Episode 170

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Published on:

9th Dec 2025

The Yearly Appreciation Event That Transformed Patients, Staff & Vendors Into a Growth Engine | Ep. 170

170 Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)

Creating an army of business superfans is easier than you might think, and today I’m sharing some juicy insights from my decade-long experience working with a top-notch diabetes and endocrinology specialist. We’re diving into the power of client appreciation events and how they can transform your business relationships. Picture this: patients, staff, and vendors all mingling over Mediterranean food, building trust and loyalty in a relaxed atmosphere. I’ve seen firsthand how these gatherings not only strengthen bonds but also generate glowing testimonials that become your best marketing tool. So, if you're looking to up your game and turn your clients into raving fans, this episode is packed with tips to make it happen!

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Creating superfans isn't just an art; it's a strategic move that can elevate your business to new heights. In this episode, we take a stroll down memory lane with a story that starts 13 years ago in Birmingham, Michigan, where I was knee-deep in the digital marketing world, helping a renowned diabetes and endocrinology specialist boost his online presence. Our partnership lasted a full decade, and while it was an incredible journey, it came to a close when his daughter launched her own marketing agency. But let me tell you, during those years, we discovered a gem of a strategy that turned patients, staff, and suppliers into loyal superfans. It all began with simple patient appreciation events every spring, where Mediterranean food was served, and everyone came together for a day of connection, learning, and trust-building.

Picture this: patients enjoying healthy lunches while mingling with clinic staff in a relaxed atmosphere, and vendors showcasing their products with a personal touch. These gatherings transformed the usual sterile clinic visits into vibrant community events where relationships blossomed. We captured video testimonials from patients and vendors alike, showcasing heartfelt stories and experiences that solidified bonds and loyalty. The little things, like appreciation and recognition, became the big game-changers that kept everyone invested. As we gear up for the future, I urge you to consider planning your own client appreciation event. Invite everyone involved and watch the magic unfold; it’s a surefire way to turn casual clients into enthusiastic superfans who champion your brand.

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Takeaways:

  • Creating business superfans is all about building connections through appreciation events, trust me on this one!
  • A decade-long partnership can lead to fantastic growth, just like my experience in digital marketing.
  • Every year, we captured high-quality video testimonials that strengthened relationships and loyalty.
  • Inviting all stakeholders to client appreciation events can transform business dynamics, and it’s a game changer!
  • The little things matter, and appreciation events might seem small but can have a huge impact.
  • Connecting patients and vendors in a relaxed setting boosts loyalty and creates lasting memories.

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Transcript
Freddy D:

Hey superfans superstar. This is a Freddie D's take.

About 13 years ago, I started working with the world renowned diabetes and endocrinology specialist in Birmingham, Michigan. Back then I owned a digital marketing agency and helped level up his online presence. We ended up working together for 10 years. Yes, a full decade.

The only reason I work ended was because his daughter opened up her own marketing agency. And look, you don't compete with family. So we wrapped things up about three years ago.

Early in the relationship, I asked him if he ever held patient appreciation events. To my surprise, he said yes. Every May or June, Mediterranean Food catered.

All his suppliers and vendors invited booths set up and whether it rained or shined, they had covered parking ready. So nothing slowed the momentum. Now why am I telling you this story? Because this was a brilliant strategy for creating business superfans.

Not just from patients, but from staff, suppliers and vendors at the exact same time. Let me break it down because I attended these events personally and helped them turn them into growth engines.

The patients, the clinic team and all suppliers came together in one place.

Patients enjoyed a healthy lunch, connected with staff outside the typical office visit and met the vendors to learn about the products and services that support their career. Vendors got FaceTime with the patients and a clinic team, deepening relationships and strengthening trust.

And of course, everyone got access to Dr. G in a relaxed human environment, which made loyalty skyrocket. How do we leverage this moment for mutual benefit? 1. We captured video testimonials from patients every single year.

Two to four high quality stories each time. We captured testimonials from the vendors about their experience working with the clinic.

And we captured testimonials from the clinic about their vendors building goodwill and strengthening partnerships. At the end of the day, everyone felt valued, everyone received recognition and everyone walked away more connected, more loyal and more invested.

I've always said the little things are actually the big things. A simple appreciation event with suppliers and partners invited looks small, but what it creates, that's huge.

s super fans. As we head into:

That's it for this Freddie D's take. If you're tired of doing it alone or want someone to bounce ideas off or you're looking for guidance, join my Entrepreneur Prosperity hub on school.

It's free to join on school skoverwell.com forward/eprosperity hub and I'll see you on the inside.

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About the Podcast

Business Superfans®: The Service Providers Edge
Leadership and growth strategies to scale service-based businesses with People, Processes, and Profitability.
Running a service-based business is hard. Most owners — in the trades or professional services — struggle with the same problems:

- How do I get more of the right clients without spending more on marketing?
- How do I find, keep, and motivate great people?
- How do I stop being the bottleneck in my own business?
- How do I fix my broken systems and get my time back?
- How do I raise profitability when costs keep rising?
- How do I use AI without feeling overwhelmed?

If you’ve asked yourself any of these, this show is your missing playbook.

Each episode reveals how to align People, Processes & Profitability so you can scale smarter, lead stronger, and build a business that runs with consistency, clarity, and sustainable profit — not chaos.



As the author of Creating Business Superfans®, your host L. Frederick Dudek (Freddy D) delivers lively conversations with global founders, CEOs, sales and marketing leaders, culture architects, and SaaS + AI innovators — plus solo episodes where he breaks down the playbooks, mindsets, and systems service-based entrepreneurs need most.



These insights help you turn your team, clients, and partners into unstoppable advocates — what Freddy D calls Business Superfans® (think sports-team superfans): your ultimate growth engine.

Freddy D has lived the climb. After leaving home at 17 and working multiple jobs to finish high school, he rose from draftsman to global sales and marketing director in the emerging CAD/CAM industry, helping grow a software platform from zero to millions. In 2023, he added $1 million in revenue to a 30-year-old service business and positioned it for a successful acquisition.



Tired of brainstorming by yourself? Join the Entrepreneur Prosperity™ Hub—a free-to-join Skool community for service-based entrepreneurs who want clarity, support, collaboration, and a proven path to sustainable growth. Join today!

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About your host

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Frederick Dudek

Frederick Dudek, author of the book "Creating Business Superfans," and host of the Business Superfans Podcast. He is an accomplished sales and marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in achieving remarkable sales performance results in global business markets. With a successful track record in the software-as-a-service industry and others. Frederick brings expertise and insight to help businesses thrive., he shares invaluable knowledge and strategies to create brand advocates, which he calls business superfans, who propel organizations toward long-term success.


Born in rural France, Frederick spent summers on his grandfather’s vineyard in France, where he developed a love for French wine. As a youth, he showed a strong aptitude for engineering and competed in drafting and design competitions. After winning numerous engineering awards, he became a draftsman working on numerous automotive projects. He was selected to design the spot weld guns for the 1982 Ford Escort car. That led to Frederick joining the emerging computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) industry, in which he quickly climbed the ranks.

While working for a CAD/CAM company as an application engineer, an opportunity presented itself that enabled Frederick to transition into sales. It was the right decision, and he never looked back. In the thirty-plus years Frederick has been selling, he has earned a reputation as the go-to guy for small companies that want to expand their business domestically or internationally. This role has allowed him to travel to over thirty countries and counting. When abroad, Frederick’s favorite pastime is to go exploring for hours, not to mention enjoying some of the local cuisine and fine wines.

Frederick is a former runner and athlete. Today, you can find him hiking various trails with his significant other, Kiley Kaplan. When not writing, selling, speaking, or exploring, he is cooking or building things. The next thing on Frederick’s bucket list is learning to sail and to continue the exploration of countries and their unique cultures.