Write a Business Thank-You Note

Have you seen that thing on TV where the gal tells the nerd she wonders why he never asked her to marry him and he stumbles and says "Thank You" and she turns to butter?

The point of the message is that "Thank You" goes a long way to making people feel better.

Personally and in business, develop the "Thank You" habit.

While it is generally expected to send a written thank-you for gifts and special favors, it is also appropriate to send one for employment interviews and new business contacts. However, the most powerful thank-you note is the one that's unexpected.

Here are some "Thank You" points to consider

You should hand write it. With the exception below, don't use your computer to print it, or to print the address label and please don't use email for this most personal communication.

If you have that nifty computer font that was made from your own handwriting, your could slip the card in your printer. Be sure the font really looks like the way you write. Didn't know about this? There are several companies that do it, here is a link to one as an example only: http://www.theory.org/~strthrwr/fonts/custom

You can use plain paper, or you can use a thank you card. Some folks have personalized cards created, some buy them at the Hallmark. You can use a fold over card, or a single hard card in an envelope or a post card. It's not the messenger, its the message.

Be brief. All you are saying is Thank You. And say it only once.

No need to gush, be personal, say thank you and why.

Be sincere.

When you send a thank you note, it will have a great impact, "Because no one else does it"

For more about advertising, get my article "Sales Lessons Learned from Bob Vila" Send a blank eMail to MailTo:BobVila@BigIdeasGroup.com

©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights Reserved

Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com

BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and Small Business Consultant with over 30 years experience, http://BIGIdeasGroup.com MailTo:subscribe-956603364@ezinedirector.net

In The News:

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/greeting-cards-company-gallerycollectioncom-celebrates/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B0EA28BFA-FD31-4462-B60A-E3C2DB3541D4%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1255135412ei=trvrSKKlBajk6gOdgv39CAusg=AFQjCNEFZRoOgDWb8abVzA9aaND375GdEwGreeting Cards Company GalleryCollection.com Celebrates 15th b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr5 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Since 1991, the bCustomer Service/b Group has sponsored bCustomer Service/b Week, providing materials and information to companies on how to create a successful b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/fastenal-improve-customer-service-expand/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B38E7B66B-9CC3-4F6C-A1D1-61A09F1EA19F%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1255124526ei=trvrSKKlBajk6gOdgv39CAusg=AFQjCNHgSCmNm7Q7dbV9clzKLuAj9KdIAgFastenal to Improve bCustomer Service/b, Expand Globally with ActiveVOS/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr6 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;Our direct sales team was not getting the critical information they needed to bservice/b our customers in real-time. They were relying on inventory and b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/thunderhead-now-helps-hml-improve/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BA7CA278E-0DEC-44A9-9740-2973EFB76330%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1255097732ei=trvrSKKlBajk6gOdgv39CAusg=AFQjCNGpxNY4dqMCu7-lhg6k6nZyGLKQ0gHML selects Thunderhead NOW to speed up processing times, improve b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr8 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Continuous improvement in bcustomer service/b is critical for our future business growth and we believe Thunderhead NOW best supports this strategy, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/ten-million-customers-counting-neweggcom/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B62645A42-8B24-4859-B5B5-637ACC373C6B%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1255133028ei=trvrSKKlBajk6gOdgv39CAusg=AFQjCNEdsCilLJJImWlpJ4eRc1FZrW20nQTen Million Customers and Counting: Newegg.com Reaches Milestone b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr6 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Unmatched product selection, competitive pricing, fast shipping and award-winning bcustomer service/b are the staples of our business,quot; said Bernard Luthi, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/provident-bank-touts-first-call-problem/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BB0DDD8CE-7F5E-4487-A43D-7F2A04C56A98%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1255128272ei=trvrSKKlBajk6gOdgv39CAusg=AFQjCNHGw2kV5lGJ7I8rQqoNqSvLP9L0ZwThe Provident Bank Touts First-Call Problem Resolution Rate of 95 b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr6 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1With Echopass, the bank cut the average duration of inbound bcustomer service/b phone calls by 40 percent and reached a first-call problem resolution rate of b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://blog.thestar.com.my/permalink.asp%3Fid%3D18370cid=0ei=trvrSKKlBajk6gOdgv39CAusg=AFQjCNERiy5peli7sr1uRmjQeQ6bOwIL4gDissapointed with Pos Malaysia bcustomer service/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMalaysia Star,nbsp;Malaysianbsp;-/font nobr7 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1I am very dissapointed with the bservice/b offered by Pos Malaysia bCustomer Service/b Centre.I posted a parcel on Monday,6 October 2008 and there was a mistake b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/vipdesk-interval-international-co-present-educational/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B0A787E24-92AC-4592-8EAC-0519183608F2%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1255111007ei=trvrSKKlBajk6gOdgv39CAusg=AFQjCNFdff12DCF7gZt5UdxEw9c-zfpnbgVIPdesk and Interval International to Co-Present an Educational b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr7 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;Utilizing Home-Based bCustomer Service/b Agents to Increase bCustomer/b Satisfactionquot; will review background information on home-based bcustomer service/b including b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/trillion-increases-performance-nimsoft/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BDABD0752-4173-4B1A-A081-6C6F0DDAA333%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1255083374ei=trvrSKKlBajk6gOdgv39CAusg=AFQjCNFoQJchszPQdBA8BBP7X82Puys9gQTrillion Increases IT Performance With Nimsoft/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr9 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;With central and proactive views, managed bservice/b providers can identify the root of issues more quickly and thereby increase bcustomer/b satisfaction. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/Online-Customer-Service-Mixing-Live-Talk-With-Automated-Tech-64724.htmlcid=1255100249ei=trvrSKKlBajk6gOdgv39CAusg=AFQjCNFH8WJKXaSuwcnSiOQw5CVVU2XfswOnline bCustomer Service/b: Mixing Live Talk With Automated Tech/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fCRM Buyernbsp;-/font nobr8 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Rather, given the fact that more consumers are shopping online, is online bcustomer service/b able to handle the rising traffic seen on retail sites? b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26976910/cid=1255100249ei=trvrSKKlBajk6gOdgv39CAusg=AFQjCNGMZtcMM9DfNYNoK4REL3m59RqalQListen up! Music is everywhere on the Web/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMSNBC/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1255100249hl=ennobrall 4 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/clockwork-home-services-expands-its/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B4BDC08C7-06D9-4370-B3D7-58A09D804E8D%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1255152718ei=trvrSKKlBajk6gOdgv39CAusg=AFQjCNEbBa5P7iqvoamgxNkhUOOJHd77qAClockwork Home bServices/b Expands Its Market Share in the Oklahoma b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr4 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Clockwork Home bServices/b, Inc. is dedicated to improving the operations, efficiency, bcustomer service/b and profitability of contractors in the home bservices/b b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
customer service - Google News

Attitude of Service

When conducting a training session about customer service, I always... Read More

All of the World of Business Is a Stage

One of the basics of acting taught to me in... Read More

Why You Should Always Honour Your Guarantees - Even When The Customer Is In The Wrong

The Reason Why Direct Internet Marketers Have To Work So... Read More

Automating Your Customer Support

My regular readers will know that one of the things... Read More

CEM Can Improve Customer Loyalty

'A 5 percent increase in customer retention increases profits by... Read More

Importance of Good Customer Support in Online Computer Peripherals Shops

Looking for hi-fi computer peripherals? Finding it tough to decide... Read More

Have You Hugged a Customer Today?

It all started a couple of weeks ago when a... Read More

Listen to Suggestions

If you are up to your ears in a stressful... Read More

Post Office, Incredible Lady Postmaster

There are two Post Offices that I routinely visit. One... Read More

Customer Service Has Moved Toward Customer Care

As I waited for an answer to my VCR inquiry... Read More

Customer Neglect

What have you done for your existing customers lately? Probably... Read More

Customer Service For Huge Profits

Customer service is the most vital asset for Business either... Read More

How to Walk the Floor and Talk to Customers

This may seem a strange topic to introduce. Yet, it... Read More

When the Customer Demands: Give a Discount or Lose the Order

Periodically every sales person encounters the customer who refuses to... Read More

Listening to Customers - 5 Tips

In a strange juxtapositioning of articles, this month's UK '... Read More

Sending Mixed Signals Can Send Your Clients Away

I call it the "wave and roll."You walk up to... Read More

Say It With Humor

When you own a business, you may find yourself in... Read More

What Do They Want Anyway?

You want customers. I want customers. We all want customers.... Read More

Committed To Your Customer? Prove It When They Complain!

Businesses like to brag in their advertising about quality of... Read More

Dont Work with Jerks: How to Recognize a Difficult Client Early

Five minutes into the call I knew this client was... Read More

Caring for Your Customers

You probably think I am going to say something like,... Read More

5 Golden Online/Offline Business Rules To LIVE Or DIE By

Whether online or off, if you plan on running or... Read More

Clients - What They Want from You

A growing number of individuals are finding themselves called to... Read More

What Every Employee Should Know About Putting Positive Phrases Into Customer Service

If you were a customer on the telephone with a... Read More

Clients... and 38 ways to communicate with them

As Alan Weiss (guru to the savvy consultant) says: "It... Read More