In today’s world, there are times when I feel like the thank you note is a lost practice. We get so busy with our careers and our families that we forget to thank and appreciate those around us who are making what we have possible. For me, personally and professionally, there are a lot of people in this world who have no idea how much their guidance and mentorship mean to me because I’ve rarely said “thank you” let alone sent them a note.
I got the idea to write this piece when one of my virtual assistants called to share with me the response she was getting from financial advisors commenting on the handwritten thank-you notes her wholesaler was sending out. “Danae, these advisors think it was so nice that someone would take the time to send a handwritten thank you. And every one of them stressed the word ‘handwritten’.”
I got to thinking … when was the last time I had sent a handwritten thank you to someone in my business? I send handwritten thank you’s now and then to friends and family but in my business - the thing that puts the food on the table, I couldn’t remember the last time I had sent one.
People like to be appreciated and they like to work with people who appreciate them. In business your clients and potential clients want to feel valued, they want to feel like they matter to you and your business, and they want to feel like they aren’t just another number.
Look at it this way, a thank you note is just one more way to get your name in front of your clients and prospects. It’s a way to solidify relationships and it’s a way to get ahead of the competition. Send thank you’s to those who have done business with you, have taken a meeting with you, and have even said “no” to doing business with you. The last one seems a bit odd but you might be surprised just how far the gesture of a thank you will get you. Just think how you’d react to someone who sent you a thank you note even though you decided not to do business with them. You’d probably be pretty impressed and may do business with them in the future, right?
Thank you notes don’t have to be lengthy. Usually, two to three sentences work best. Also, make sure that your note sounds sincere and upbeat. You want it to be well thought out and not just a rambling quick sentence that appears that you were in a super hurry when you wrote it.
When in doubt, send a thank you note. You can never go wrong with a nice note! And you can outsource this – our clients do it all the time. Their virtual assistant will send handwritten thank-you notes for them.
Speaking of thank-you notes, I’d better get to work on mine.
- Danae