poquillo™

Have you ever walked away from a business thinking, “Wow, they actually care about ME as a person!”? That feeling is so rare these days that when it happens, we practically want to tell everyone we know, right?

Let me ask you this: When was the last time you felt truly appreciated by a business? (Go ahead, I’ll wait… ☕)

I recently borrowed Gary Vaynerchuk’s “The Thank You Economy” from the library and—get this—I ended up buying my own copy before I even finished it! This book perfectly captures what many of us are missing in our businesses: that genuine human connection that transforms one-time buyers into raving fans who can’t stop talking about you.

Why This Matters Now More Than Ever

Here’s the thing about business today that hit me like a ton of bricks: we’ve come full circle!

Think about your abuela’s time, when store owners knew your name and asked about your family. The book beautifully explains how that “human touch” was the standard in small-town businesses, then disappeared during the mass marketing era, and is now making a powerful comeback through social media.

But here’s what made me put down my coffee and pay attention: Now any business—yes, even yours, amiga!—can connect one-on-one with customers without needing a big corporate budget. This isn’t just nice to have—it’s your secret weapon against bigger competitors with deeper pockets!

Building a Culture That Customers Love

The heart of the book focuses on culture—and it all starts with you. Here’s how to build a thank-you culture in your business:

Start With Yourself First

• Begin with your own mindset – How do you personally think about customer relationships?
• Commit wholeheartedly – Half-hearted attempts at customer care are obvious and backfire
• Set the tone yourself – Your team will follow your example, not your words
• Send clear signals about your intent – Make your values obvious in all communications

Remember, tu actitud lo es todo! Your attitude really is everything when building this foundation.

Invest in Your People

Tony Hsieh (former Zappos CEO) is highlighted as a perfect example of a leader who built an incredible culture by:

• Trusting his people to make good decisions without micromanagement
• Investing in employee happiness which directly translated to customer happiness
• Being authentic in all communications, internally and externally

When employees feel valued, they naturally extend that same feeling to customers. It’s a beautiful ripple effect!

Simple But Powerful Phrases That Change Everything

The book emphasizes key phrases that should become second nature in your business vocabulary:

• “Thank you” followed by a genuine “You’re welcome” (not “no problem”)
• “I’m sorry” followed immediately by “How can I fix this?” and “Allow me to make it right”

These aren’t just words—they’re relationship builders. And they work whether you’re running a corner store or a tech startup.

The Ping-Pong Strategy: Extending the Conversation

One of my favorite takeaways was Gary’s “Ping-Pong” approach to customer interaction:

1. Begin the conversation in one channel (like social media)
2. Move it to another medium (maybe email or physical mail)
3. Return to the original channel with additional value

For example, ask clients to sign up on social media, send them a physical prize or note in the mail, then continue the conversation back on social media.

Companies like Reebok and Denny’s have used this approach to create lasting relationships rather than one-time transactions. The key is to keep the conversation going naturally, like you would with a friend.

Creating Stories Worth Sharing

Gary talks about “sticky stories”—the kind that break through the noise and reach far more people than you’d expect. These stories:

• Feel authentic and human (not corporate)
• Usually involve going above and beyond in unexpected ways
• Spread naturally because they touch something in us

Remember the Old Spice campaigns? They worked because they:

1. Established the brand with fantastic, attention-grabbing content
2. Extended the story in surprising ways across different platforms

The result? People didn’t just buy their products—they participated in their story.

A Lesson from Tony Hsieh’s Heart

One of the most moving parts of the book was Tony Hsieh’s letter to employees about Zappos being acquired by Amazon. Instead of a corporate announcement, he wrote from the heart—transparent, emotional, and genuine.

That letter exemplifies everything the Thank You Economy stands for: treating business communication as human-to-human, not business-to-consumer.

Small Actions, Big Impact (That You Can Start TODAY!)

What I absolutely LOVE most about this book is that it doesn’t require a massive budget or fancy marketing team. These principles work whether you’re just starting out from your kitchen table or running a team of 20!

Here are 5 tiny actions with massive impact you can implement immediately:

1. The 24-Hour Rule: Respond to ALL social media comments within 24 hours (I actually try for 2 hours when possible!)
2. The Surprise Factor: Send a handwritten note with every first purchase (I include stickers and everyone goes crazy for them!)
3. The Personal Touch: Keep a simple spreadsheet of personal details clients mention (kids’ names, upcoming vacations, favorite coffee)
4. The Recovery Boost: When you mess up (we all do!), fix it with 2x the value of the original problem
5. The Spotlight Method: Share client wins on your social media with more excitement than they shared it themselves!

Why I Bought This Book After Borrowing It

I rented this book initially, but halfway through I literally stopped reading, went online, and bought my own copy. Why? Because I found myself wanting to highlight EVERY OTHER PAGE!

The Thank You Economy isn’t just a nice idea or “when I have time” strategy—it’s the difference between:

• A business that constantly struggles to find new customers
• A business where customers bring you MORE customers while you sleep

The choice seems pretty obvious, ¿verdad? 😉

Your 7-Day Thank You Challenge

Here’s what I want you to do right now:

1. Pick ONE idea from this post that resonated with you
2. Commit to implementing it for just 7 days
3. Come back and tell me what happened!

No tiene que ser complicado, amiga. Sometimes the simplest gestures of appreciation make the biggest impact on your business. ✨

¡Hasta pronto!

Gaby