16 Oct Saying Thank-You Every Day
“Thank you” has an HUGE impact on people to whom we say it. We never hear “Thank you” said enough and receiving a thank-you note is becoming “old-school”. As an etiquette expert I teach the value of the written letter and of course, the thank you note when appropriate. I want the people who have helped me throughout my career to know that they matter as human beings not suppliers or vendors or mentors. Every day I write four correspondence cards each to a person who has had an impact in a positive way on my career. Recipients have been people I worked for up to thirty years ago to co-workers and vendors who had my back, taught me something important or who were just pleasant to be around.
I feel that if am going to be a person they do business with in the future, they need to know I appreciate what they have done for me in the past. Many have responded with awe that I remembered them while others have said that they have never received a letter like I wrote and that it meant a lot to them. I have had more referrals and new business as a result. I have also a broader network of friends who know that I appreciate them as people. They know that I respect what they have done for me because I say “Thank you”.