As a promo pro, you want your clients to be happy and successful. When they feel seen and supported, they get better results — and so do you. Their wins become your wins, and you begin to build long-term partnerships. You not only provide promotional products but help them achieve goals they can point to and celebrate. 

But happier clients aren’t just a result of performance metrics, according to Cherilynn Castleman, a managing partner at CGI Executive Coaching. Instead, they come from the quality of your relationships. When you build human-centered, high-trust relationships, you create happier clients while also creating more meaning in your work. How can you create these deeper relationships? Read on. We share Castleman’s ideas in this issue of PromoPro Daily.

  1. Practice “micro-connections” daily. This might be a celebratory LinkedIn comment or a quick check-in email. Castleman says these small interactions build relational equity over time.

  2. Make gratitude a sales practice. Castleman recommends writing a thank-you note after a deal closes or sending a video message recognizing someone’s contributions. Gratitude builds loyalty.

  3. Stay curious. Ask plenty of open-ended questions to get deeper insights. For example, you could ask, “What’s something you’re really proud of this year?”

  4. Use kindness as a competitive advantage. One example, Castleman says, is to offer to connect clients with someone in your network, even when there’s no immediate benefit to you.

  5. Make it personal. Always look for ways to make people feel like more than data points. Castleman says you could reference a recent article they shared or a cause they care about.

  6. Create rituals of relationship. Maybe it’s an annual “thank you for being my client” gift or maybe it’s a 15-minute coffee chat every month. Rituals create rhythm and reliability, she says.

  7. Be authentically vulnerable. This is one way to earn trust and show transparency. Consider sharing a lesson from a past mistake or simply admitting when you don’t know something.

  8. Turn meetings into meaningful moments. Castleman says you could set a relational tone by opening meetings with, “What’s something you’re excited about this week?”

  9. Practice the 2×2 rule. According to Castleman, for every 2 asks, you should add 2 personal interactions, like commenting on a post or sending a thank-you note.

Don’t get so focused on close rates and quotas that you miss the human connection in it all. Numbers matter, but relationships give those numbers meaning. Try practicing a few of the strategies above, like showing more kindness or creating regular rituals like monthly coffee chats. You’ll end up turning everyday business into something much more fun and meaningful.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Cherilynn Castleman is a managing partner at CGI Executive Coaching, an executive coaching and training firm specializing in sales training and consulting.