I heard a story not so long ago about the power of a thank you card. Seems she had set out to find a new wallet for her husband; a gift to mark their fist anniversary as a married couple. With a little thought she picked Coach as her place to make a purchase.
Get Personal
The sales associate she happened across was more than eager to assist. He went about learning the exact nature of her purchase and took the time to match up the perfect wallet for the occasion. He picked off that the wallet was her gift for their first year of marriage. In doing so he also picked off a deep emotional moment that two people shared.
Take Action
By getting personal; he yield some insights for meaningful action. People are emotional. As such people are moved by emotion. If our actions are emotional in nature; suffice it to say that those emotions will be reciprocated back to us in like kind. In the case of the Coach associate; his action has yielded him a customer for life.
Gain Loyalty
How, you ask? He wrote a very kind; very personal note of congrats to the young lady. He included some very kind words regarding the wallet and the years of use he would garnish out of it. Loyalty for the price of a pen, some paper and a few minutes of time. Hand written and mailed the same day of the purchase. Sound familiar?
The young lady in this story told me she would never consider shopping at another retailer for leather related products. Not a novel concept in the apartment industry but one that I wholeheartedly believe is lost in the struggles of time, attention and willingness to extend oneself under the premise of fostering meaningful connection.
Whether you are B2B or B2C; the power of the written word is rarely for not. Take some time today and pen a few cards to people you have interacted with this week. And, come back and share some stories about what happened as a result.
0 Responses
Great post Mike and oh, so true! Handwritten notes are a lost art, but really powerful!
Patty
Thank you for taking the time to drop a comment. Fundamentals! I hope you have an fun filled weekend.
M
Great story Mike! It’s amazing how strong the ol’ mighty, hand written, thank u card still is, even in this techno crazed society!
Laura
How are you ma’am? It has been awhile!
You are so very right – it’s tried – it’s true and it’s emotional effective!
Do you have a strategy as it relates to your business on both the C2B and C2C side?
Have a smashing weekend.
M
very true! great in business and life
I just received a thank you note from a baby gift that i gave…and it really meant a lot that the person took time to do that.
It makes you feel remembered
Hey V – thanks for stopping by.
It’s so true and in the world of sales – making people feel like people in lieu of prospects or customers goes a long way. Hand written notes help in that.
Have an amazing day.
M
I couldn’t agree more! I’ve been in the multi-family industry for 23 years now and I still handwrite thank you cards. I see so many new leasing agents sending their thank-yous via email, but a good old-fashioned handwritten thank you note is way more personal and much more appreciated.
LZ!!!
What are some things you try and include in a thank you and how do you go about finding that information? Do you have some classic questions that you ask or is it just a fluid conversation that yields you the nuggets you need?
Have a compelling day and as always – thank you for adding to the conversation.
M
I thank them for visiting our community and talk about the particular apartment they toured. If they have a pet, I definitely get the pet’s name at the time of the visit and include them on the thank you note. I make it very personal.
As far as what questions I ask…it’s pretty much qualifying questions. I engage them in conversation and gain their trust and just listen. I sometimes hear things I don’t want to hear, but that’s just a part of it! 🙂