John Ruhlin - Giftology: The Art and Science of Using Gifts to Cut Through the Noise, Increase Referrals, and Strengthen Client Retention

Contents Copyright 2016 John Ruhlin All rights reserved.Second Edition, February 2018 Giftology The Art and Science of Using Gifts to Cut Through the Noise, Increase Referrals,and Strengthen Retention ISBN 978-1-7320956-0-1 Paperback 978-1-7320956-1-8 Hardcover 978-1-61961-434-5 EbookDedicationThis book is dedicated to my incredibly supportive wife and partner in life, Lindsay, and our threespunky and bold daughters, Reagan, Blakely, and Saylor, who all keep me honest, grounded, andinspired.Foreword by Shep Hyken I first met John Ruhlin at the big twentieth-anniversary celebration of Entrepreneurs Organization out in Las Vegas. There were twelve hundred other entrepreneurs there, so it was a short five-minute conversation. Then years later, he reached out to me when he and his family were moving to St. Louis, Missouri. We met up for coffee and afterward agreed to reconnect sometime soon. Oftentimes months and even years go by before you hear from someone after grabbing coffee or lunch, but a few days after meeting with John, a package arrived at my office.

I didnt recognize the company on the mailing label. I opened the package and found a beautifully wrapped gift box. Inside the box was a pair of custom-engraved pieces of Cutco cutlery, some of the finest kitchen knives in the world. And there was a handwritten card from John, thanking me for carving out the time to meet. I was quite surprised and very impressed. It was at that moment that I became the newest member of the John Ruhlin Fan Club.

He blew me away. But when my wife, Cindy, saw the handmade pieces of cutlery with both of our names beautifully engraved into the bladesand no sign of a typical corporate Ruhlin Group logo engraved (a big Ruhlin no-no is to engrave logos and deface the gift!)I knew we were likely to be lifelong friends with him and his wife, Lindsay. He not only took the time to acknowledge the valuable hour of time we had spent together (how much is an hour of most peoples time worth?), but he had taken a normal, casual chat over coffee and created what I call a Moment of Magic, one that I will never forget. And most important, to this day I still talk about our meeting and the follow-up gift to friends, to clients, and even on my radio show. I cant help but think about the guy and his company on a weekly and even daily basis when my wife and I are at home in the kitchen, cooking for our family and friends. It was such a simple act of kindness, but the gift of knives has become an artifact and a reminder of our relationship.

What is it worth to stay top of mind with our most important clients or friends? Priceless! And the ripple effect of that gift is not only a deepened friendship. Johns generosity that day is one of the many reasons I agreed to write this foreword. John walks the talk when it comes to leveraging the power of gifting and radical generosity with your clients, prospects, employees, and even suppliers. I have seen him send hundreds of gifts per year to his own clients and prospects, and he is always asking me how he can help me strategically show love to my most important people. The word that he coined to describe what he does is Giftology. Because of this ideas impact on me personally, I have used his firm to send some of my most important relationships unique gifts of appreciation, and I have seen the impact and genuine responses they generate.

It is rare in our very fast-paced and digital world to see people pay attention to details, such as by sending a handwritten note or a personalized gift; instead, many things are taken for granted. We think it costs too much or that we dont have the time, and so thanking someone gets put on the back burner, never to be followed through on. This is precisely why I think Johns company and what he teaches is so important. It is the opposite of what most people do. And because all entrepreneurs and business leaders want to surprise and delight their clients, his business has never been more relevant. I am grateful to know John and call him a friend.

And Im excited about this book, not because its a great accomplishment to write a book (although it is), but because you are about to get to know John, and more importantly, to learn the lessons that will help you create stronger and deeper relationships and memorable customer and client experiences. Introduction Giving is the master key to success in all applications of human life. B r y a n t M c G i l l I grew up on a fifty-acre farm outside of Canton, Ohio, with my four brothers and sister. We were a blue-collar familymy stepfather treated waste water, and my mother stayed at home. Our family was lower-middle income, and I wore a lot of garage-sale specialswhich, believe me, never included the latest trends or an awesome pair of Air Jordans. You can imagine how motivated that made me.

When youre a poor farm kid, youre always looking for ways to make money. A lot of that inspiration came from watching my grandpa. He was a turkey farmer who raised nearly ten thousand birds at a time while also raising thirteen kids. Since selling turkeys isnt exactly the most profitable business in the world, in the late 1940s he opened Kiko Auctions, the first Absolute Auction & Realty franchise east of the Mississippi. I remember watching my grandpa and uncles diligently auction off everything under the sunwhether it sold for a dollar or thousands of dollars. Although my mom and stepfather never became involved, my uncles did, and today it remains a family-run business still going strong four generations later.

I guess you could say thats what ignited my entrepreneurial spirit. When it came to making my own dough, I discovered that if I bought candy for a dime at the Ben Franklin, I could resell each piece at school for a quarter. Id trim trees for five dollars an hour, working for my stepfathera lot of money for a ten-year-old. I was also an overachiever, getting straight As all throughout school, with my parents giving me fifty dollars per report card for my efforts. After a while, I had saved up a nice chunk of change when I was just twelve years old, I was taught by my parents the power of having my money work for me when I loaned money to them and they paid me 10 percent interest. After graduating from high school, my intention was twofold: to become a doctor or lawyer and to finish college without accumulating any debt.

I enrolled at Malone University, a small Christian school in my hometown, and got to work. Around this time, a buddy of mine named Steve Wiggers started working for Cutco. You knowthe knife people. He was doing so well that, by the time he was a senior in college, he had become their largest distributor of alltime. Now, let me take a minute to describe Steve Wiggers. The guy is six foot seven, and very quiet and reservedbasically, a gentle giant.

He majored in seminary studiesthe antithesis of what youd envision a slick salesman pursuing. Im laughing now just thinking about it, because there was not a slick bone in Steve Wiggerss body. Because I couldnt imagine him being able to sell a glass of water to someone dying of thirst in the Sahara Desert, it blew my mind to hear what a successful salesman he had become. Frankly, I thought to myself, Uh, yeah if Steve Wiggers can do this so well, then I would be insane not to at least try! Although I had some confidence, I was still scared to death when Cutco interviewed me for an internship. I actually wore glasses to make myself look as professional as possible. When they hired me, I told everybody, including myself, that Id give it my all for about four weeks.