I grew up writing thank-you notes. Real, honest-to-goodness, pen-and-ink, stamped and posted letters. More than simple habit, it’s about what the commitment to expressing your thoughts and feelings in writing says about the character of the writer. About the joy such notes bring to the reader.
Taylor Mali
Marcus owns several small businesses. In one, he sells e-books detailing his expertise in investing. In another, he sells unique bits and baubles he’s come across in his travels around the world. By all accounts, his professional life is both fulfilling and successful. Not that long ago, while combing through a bank of quotes, he came across the one above. It really resonated with him, not because it reflected his actions, but because it didn’t. The realization that he’d had thousands and thousands of opportunities over the years to show his customers his character and to leave them with joy and had never formally taken advantage of them left him feeling “ashamed, and honestly, quite lazy”.
To make up for all of that lost time, Marcus decided to challenge himself to write a minimum of 10 personal thank you notes to customers every day for a month. He bought traditional stationary, a roll of stamps, and got to work. At first, he “suffered writer’s block. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][He] would stare at the page, wondering what to say to a stranger when all [he] knew about them was a purchase.” He pressed through the block in order to meet what he’d assumed would be an easy goal, but felt that he was falling short of putting meaning into his goal. During those early days of struggling with what to write, Marcus had an epiphany: he realized that he’d been only trying to reflect back to his customers how wonderful he hoped their purchases were for them rather than telling them why he was grateful for their patronage.
Marcus shifted gears and started getting personal with his notes. He shared with his customers how their loyalty to his companies was allowing him to live his childhood dream of owning a business. He told customers about why he’d chosen certain items for his shop and how happy it made him to know they are now enjoying those things, too. The more he wrote, the more easily the words and the gratitude came to him. He had found a way to begin a personal relationship with his customers, one note at a time, and he loved it. His customers did, too, because his notes “sometimes get replies. It is the best feeling in the world when you see that something small you’ve done is noteworthy enough for another person to take the time comment on it. It just makes you feel great!”
Let’s all take Marcus’ 30 Day Challenge and thank our customers the old fashioned way. Let’s tell them that their call turned our day around, or that they reminded us why we got into this business. Let’s find new, small ways of letting our customers know how much we value their business and our experiences with them. We all, ourselves and our customers, will feel the better for it.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]