Business Thank You Letters: The Power of Handwritten Thank You Cards
Business thank you letters, at this time of the year, are more than appropriate to remind everybody of an extremely critical business (and life) principle – the power of gratitude.
I don’t know about you, but lately it seems many people forget just how fortunate we are to be entrepreneurs who are able to add value to our customers’ and clients’ lives. Regardless of the “new economy”, there’s no excuse not to be mindful and appreciative of those around us, especially our customers, clients and patients.
I want to share with you a business strategy that by itself, can have a dramatic and positive effect on your business. And get this, EVERYBODY reading this can immediately implement and use in their business… EVERY BODY!!!
It’s the power of the simple, handwritten business thank you letter or card. Just today, I received three such cards in the mail, including this one from my Elite Experience Mastermind member, Nina Hershberger.
I know business owners that use thank you cards as a primary marketing strategy and their results are phenomenal! Here’s what my friend and master marketer Michael McLean has to say about his use of handwritten thank you cards.
“Since leaving professional sports and joining my fathers insurance agency in 2003 we were able to TRIPLE in size ($3.4 Million – $11.1 Million) in 36 short months – writing handwritten personalized ‘Thank You Cards’ has been the # 1 secret to our MASSIVE business building results.
I have been personally writing and mailing 4-5 ‘thank you cards’ per day since 2003 (over 1,125 cards per year). Thank you cards are an investment in client retention, drive quality referrals, end my business day on a POSITIVE note and create a true WOW experience for our clients. Little hinges do swing BIG doors.”
Michael McLean
President of McLean Insurance & Renegade Insurance Marketing
Think about it… who doesn’t like to be appreciated and thought of? This is an extremely powerful emotion you should be tapping into regularly and to help you consider when to send thank you cards, here’s a list of opportunities:
- When you get a new client/customer
- When an existing client/customer who gives you a new project
- When someone who makes a referral to your company
- When a peer who gives you helpful advice
- As a follow-up after a meeting or phone call
- For a job well done by an employee, vendor, or associate
When someone shows you a kindness
On the next episode of CopyDoodles TV, I am going to show you how I use handwritten thank you cards in my business and give you valuable design tips for creating your own unique thank you card. I am also going to show off a number of cards I’ve created and that I have received from grateful colleagues. Don’t miss it!
As you consider the gratitude in your own life and business, I highly recommend reading or rereading the book, “The GoGiver.” Check out the site at www.thegogiver.com.
Finally, if you have a unique business thank you letter you send out, send me a JPEG or PDF of it and I may include it in the next episode of CopyDoodles TV.
Hi Mike.
I agree with you that handwritten “Thank You” cards really open doors.
Would you know of any service/provider of these cards that makes sending out personalized cards easier?
Thanks.
AFTAB
I print up a custom card and handwrite the note myself and send out in the daily mail. Kinda old-school, but it works. My local printer does a great job (mike@mikelmailings.com)
Good luck.
Mike
I do the same thing Mike talks about (handwriting) the cards and dropping in the mail with a first class stamp. I’ve looked at everything from Sendoutcards.com and the like and keep coming back to doing it old school. I just find that people are way more impressed when they KNOW you took the time to write them personally and it wasn’t some machine or script. Kind of hard to work around that- Shane
Mike,
Great article and I have to say I am in complete agreement with showing appreciation to others through the use of greeting cards.
Being in the greeting card business myself, I’ve learned what a difference it makes when you thank others and show appreciation because not many people take the time to send a handwritten note.
I turned the tables on some contractors that recently did some remodeling work at my home. In this situation you might expect to get a thank you card from the contractors because you gave them some business, but I took photos of their finished work and uploaded them and turned it into a custom Thank You photo card to say thanks for the great work they did on my home. They were certainly surprised to receive those unexpected Thank You cards.
Congratulations on your Copy Doodles success and keep up the great work.
Pat Lyon
The Power Of Greeting Cards
I have sent handwritten notes and Thank You cards for many many years and they infact work like magic. In this changing world when hardly anyone wants to take the time to write you definitely stand out if you do. My note pad is always at hand on my desk.
John E. Walters
The Power of the Pen
John,
It is indeed ironic in this day and age of “shiny objects” how something as simple as a handwritten note can cut through the clutter.
Mike
Hey Mike,
With all the email we receive this day and time the handwritten thank you note really stands out. I use the old thanks a million line and include a million dollar bill. Not only do they get something unusual with the note but every time they look at it or show it to someone else they think of you.
Thanks a MILLION Mike for everything you do. Keep up the good work and happy Turkey. day!
Mike’s dead on here. A personal note of sincere thanks goes a long way to making you stand out and foster great customer relations. I love using SendOutCards to do this as it allows you to easily personalize each card you send, but the main thing is to just do it! There is an instant reward when you send someone a thank you card, not only does it make the recipient feel appreciated, it makes your feel great too. Thanks for the reminder Mike.
Alan
I’ve looked into SendOutCards and on the surface, they’re great. BUT…I’ve received a few of them and when I noticed my name and address printed in small font on the back of the cards, it was a turnoff. Why? Because I suddenly realized that the same card and message could’ve been sent to thousands of other people. It took away the personal touch that we all agree is so important to thank you notes.
I’d love to find a service that Aftab is looking for but at the end of the day, I’ve found only one solution. I keep a box of thank you cards in my desk drawer. I’d like however, to figure out a way to buy them in bulk.
Do any of you do that?
Mike, do you print your name and contact information on your custom thank you cards? Do you use different cards when you’re sending one to the same recipient a second time?
Robert,
I agree with your comments and I do what you do. Have a box of custom printed thank you cards as the primary card I send out. I also have a few boxes of different pre-printed cards I send out too. While SOC is nice for sending out a bunch of cards, you lose the personal touch. Yes, I do print my contact info on the back of the card. Check out this coming week’s edition of CopyDoodles TV and I actually show you my design.
I just wrote out 3 thank you cards today myself!
Mike…I just had to chime in about those thank you cards . I had them personally designed and printed. I know you have other cool ideas about adding your picture.
Not only are hand written thank you cards a great way to stay connected to your friends, clients, and customers, they are always opened! If you take the time to write in your own hand, it shows the time you took.
Also, if you’re looking for a job, or have just had an important interview, writing a thank you note really makes you stand out. I know one large company that does not hire people if they don’t send a thank you note after their job interview!
If you are looking for a personalized thank you note, maybe Poly Graphics can help you out. Ask for the “Bob special” and I’ll give you a great price.
Thanks for the offer Bob!
Mike, love the reminder of such an effective technique. I send out 5 cards a day, which allows me to be on the lookout for ppl to thank and encourage.
Adds to the personal ‘goodwill’ bank–never know when you might need a withdrawal. Keep up the wonderful doodling ideas.
Agree that thank you note helps to leave the pleasant impression on your customer, which he would remember. Sometimes there is no time to go to the store, buy a card and mail it yourself. You can delegate this to Thank You Pen art iPhone app which sends hand-written letters and greeting cards directly from iOS devices . You type your message and the post team physically handwrites a message, address the envelope and mail it to the recipient.
I know a lot of people feel it’s impersonal, but since no one sends them or they’re having assistants send them I launched a service that does this for companies, and fairly automated at that. Thankably.com sends handwritten thank you cards, and sales letters for businesses and sales professionals.