Two Success Words You Must Always Use
These two little words may not ensure your success, but if you never use them, you can just about guarantee failure.
This morning the Fundraising Success magazine arrived, and there was yet another article on this subject. It’s one that all too many fundraisers ignore, so all of us who write for them harp about it. The two little words that make all the difference in the world in fundraising – and in any business or personal relationship – are “THANK YOU.”
Small non-profits tend to ignore them because it costs money to mail a card – and so they lose donors.
But the value of a thanks extends to our for-profit businesses as well. thank you notes
For small storefronts and service businesses (like real estate, copywriting, insurance, plumbing, hairdressing, etc.) it can mean the difference between a customer returning or not returning.
It can also mean the difference between a past customer sending referrals or forgetting our names.
And when it comes to networking, it can mean the difference between getting referrals and being placed on a “This person is rude – don’t refer” list.
A friend wrote me yesterday about someone she knew through business who had switched careers and opened a new office. She hoped the new venture would succeed, so sent a note of congratulations and “Best wishes for success.”
And she never got a reply. Not even an email with those two simple words: Thank you.
So now my friend has decided that she won’t send referral business to this person. She no longer has that “warm” feeling that prompted the note.
Maybe that’s unfair because the woman is starting a new business and has a lot to do. But I don’t think so. A reply takes only a minute, and it can ensure that you maintain a good relationship with those who wish you well.
Failing to say thank you for past business, referrals, or expressions of goodwill can cost you business.
But going out of your way to say thanks where it isn’t expected can gain you business.
Tom Hopkins, in his book “How to Master the Art of Listing and Selling Real Estate” tells how he learned the “thank you habit” from his Mother. When she came home from a party she always sat down and wrote a thank you note to her host or hostess before she went to bed – to make sure it would be in the next day’s mail.
He advised agents to have a thank you note written and ready to drop in the mailbox after every listing presentation – whether they got the listing or not. And then he advised sending thank you notes to buyers who allowed you to show them homes. In fact, he said to mail a few notes every day, even if you had to reach a bit to decide where to send them.
When I read that book and we started the practice in our office, the effect was amazing. People called – and some wrote thank you notes thanking us for thanking them!
Why? Because so few people send those notes! When you say thank you, you definitely stand out from the crowd.
Posted: September 18th, 2010 under customer relations, customer retention, marketing, thank you notes, Uncategorized.
Tags: customer service, email marketing