The power of Thank You

I’ve been doing some thinking about this for some time, and was reminded of it recently after we had some people over for dinner party. Everyone thanked us when they left, but one couple sent us a nice card in the mail to thank us for the special evening. It wasn’t a big deal, but that little card did something quite incredible. After reading it, my girlfriend said “we should have them over again.” So, with one small, little gesture, these people moved to the top of our guest list for future dinners.

So, if that’s the case, why do so many companies do such a poor job of thanking customers? And I’m not talking about thanking them at the cash register. That’s just their version of our front door. I’m talking about thanking customers like our guests did. Such a simple gesture creates so much goodwill – because it is so unexpected.

I’ve worked on many a direct mail program, and they’re always geared towards getting the customer to spend. Even if the card starts with a thank you, it’s usually ends with a 20% off offer that attempts to entice the customer to spend more in the near future. That’s not a thank you. That’s a ‘now here’s something else you can do for us’.

How many times have you bought something and received a proper thank you from a company? I know it happens, because I have received one before. A very nice card just to say ‘Thanks for your business’. And do you know what I did? First, I told all of my friends. Then, a few months later, I went back and purchased from them again.

So if you want to boost revenue, increase word of mouth, and have a positive long-term forecast, it doesn’t take much effort, and you don’t even need to have a discount sale. Just treat us like you care, and say thank you. And I promise we’ll move you right to the top of our guest list.