Typically during the months of November, December, and
January, online business owners feel the urge to say "thank
you" -- to their blog/ezine readers, to their clients and
customers, and to their business colleagues. In recent
years, this often means sending a mass email card to an
email mailing list, which, if you're on the receiving end
of such a missive, feels about as personal as junk mail
addressed to "Occupant." Snail mail cards are not much
better because the majority of those cards contain an
imprinted greeting along with a business name and nothing
else.
Using this strategy to recognize and thank your contacts
can completely backfire, if you're not careful. Rather
than feeling recognized, your recipient may simply become
jaded and wonder why you bothered, especially if they
haven't heard from you in awhile, or if you didn't take the
time to jot a personal note.
What should your rule of thumb be when saying thanks or
giving recognition to your customers and contacts? If you
don't know someone well enough to pick up the phone and
call him or to drop a letter in the mail to her, don't
bother sending a thank you at all. I realize that this
flies in the face of common marketing strategy, which
encourages small businesses owners to use the holiday
season as an excuse to "reach out and touch" their contact
database. However, you must realize that if your business
is doing this, so are 10 other businesses also used by your
contact.
How can you make your business "thank you" stand out in the
crowd? Make it personal -- and unique.
I recently received a very unique postcard and enclosure
from newsletter coach and designer Jessica Albon of
TheWriteExposure.com. What made this holiday greeting
noteworthy? It...
1. was addressed to me in a unique, eye-catching font.
2. had a rubber stamp image on the back of the envelope.
3. made references to her dog, Izzy.
4. provided me with a doggie treat recipe and a people
recipe, as well.
5. had a doggie treat enclosure in a hand-made envelope.
6. contained a personal, handwritten message from Jessica
that contained my name.
Amazingly enough, there was no mention of her business.
Why? Because I know Jessica well enough that no reminder
of what she does is necessary. This was a brilliant
marketing strategy on Jessica's part (even if she didn't
plan it that way) because I felt noticed and special as the
recipient of this mailing. I never thought about whether
she sent this to 20 people or 120 people -- it was unique
and personalized enough that I felt I was the only
recipient.
It's amazing the effect you can have when you personalize
your appreciation. When I was living in Adams, MA, I was a
regular subscriber to the local daily newspaper. The
delivery service had always been iffy, at best, sometimes
arriving early, sometimes late, sometimes not at all, and
sometimes in places where I didn't find the paper until
several days later. However, that all changed one month,
and the service became impeccable. The paper was always
placed on the arms of my mailbox where I could find it, was
bagged if it were inclement weather so it wouldn't get wet,
and was always promptly delivered.
I know that most of the time the paper hired junior high
students to do the route, as the job was a good first job
for them to have to give them a little income. Sometimes
people who were a little down and out would take the job to
help them make ends meet until they again found gainful
employment. I really didn't know who was delivering my
paper, but I decided that I wanted to thank the person for
doing such a great job.
I called the newspaper office and asked for my carrier's
name and contact info and then proceeded to call my
carrier. When he picked up the phone, I told him who I was.
He immediately wanted to know what problem there had been
with my paper delivery. I told him that I didn't have a
problem, but was simply calling him to thank him for doing
such an awesome job and that my delivery was the best it
had ever been in the entire time I'd subscribed to this
newspaper.
There was a very long pause, as though he were at a loss
for words. "Oh," he said, "I thought you were calling
about a problem with me. That's why people usually call."
Then he uttered a "thank you" and we ended the call.
Now, I don't know if I made his day or put him into shock.
I hope I did a little of both. My newspaper service
continued to be outstanding until he left the position to
do something else. I felt really wonderful the rest of that
day, because I chose to think I'd made a small difference
in his life that day by just telling him "thanks for doing
such a great job".
Never underestimate the power of a personal "thank you."
Spending your time to convey your personal thanks and
appreciation in a personal fashion will pay off for you
more in the long run than spending the same amount of time
in conveying your thanks with some impersonal, automated
gesture.
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Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business
Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals
learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their
expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To
claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing
Toolkit, visit her site at http://www.OnlineBizU.com . Ask
Donna an Internet Marketing question at
http://www.AskDonnaGunter.com .
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