Long before the rise of email and social media I was extolling the virtues and value of saying “thank you” with handwritten notes. While certainly not an original idea (whose Mom didn’t make them write thank you notes for gifts?) 🙂 they remain — in my opinion — one of the best ways to express gratitude and make another person feel genuinely good about themselves and the value they provide.
I’m often asked, “But with email so accessible and so much easier to write than a handwritten, hand-addressed, hand-stamped envelope, isn’t it so much easier to just send emails?”
Absolutely! That’s even one more reason why handwritten, personalized notes are so much more effective. Talk about distinguishing yourself — and your message — from others!
Whether sending a thank you note to a service person, their employer, a customer, your salesperson, a team member, and especially to those people who typically don’t receive acknowledgement, not only do they feel great about themselves, they feel great about you, too!  No, that isn’t why you do it — it’s simply the natural result.
Truly Treasured
When speaking about this during sales and leadership conferences I’ll often hear from successful audience members who do this regularly. One of the most common stories is their discovering that many of those to whom they’ve sent these notes…have kept them!
Yes, people often keep them! Why?
Because…
- they’ve been acknowledged;
- they’ve  been acknowledged in a powerful and personal way;
- they received something from you they most likely have never received before.
In his excellent book, Creating Magic (highly recommended!!) former Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World® Resort, Lee Cockerell — an avid note writer — shared a very touching story of a team member who had his note framed…and hung in his home!
Powerful!
While I have a specific format for my personalized notecards, there’s no one correct way.
What’s key is forming the habit of sending them, and sending them often.
Have you experienced something similar either by being on the giving or receiving end of a personalized, handwritten thank you note?
Please feel free to share.
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Many years ago I got a handwritten thank you note from the Senior VP-Sales of an apparel company I had sent a nice order to.
I had never met the gentleman, wouldn’t have known him if I ran over him.
The order was simply “nice”, not huge, but not small.
Maybe “decent” would be the best way to describe it.
His acknowledgement was completely unexpected, and in my industry, is still pretty much nonexistent.
But you know what…by the end of that year, and for many years since, the orders that company gets from me are NICE.
This was such a great post to read this morning Bob. For years, I have taken the time to write an individual, and personalized Thank you note. And you are correct, people not only enjoy receiving, they keep them too. I have found customers are more likely to refer you more too. Each thank you note has generally netted me one referral almost immediately, and almost 8 over the course of a year. All, because I took time to acknowledge, and say Thank you.
Jon, thank you for your kind words and thoughtful feedback, and for sharing with us your personal experience in this regard. Absolutely, unlike the usual disclaimer in advertisements…your results ARE typical! 🙂
I keep many of the handwritten notes I have shared with others at my bedside — they are a joy.
Great share! 🙂
Patricia, thank you, and thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Phil, thank you. What a great example. Definitely a “nice” example! 🙂 Thank you for sharing that with us!
Bob- This is right on target! I know that you have been teaching this for years. I don’t even remember how long ago it has been, but this is something that I put into consistent practice and I remember it was because you suggested it. Probably when I read Endless Referrals.
I have many stories about how a simple thank you note turned into so much more. Especially nowadays when personal interaction is so low. I’ve had numerous phone calls from people that opened their mail and are astonished at what they see.
One I remember specifically was a lady that called me and said that she had just had the most awful day! Then she got home and opened her mail. She told me that my note had just saved her faith in humanity and turned her day around! In turn, that made me feel terrific!
I can’t thank you enough for all you do and all I have learned from you! Just last week I shared the Go Giver in a new networking group I’m in and gave away a copy of the new edition. I keep copies on hand because it’s my favorite gift to give.
Walt, thank you. Actually, in reading your entire message, the only thing I can say is “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Please know how great that made me feel!
Since I began this last year after a learning weekend with Bob and Kathy, I have shared with my Hardware buddies, it is the single most influential action I have taken in 2015. In addition to all Bob talks about in this post, having a personal connection with each customer I write a letter to is very fulfilling. Smiles! David Ziegler
David, thank you for sharing the results of your sending these notes. What a huge smile you just brought to my face! Very grateful!
Thanks for sharing, Bob! I hope you don’t mind my millennial perspective and opinion on this topic!
As a recruiter, I have received many thank-you notes. As a disenchanted millennial, I do not always appreciate them. Thank-you notes are something I was forced to write after Christmas because it was the “proper thing to do”… I have only ever received thank-you notes in a professional setting from people who are my parents age or older. In my opinion, most of the time, it seems like an antiquated, obligatory next step in “the process”.
I have only received one hand-written thank-you letter that expressed genuine gratitude and fit the interactions that person and I had up until that point. I truly appreciated the letter, and it is the only thank-you letter I have kept.
On the flip side, last week I was at a career fair where I met a nice lady who was on the job market. We exchanged about 10 words, I gave her my card and after a few minutes, she was on her way. A few days later I received a hand written letter from her husband, thanking me for my time and for speaking with each of them… I never even met her husband. I laughed and even joked about the letter with my co-workers…how disingenuous and what a waste of his time!
I agree with just about everything in this article, but I think the hand written thank-you letters should be reserved for very special situations; otherwise, they can seem manufactured, forced, and in the eyes of a millennial, inefficient (we love that instant gratification, not to mention, we never check our mail).
Jacqui, thank you for sharing your perspective with us. One of the fascinating things about life is how we see (and interpret) things through the lens of our own individual experiences and values. I appreciate you sharing with us!
Bob,
I put a handwritten card in every shipment thanking my customer for their business and tell them that I appreciate it.
Thank you, Vicki. No doubt that makes a huge difference to your customer!
I’ve written about the power of a handwritten note as well. It’s amazing. Emails disappear, but I have these treasured notes in a special place.
Thank you for all you do to inspire us, Bob!
Skip, thank you so much for your kind feedback. And, you are an excellent example. I still remember the note I received from you after the program for your organization and our interview. You ROCK!
Bob, never gave it much thought but I do hang on to those written thank-you notes. They have meaning because the writer took the time to personalize it towards me – a big deal nowadays. I just purchased 150 thank you notes that will be presented to each of my employees at the end of the year. Thanks for the reminder to do so!
Gary
Gary, thank you so much. It says a lot to me that even the CEO of a company {Note: Gary is CEO of Johnson Health Center} appreciates receiving those types of notes. And, I KNOW your team members will enjoy receiving one from you. You’re a fantastic leader!
Bob, I also truly believe in the handwritten note. As a REALTOR I need to reach out to many people and I always write a hand written note along with hand addressing my envelopes, even for mass mailings.
Recently I wrote a letter to an expired listing and a few days later I received a call from the homeowner. She thanked me for such a lovely letter and she said it was such a joy to receive. She showed it to her husband and he said “yes! we definitely have to list with her!”
A handwritten sales letter received this response so you can just imagine a handwritten thank you note!
Cathy
Cathy, I LOVE that! Thank you for sharing that fantastic story. Great example of simply doing the right things, in the right way, consistently, and realizing the results. Way to go!!