Over the holidays, I went and spent a lovely afternoon with my godson, his parents, and my husband. We exchanged gifts, had lunch, and watched an eager one year old tear into his new blocks. About a week later, I got a handwritten note from my friend thanking us for coming by. She always does that and I think it's one of the most endearing qualities about her (aside from my adorable godson). We're so close and yet, something so simple mattered so much.
It got me thinking about sending thank you cards. We do that for our customers and I've gotten emails back thanking me for the note or someone contacting me for something they had forgotten about until they saw my note. You can go far beyond just a simple "thank you for your business" and if you"re not sending out thank you cards, here are three reasons to add at least one to your daily to-do list.
Add A Personal Touch
Recent research studies show that many of your personality traits are linked to your handwriting. If you write with large and swooping lettering, you're more of an outgoing personality. Including your handwriting to a new customer is a great way to introduce yourself. I bet you never thought of your handwriting as "friendly". If you don't like your penmanship or have been referred to as a "chicken-scratcher" there are exercises you can do to improve or change your handwriting.
- Better Handwriting for Adults
- Callirobics
- Handwriting Books and Resources
Tell Them Something They Don't Know
When I write a thank you letter to a customer, I'm always sure to take a look at their account and see what feature they aren't using. A lot of times, your customer may not know about something that you have to offer and if you mention it (even in passing) it could peak their interest. If someone isn't recording their calls or if they are having large conferences, I always mention operated events. It's a way to present a new feature they might not even know they need.
Stand Out Among the Junk
Our lives are filled with junk, from your spam folder in your email to the new family dentist hanging a flyer on your door (how do they get away with this?). Sending a thank you card in the mail (with a real stamp – very important) brings back that bit of excitement that we had when we were kids and we got to go to the box first. Okay, maybe it's not that exciting, but a hand written card will stand out in that stack of mail, as opposed to the email that might get accidentally deleted.
Adding a single thank you note to your daily list of things can go a long way to making a connection with new or existing customers. Thank them for a new account or thank a customer that's been with you for an entire year. It goes a long way for both your company and the customer. Do you send out thank you cards? How do you decide who gets one?
