I recently had the honor of being a bridesmaid in a longtime friend’s wedding. The other bridesmaids and I did a few little things to help her prepare for the wedding, and in the time-honored tradition, she sent notecards to thank us. Now, my friend’s given me some great gifts over the years, but these notecards were something else. With each card, her kind, thoughtful, handwritten words brought me to tears. I’ll treasure them as long as I live.
Okay, okay – why am I telling you this? Well, if you’re interested in creating lasting connections with customers (and who isn’t?), take a cue from my friend and send handwritten notecards to help you get there. A handwritten note is impactful because it’s rare. Consider all the junkmail (and email and text messages) you received over the past year. Now, consider how many handwritten letters or cards you received. Pretty big disparity, right? Let’s also consider how many emails or texts you’ve printed out and stuck to your fridge, pinned to your wall, or propped on your mantle or desk. Yep – notecards are just more meaningful. Interested in making these meaningful connections with your clients? Here’s how to get started:
Stock your desk. Snag some notecards, envelopes, stamps, a nice pen, and keep them handy. When that grateful mood strikes, you’ll be prepared to jot off a thank-you card.
Make time. Penning a three-sentence notecard is not a time-intensive activity. So why don’t we do it more often? Probably because we don’t schedule it. Set aside time each week (or each day or month or whatever works for you). Then, get to writing!
Make it personal, if possible. A notecard is a way to create a stronger relationship with a customer, so take what you know about that customer and build off of it. Any tidbit your customer has shared works – an upcoming vacation, an impending deadline, favorite movies…whatever you know about your customer, reference it!
Focus on gratitude. Even if you don’t know much about your customer, your notecard can make a difference. An expression of heartfelt gratitude is sure to brighten your customer’s day (and set your company apart from the competition):
Thank you so much for calling the other day! It was wonderful to chat with you, and I hope I was able to help. Please feel free to call me any time.
Now I’d put that notecard on my fridge. Wouldn’t you?
