Thoughtful firms say 'Thanks'
Written by Shirley Lichti for The Record, July 29, 1998

Did your mom always make you write thank you notes when you were a kid? While you may have viewed this as an old-fashioned lesson in manners, your mother was on to something.

Taking the time to say thank you may seem stuffy, but it's one of those little acts of kindness we all ought to cultivate. In business, it is customary to express appreciation to people who help your company succeed. In fact, the absence of a "thank you" may be misunderstood to mean the effort was not appreciated. And nothing says you are important like a handwritten note.

Only 4% of the mail we receive today is personalized. The rest is laser-printed, mass-produced, and largely unread. So it's not surprising that research shows people pay the most immediate attention to handwritten correspondence that arrives in the mail.

Builds Loyalty

A short handwritten note has the power of personal engagement and high impact. Every day, Tricia Siemens co-owner of Words Worth Books in Waterloo, goes through the day's cash register receipts and randomly selects the names of five customers. She then sends a handwritten thank you note to each person. The names are easily identified from the store's book club list.

The idea came from Britt Beemer, author of Predatory Marketing, at a Chicago seminar attended by Words Worth co-owner Chuck Erion. "The thank you notes have been very effective and we have received very positive feedback," said Erion. The notes thank customers for their business and for supporting an independent bookseller. "A lot of people didn't realize we were an independent," Siemens added, "until they received the thank you note." It's a small gesture but keeps customers coming back.

Demonstrates Commitment to Service

Car purchase consultant, Gerry Grant with Car Source, helps people buy new cars and negotiates the best deal on their behalf. When he delivers a new car to a customer, he presents a bottle of wine as a gift -- and reminds the customer not to drink and drive. The wine is specially made and has custom labels that include Grant's company name and 1-800 number. Three to four days later, he calls to say thanks and ensure that everything is okay. Then about 10 days later, he follows up with a hand written thank you note. Grant feels that he doesn't do anything out of the ordinary. Yet I polled several friends who recently purchased new cars. Not one was thanked.

Grant's customers are clearly delighted with the added touch. Thanking customers has been very effective for him and has generated referral business. Many consumers experience cognitive dissonance, or buyer's remorse, after a large purchase like a car. Thanking customers and following up is one way to deal with any second thoughts they may be feeling. Great marketing is not only about doing things right leading up to the sale, but continuing to do the right thing after the sale as well.

Strengthens Relationships

Many industrial companies build relationships by wining and dining customers. Omniflex Hose & Equipment in Cambridge, a supplier of hydraulic fittings and hoses, thanks its customers in yet another way. "We don't do a lot of entertaining throughout the year," sales representative David Avery explained.

He recognized the value in strengthening customer relationships and also wanted to find a way to say thank you to the whole company versus just one or two people. So last Christmas, instead of a more traditional gift, he provided a pizza and pop lunch for all the employees of one of his larger customers. Needless to say, the customer was pleasantly surprised.

Differentiates You from the Rest

Corporate secretaries often get the task of booking travel arrangements for others in a company but may rarely get to travel themselves. Fran McKay's VIP Travel in Waterloo takes corporate secretaries away for a weekend to thank them for doing business with the company. Trips are booked on weekends so there is no conflict with work duties.

Locations visited in the past include Quebec City, Las Vegas, New York City, and Disney World. VIP Travel owner Fran McKay said, "Because some companies have strict policies concerning gift giving and receiving, I charge a nominal fee (the Las Vegas trip, for example, had a $200 fee) for the trip." In the competitive travel agency business, thanking customers in this way allows McKay to be perceived in a different light than other companies.

There are a variety of ways to express gratitude. While the above companies all use a slightly different approach, the way in which you thank your customers does not have to cost a lot of money. Sometimes a handwritten note can have the highest impact.

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