Today was wrought with news from strange places. Whether it was discovering Jon Stewart is No. 1 in the 49 most influential men in the world or finding out Chris Rock is debuting on Broadway next year, today was eccentric and odd. However ... it did get me thinking about you, my precious blueberries, and a Seth Godin YouTube (I'm so hip I can omit the word video) shared by my friend Mat Bushman from AlphaGraphics in Orem, UT!

It's a good video to watch, only about 7:41 secs, where Seth discusses the "tribes" phenomenon he's written about, why he doesn't use Twitter and other cool Seth Snippets. The part which resonated most with me is where he says, "If you went out of business who would miss you?"

So here is the part of the email where I say to my loyal clients, fans and friends Get Enoch is closing it's doors. No ... not really. I was just seeing if I caused a sense of "will you miss me?" in your minds. But as I type those words I think about what you can do as a business to cause a sense of ownership, loyalty or trust with your customers ... or possibly towards your customers.

Lately, a few friends have mentioned to me they have started writing thank you cards, which is something I talk about during my happiness presentation. It's amazing the response a simple hand written note will evoke from someone. My good friend sent me one recently, and even though we talk all the time at lunch and on the phone, it was a moment that really brightened up my day. Think about the simplicity of that gesture ... and the impact something like that can have with your customers, clients and business partners. And all for just 49 cents.

I'm reminded of a Client Retention presentation by Howard Fullmer of McMullin Fullmer Creative where he mentioned how a client of his really liked salt. Later, as Howard was on a tour of a salt facility, he picked up a large rock of salt around the size of a small watermelon and sent it to her as a gift. It was a momentary thought in his head, but that momentary thought of "I think Shirley would like this" is all it takes to solidify a relationship. Remember ... it's not about "I think my customer would like this," but "I think <specific name> would like this." All too often we think about the mass market without remembering the inner circle.

I'm not saying don't drive towards the mass market. That is important since it is what drives new business, but remember to cultivate and foster your current customers as well. This can be done through a variety of outlets depending on the size and services of your company. Holding a "Customer Appreciation" party only open to clients and customers of the past year. Sending each customer a small holiday ornament they can put on the fridge ... all about them with no advertising. Or even sending a piece of candy to your customer list, because everyone deserves a treat instead of a trick. These type of "just thinking about you" sentiments will grow loyalty within your customer/client base and make you more meaningful then those other fly-by-night operations.

But Enoch ... this really isn't a technology topic ... no respect! Of course it is ghost of Rodney Dangerfield channeled through Aretha Franklin. It's all about the technology of the pen an paper, postal system, or debt card transaction at Sam's Club. Remember, my blueberries, sometimes the best tech is low tech. Now I'm off to stream my Netflix Avatar 3D