A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, people used to use a pen to write thank you notes. When someone did something nice for you, or even when you just wanted to acknowledge that you enjoyed meeting them, a hand written note was de rigueur.
Today, not so much. Email is the new standard. Therefore, if you really want to make an impression on someone, take a few extra minutes to write a note, on a note card, and put it in the mail.
What do you say? I found a great article about how to write a thank you note. The author, who sent a gift (books) after his conversation with a subject matter expert who generously gave of her time and information, made sure to include in his note specific details about the conversation and about the expert.
He used a G.R.E.A.T. format:
G stands for Grateful: Express appreciation for the other person’s time or graciousness or other contribution.
R stands for Reference: Tell them what you got out of your conversation –what you learned or what you will remember.
E stands for Explain: He told her he was sending her a book related to the problem their conversation helped him solve.
A stands for Action: If you talked about working together or the next time you might meet, mention this “next step,” but don’t focus on it.
T stands for Thanks: End your note with “thanks again” or something similar, followed by your signature.
You can see the actual note the author sent, using the above points, in the article.
Your thank you notes don’t have to include all of these points, nor are you obligated to send a gift. But when someone does something especially nice for you, such as providing a referral or taking extra time to provide advice, you should do everything you can to acknowledge their help.
Think about the last time you received a heartfelt thank you note. It felt good, didn’t it? Like you made a difference in someone’s life? You make others feel that way when you send them something similar.
Sending a thank you note is not just an act of courtesy, it’s good for business. It makes people remember you and want to see you again or help you again because they know you appreciate them and what they have done.
Thank you for reading this post and sharing it with others.
Marketing is simple. Say please and thank you and in between, try not to mess things up.
