic in our own business.
If you're up for it, I definitely recommend you check out the book, The 5 Love Languages. You can also start by taking the 5 Love Languages test to discover your primary love language and how you can use it to connect better with clients and people around you.
Enjoy!
Watch this episode on YouTube or listen via iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and search for episode 86 of The FastForwardAmy Show.
PS If you want even more examples of how you can use the 5 love languages in your business, we have created a dedicated mini-guide for you with very hands-on tips you can apply to your business.
Download the 5 Love Languages Guide here: fastforwardamy.com/lovelanguages
PPS we are launching our Business Freedom Elevator™ program again soon! If you don't want to miss a single thing, get yourself on the waitlist and get notified about special deals, discounts, and bonus offers. There will be limited spots available, so being on the waitlist will give you a head start! Register for the BFE™ waitlist here!
We do not take any responsibility for the financial decisions or any other business-related decisions made by listeners/businesses based on our podcast content. Every business has its own specifics, which we cannot take into account in this podcast.
Leave a Reply