The Hidden Power of Simple Thank You Notes

Writing simple thank you notes to your customers will make your business stand out in a crowded field of competitors.

If you’re like most businesses, you’re continuously seeking strategies to differentiate yourself from competitors. For example, last year we at LearnAcre narrowed and refined our mission statement to something more memorable:

We provide customer service training so good that your customers drool.

Is it a bit “edgy”? Maybe, but it’s more memorable than our previous mission statement. Like it or not, here’s a brutal truth: Businesses that engage in memorable strategies differentiate themselves from their competitors.

What does this mean for your business? Simply put, although providing quality goods and services assumes a supporting role in differentiating your business from your competitors, engaging in memorable strategies occupies a lead role in making your business “stand out” in a large crowd of competitors.

For example, consider GoDaddy, which, during the previous ten years, has invested millions to sponsor television advertisements during Super Bowl games. Regardless of what you personally believe about its (raunchy) advertisements, GoDaddy’s strategies have positioned the company — which was once nearly bankrupt — at the top of the highly competitive Internet domain and web provider industry.

But what if we told you that there is an even better, and arguably an even more effective, strategy that your business can utilize to create memorable experiences for your customers? And what if we told you that this strategy is neither “edgy” nor controversial? And what if we told you that the cost of this strategy is less than the cost of purchasing one-quarter of a cup of coffee at Starbucks?

Too good to be true? No, not at all. It’s called a thank you note, and it’s one of the most powerful and cost-effective, yet underutilized, memorable strategies available to any business, including yours, to use.

Seriously, when is the last time you received a thank you note after having your motor vehicle serviced? We’re guessing never. But imagine how it would make you feel if you, like the customer here, did receive a thank you note. If you’re like us, you would feel special — so special, in fact, that you might even share the thank you note on social media, which is exactly what this customer did.

Yes, we know that writing thank you notes consumes time, and we also know that there are some costs involved. That being said, consider the substantial returns on investment of thank you notes: making your customers feel special; differentiating your business from competitors; and potentially reaping the benefits of viral social media posts.

From this Friday forward, please consider committing a few minutes to write short thank you notes to some of your customers, especially new customers. Why Fridays? Three reasons.

• First, as you probably already know, we tend to be more productive, and in a better mood, on Fridays (in addition to the day before vacations), which means that you’ll be able to write several thank you notes that convey exceptionally positive messages.

• Second, expressing gratitude through the process of writing thank you notes increases your happiness level, which will make your weekends even more enjoyable.

• Third, your customers will receive your thank you notes at the beginning of the week. Because this will be a “good” surprise to your customers, your thank you notes will “amp up” their attitudes, even on “dreadful” Mondays.

As always, have a “customerific” week!

Mark