With Cam Petty & Kathleen Winchip

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Happy February Friends!

Love is already in the air this month and there is a ton to be excited for. Not only is it our Project Manager’s (Kathleen) anniversary on the 14th but it’s also Valentine’s Day! & whether you’re in a relationship or not, this month is a great time to practice loving those around you well. We want to encourage you to ensure your team and clients feel valued and appreciated.

So first we’ll ask you, how can you do this professionally and in non-cliche ways? Thankfully, we have some ideas that we discussed in this week’s episode of our podcast. Here goes!

Using Your Uniqueness to Your Advantage

Here at Render, we choose joy! It is one of our core values that in everything we do, our team is joyful and that joy creates an atmosphere that our clients can feel when they walk through the door. If you haven’t listened to our “We Choose Joy” episode, we recommend doing that for sure!

We aren’t necessarily claiming that being joyful is a unique part of our company, but we do believe that how much we allow it to bleed into our work and our interactions with each other, our clients, and other business, that does set us apart. As an example, our team signs each of our emails with the salutation, “joyfully”. We’ve taken this core value and found ways to be more intentional with our branding.

So when we are trying to celebrate and love those around us this time of year, we can include that same uniqueness we already possess in our branding and include it in our Valentine’s Day plans. Instead of sending a card of encouragement or appreciation during this time, we can sign it joyfully so it stands out while we celebrate our different working relationships.

The Easiest Way to Love Your Clients

It doesn’t matter what kind of relationship we talk about when we say listening well = loving well! Friends, you should be listening to your clients! They will tell you exactly what they want and need from you. Plus, when going above and beyond their request, it is easier to do when you know what they are looking for.

Also, have your clients back. Try to offer options with your designs. Be mindful of your client’s timeline for the event. Check with your warehouse crew and ensure everything on the logistical level is operating at top-notch to avoid hiccups down the road. Having their back not only helps with solidifying contracts or boosts client satisfaction, but these are ways our team actually loves our clients well.

Want to know how else you can show up for your clients while listening to them? Bridge any gaps they might be encountering if possible. (ProTip: incorporating other vendors into the problem-solving if applicable.) What do we mean by this? Here’s an example: we had a client who was having issues booking a lighting vendor for their event. We recommended someone we’ve worked with before and knew had high-quality services. The client responded that the same company we recommend was already participating as their DJ and that they didn’t know the company also offered lighting services. Because we listened to our clients, we were able to support them and together, found a solution.

Trade Program

While we enjoy loving our clients well, we recognize there are other people in our working community we want to love well…. and that is other businesses. B2B (business to business) relationships are so beneficial and for so many reasons.

We have a specific network of vendors our team enjoys working with. One of the ways we foster these relationships is through our trade community which allows us to go above and beyond in serving our clients. You can find out more about becoming a part of our trade community here.

When joining that program, vendors are asked to share their birthdays with us. We like to know their birthdays so when that special day comes, we can send them a birthday card! If you’re not already asking any company partners or your employees their birthdays and recognizing them some way, we would recommend starting there.

We don’t have to send them a birthday card or anniversary card or celebrate them in these ways, but because we want to love our clients, trade partners, and team well and all year long, we like to!

The 5 Love Languages at Work

Most people are familiar with the five love languages, we wanted to give an overview of what they were and how they can be implemented into your office. If you don’t know any of your team’s love languages, we also recommended figuring those out so you can show love and support to them in a way that they will receive it best. You can share this link with them to help figure it out!

Quality Time – Intentional time with your employees or clients. Consider going to coffee together to catch up or share updates.

Acts of Service – Doing something for your employee or clients. Perhaps it’s completing a task that is assigned to someone else (without overstepping) on the team or having your warehouse team offer their assistance to the client after your installation set-up.

Physical Touch – This one can be tricky in the workplace but that doesn’t make it impossible. We will always encourage high-fives to show appreciation. Be mindful of your employees’ or clients’ level of comfortability and safety with this love language.

Gifts – Pretty self-explanatory. We actually ask our team members what their favorite drink, scent, candy, etc. is when joining our team so if we want to love them in this way we know where to start! Do what makes sense for your team and clients when it comes to gifts and your budget.

Words of Affirmation – Showing appreciation through verbal or written words. Talk to your clients, tell your team thank you for the specific work they did on a certain project. Feel awkward encouraging face-to-face? That’s okay. Try writing them a letter!

Not every workplace or employer might be comfortable using these specific love languages with their clients or teams. If that’s you, we recommend reading the 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. That resource will be another great place for you to begin considering how you can love your team and clients well in a way that they will receive it best and in a professional manner.

February at Render

We know that with so much love in the air we can anticipate more engagements, probably some Galentine’s day parties or even Valentine’s Day dinners. Well, our team has put together a promotion and a collection for our clients inspired by the holiday season!

The Love Collection is an assortment of hand-picked rental products chosen to create the perfect atmosphere for any lovely events you are hosting this year. With many feminine pieces and accents, as well as red and pink tones, you will surely find everything you’re looking for while browsing and can add everything that stands out to your wishlist.

Once your wishlist is built, you can save 14% by booking this month through our Lovers + Gatherers Sales Promotion. All you have to do is mention the secret code “LOVETOGATHER” when requesting your quote from our sales team. This discount can be used on any render rentals or floral orders in the month of February!

The fine print: Discount applies to new event projects over our $1500 project minimum within 2022. Projects must be confirmed in February (o.e. signed contract and deposit) to receive promotion. Anything added to your order after February 28th does not qualify for the discount. Promotion cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions. 

Those are a couple of ways that we are showing up and showing love to our clients this month. Anything we can do to make our client’s events or experiences easier for them is something we want to look more into. We are eager to show up for our clients and our team, not just this month but all year long!

Joyfully,

TJ White | Content Manager