Put it in writing

One of our clients owned a bridal gown shop and after selling a wedding dress to a bride she would write the date of the wedding on her calendar. When that special day arrived, our client would have a long-stemmed rose and a note delivered to the mother of the bride. This was done for three reasons; first, all of the attention was being showered on the daughter on her wedding day, and the mother would appreciate someone thinking about her. Second, the person most likely to come back for another wedding gown would be the mother with another one of her daughters (hopefully the bride wouldn’t need another one for some time). And last, the note would be remembered and therefore make the business memorable because practically no business sends personalized notes to their customers.

Try to remember the last time you received a personal note from any business you bought something from? Since living on Saipan for almost eight years, we can only remember one personalized note from all of the businesses from where we have made purchases. If you’re lucky you can remember one or two places, and the very reason that you can remember them is a good reason for you to start sending letters of appreciation to customers.

Thank you notes should be sent by businesses that sell high-price items like vehicles, appliances, and furniture; however, businesses that sell lower-priced products should also consider it. Such messages convey sincere interest in the customer and can start an ongoing business relationship.

Joe Girard is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the greatest salesman in the world. He is credited with selling more cars to more people than anyone else, and one of the secrets to his success is that he sent a card to all of his 13,000 customers every month. During his 15-year career, he averaged selling more than two cars per day!

Sometimes the cards were for holidays that month, but even if there wasn’t a holiday his customers knew that a card would be coming in the mail. The message in the card was not trying to get people to buy another car. Joe knew that his customers could enjoy their new car for years to come, but he also knew that at sometime in the future they would want to get another car, and they would also know someone who might be looking for a new car. So his message each month would basically communicate: “Hi. I’m Joe, and I like you.”

When it was time to purchase another car, you can be sure that they would first visit their good old friend Joe—who else could they trust?

Obviously, you should write your customer after a purchase. Less obvious would be to learn the special dates in a customer’s life and then send a note on that special day. If your customer is mentioned in the newspaper because of an achievement or because of a distressing event in their life, you could write an appropriate note of congratulations or condolences. When you decide to write your customer, here are some things to keep in mind:

* The format of the letter or note is less important than the tone. Have a conversational tone that conveys you care about the person. Form letters sound like form letters and have less meaning than something that comes from the heart.

* Mention or describe the specific activity at the beginning of the message. State what you appreciate or why you are congratulating the person. This will have more impact and cause the person to remember their purchase or the action that is appreciated. If the note is about a sad situation, mention your sorrow or condolences within the first paragraph.

* Use the person’s name in the body of the message, but don’t overdo it. It is better to use the titles Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr. etc.—unless you have an informal relationship with the customer.

* If the letter is one of condolences, acknowledge how you learned about the situation, express your sympathy, and anticipate the person’s needs and try to be of service.

Whenever you have the opportunity to dialogue with a customer about something important in their life, you have the chance to develop a stronger relationship that separates you and your business from the competition. While everyone else is scrambling to transact with the customer, you will be seen as the one wanting to interact with the person. Enhance those interactions and greater transactions will be a natural result. Put your thoughts in writing and you will remain in the thoughts of others.

(Rik is a business instructor at NMC and Janel is the owner of Positively Outrageous Results. They can be contacted at: biz_results@yahoo.com)