Selling U Newsletter: Issue #61

Thank You 2.0
By Scott Gillespie


     Lost in our world of websites, blogs, e-newsletters, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, CRM’s, CMS’s, laptops, iPads, Blackberries, iPhones, Droids, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and dozens - if not hundreds - of other hi-tech gadgets, software and services is the most basic of customer interaction tools…the handwritten Thank You card.

     In an age where we get caught up in using the latest, greatest gadgets and services to stand out in a crowd, the simplest, most personal tool is quite often forgotten. Over the past couple years I could probably count the number of thank you cards I’ve received on two hands, and maybe a foot. Now, I’ve certainly received many thank you’s from various businesses and clients, but they were of the “e” version in the form of e-mails. So when I receive one in an actual envelope…it’s special!!

     Putting the way-back cap on, when I was a kid, thank you cards went out within a couple days of any occasion where a gift was received. Birthday party? Thank you cards. Christmas? Thank you cards. Easter? Valentine’s Day? Graduation open house? Thank you cards, thank you cards, thank you cards. It was one of those lessons Mom taught that has stuck through all these years.

     Flash forward to 2010, in business and sales we have different kinds of gifts that equally deserve a thank you card. There could be countless events or occasions where a handwritten thank you note would be a nice touch, such as a new customer, an unexpected order, a sizable sale, and continued loyalty from a long-time customer. What about sending one to someone that sent a referral your way? All great times to send a card.

     If you really want to stand out in the e-crowd, send a thank you with a fold in it!

     I’m compelled to write about this simple gesture this week as I have receive comments, phone calls - and even a thank you card back thanking me for my thank you card - over the past couple months. This in a sense confirms my thoughts on how we are getting away from the personal and into the e-personal.

     Some of the reasons why people I talk to do not send out thank you cards include: takes too much time, keep forgetting to go to the store to get some, cost of getting them printed up, e-mail is quicker, and a number of other reasons. What it all boils down to is importance and priority.

     What kind of importance are you placing on connecting with your customers, prospects and referral givers? And what are your priorities when scheduling your day? Can you carve out five minutes a day to send a card? I think you can!

     Now, over the past year of sending out this e-newsletter, I don’t think I’ve ever promoted a product or service that I provide here in the featured article. However, there is a service I use to send out hand written thank you and other types of greeting cards from the convenience of my laptop that are delivered through the mail in an actual envelope with an actual stamp.

     This service combines the best of both worlds - a traditional hand written card with the e-savniness and e-convenience that we have grown accustomed to. Over 15,000 cards to choose from for all occasions with a personal message for about a buck. You can also create your own card with a custom image. No printing costs. No special trips to the card store. And no writer’s cramp if/when sending out several cards at a time.

     Wait a minute. Back up. A hand written card from a laptop? You have to see it to believe it. If interested or curious, send me a card (9825 E. Broomfield Rd., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858) or an e-mail (workinghard@helpingusellu.com) with your name and address and I will send one out to you that really “takes the cake!”

Now Go Get ‘Em!!

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