Articles

Customer Finesse and Care

Jana M. Kemp

When was the last time you received a thank you note from someone you’ve done business with? A thank you note prompts me to be loyal to the business I shop with. And a thank you from an organization I donate time or money to keeps me making donations.

Imagine that, an investment of under $1.00 can generate hundreds, thousands, even tens-of-thousands of dollars a year in ongoing business and donations. Here’s how I figure that $1.00: postage $.34, letterhead and envelope $.20 to $.40 and then labor to produce the note and send it $.24 to $.46. The only thing better than your sending a thank you note is completing the work so well in the beginning that the customer sends you a thank you note first.

The thank you I received, after having sink plumbing and a garbage disposal replaced, prompted me to revisit the “thank you” discussion. The pre-printed and personally-signed card from A-1 Plumbing said “Thank you very much for using our services. We recognize you as our most valuable asset. If we can be of any further assistance for yourself or a friend, please give us a call.”

All it took was thirty-four words and thirty-four cents. The note said thank you, invited me to call again, and to spread the word about their services. What is your organization doing to say thank you?

It amazes me that the sending of a thank you note is still an overlooked social and business courtesy. Whether the note you send is handwritten, computer generated, a pre-printed postcard or a combination approach, the act of saying “thank you” is what matters.

On the non-profit front, thank you notes are one of the few tools that build donor loyalty. One non-profit I donated $300 to never sent a thank you note so I stopped giving to them three years ago. Imagine the additional donations they could have been seeing if that $1.00 investment in a “thank you” had occurred.

In another form of saying “thank you,” retail stores often send invitations to “private advance sales” to regular customers. I’ve even received special invitations from stores going out of business, inviting frequent customers to come in first to see the inventory.

ACTION ITEMS: Review the way you say thank you to your customers. Build your repeat business and donations by refining your “thank you” processes.
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Reprint Permission: The author is willing to grant reprint permissions. Please contact Jana Kemp: jana@janakemp.com or call 208-367-1701.