Write a letter? Who has time for that these days? Besides, the client already knows you appreciate their business, right? Well, it turns out that your mom was right all along: saying “please” and “thank you” really does pay off.
As speaker, corporate trainer and author Debra Schmidt observes, customers “…are starved for recognition. They want to be noticed, valued, and appreciated by the people with whom they do business. A primary reason that customers stop doing business with a company is because they don’t hear those words, or they’re not communicated with sincerity.”
Looking for another way to differentiate your agency? A courteous, handwritten note or e-mail sent within 48-hours of whatever you’re thanking someone for can become a real competitive advantage.
How can something so simple be so powerful? Says Schmidt:
- Unexpected. Customers don’t expect to be appreciated.
- Personal. A handwritten note tells your customer you’re sincere.
- Classy. Handwritten notes will stand out because it’s a “classy” thing to do.
- Contagious. An appreciated customer refers more business.
What if you didn’t get the business? Consider sending a note thanking them for their time. Just because a customer or prospect says “no” this time, doesn’t mean there won’t be another opportunity to do business with them in the future. We think mom would approve!
© Copyright 2009 Zywave, Inc.
I absolutely agree with the noiotn that the personal phone calls and face-to-face meetings of today’s business world will probably fall by the wayside as social media continues to gain more ground in our culture. But I also think that it’s not so much that humans are being replaced by machines I think that social media just gives us a new way to connect. At the other end of that tweet, Facebook post, or text message is still the person who’s putting their message out there. So, I think we marketers can rest assured that the takeover by intelligent machines won’t be happening any time too soon!