“Thank you”? When we go to pick up food at a restaurant, don’t we want to be sent off with a “Thank you”? Indeed, when we go out of our way for someone else, we are ingrained with the notion that a simple "thank you" is considered a currency of reciprocation?

Albeit, writing a business letter takes more time and effort than uttering a “thank you.” (By the way, if you are going to say “thank you”, say it like you mean it! And you should mean it!) But customers will be even that much more impressed with the written word, opposed to the spoken word, because they recognize the greater labor involved. In addition, people are apt to remember a written token of appreciation since receiving one is a rare occurrence.

My fellow business owners, please keep the following points in mind regarding business thank you notes and letters:

1) They ar

I was introduced to the concept of “Thank you notes” when I was about five years old. My teenage cousin just presented me with a coveted new birthday present – a soft, cuddly, gray and white teddy bear. I was overjoyed receiving this bundle of joy but my cousin, who could not attend my birthday party, was unaware of the unbridled happiness stemming from her gift.

My grandmother – someone who could have taken over the reigns for “Ms. Manners” – soon afterwards advised me to write a thank you note. I inquired, “Can I call my cousin on the phone to thank her”? “Yes,” she replied, “Right after you write her this thank you note.” (I could never take any shortcuts when my grandmother was nearby.)

Sitting down at the table trying to write my first thank you letter was a difficult exercise for me. I had better things to do than trying to formulate words on a blank page – like playing with my cherished teddy bear. But once my grandmother offered some ideas, the thank you note almost wrote itself.

She listed the following recipe: a) Say thank you and write the reason for the expression of appreciation; b) Make the note personal and indicate what you are planning to do with the gift; c) Describe your feelings resulting from receiving the gift; d) Connect the present with the person who gave the present; e) Thank the gift-giver one last time; and f) End the note with any final thoughts (e.g., sending warm regards); and g) Use terms like “Love” or “Best Wishes,” and sign your name.

Although I don’t recall the actual thank you note word for word, the following represents a close approximation:

Dear Arlene:

Thank you so much for my birthday present. I was jumping up and down when I saw the teddy bear! He is going to be my new best friend and I plan on taking him everywhere, including the baseball game.

I am sorry that you could not go to my birthday party. Next time I see you, we can play with the bear together. Thanks again for your generosity! (My grandmother told me to include this big word.) I miss you and can’t wait to see you.

Love, Andy

No, the letter is not in the same league as one written by Ernest Hemingway or F Scott Fitzgerald, but remember, I was only five years old at the time. (My writing has improved to some extent.) Still, the compilation of the letter was significant as it reinforced the notion of the importance of thanking others, genuinely expressing appreciation for another’s act of thoughtfulness, consideration and … yes, generosity.

The thank you letter has served me well in business. Our customers truly know that we are so grateful for their patronage and express our sentiment in a genuine, authentic manner. In turn, customers appreciate the display of courtesy, reflective in a sincere thank you note. Such a display of appreciation solidifies a relationship, building mutual trust and respect.

Business owners who refrain from the practice of writing thank you notes truly do not understand their importance. Perhaps they need to adopt a customer’s perspective. When I assume the role of customer, I want – no expect – a company to value my business. The company does not have to be overzealous in their appreciation, but a simple “thank you” satisfies my desire to be recognized and appreciated.

And don’t we all want this in our personal lives, too? When we hold the door open for someone, don’t we want to hear the magical words, “Thank you”? When we go to pick up food at a restaurant, don’t we want to be sent off with a “Thank you”? Indeed, when we go out of our way for someone else, we are ingrained with the notion that a simple "thank you" is considered a currency of reciprocation?

Albeit, writing a business letter takes more time and effort than uttering a “thank you.” (By the way, if you are going to say “thank you”, say it like you mean it! And you should mean it!) But customers will be even that much more impressed with the written word, opposed to the spoken word, because they recognize the greater labor involved. In addition, people are apt to remember a written token of appreciation since receiving one is a rare occurrence.

My fellow business owners, please keep the following points in mind regarding business thank you notes and letters:

1) They ar

rds on a blank page – like playing with my cherished teddy bear. But once my grandmother offered some ideas, the thank you note almost wrote itself.

She listed the following recipe: a) Say thank you and write the reason for the expression of appreciation; b) Make the note personal and indicate what you are planning to do with the gift; c) Describe your feelings resulting from receiving the gift; d) Connect the present with the person who gave the present; e) Thank the gift-giver one last time; and f) End the note with any final thoughts (e.g., sending warm regards); and g) Use terms like “Love” or “Best Wishes,” and sign your name.

Although I don’t recall the actual thank you note word for word, the following represents a close approximation:

Dear Arlene:

Thank you so much for my birthday present. I was jumping up and down when I saw the teddy bear! He is going to be my new best friend and I plan on taking him everywhere, including the baseball game.

I am sorry that you could not go to my birthday party. Next time I see you, we can play with the bear together. Thanks again for your generosity! (My grandmother told me to include this big word.) I miss you and can’t wait to see you.

Love, Andy

No, the letter is not in the same league as one written by Ernest Hemingway or F Scott Fitzgerald, but remember, I was only five years old at the time. (My writing has improved to some extent.) Still, the compilation of the letter was significant as it reinforced the notion of the importance of thanking others, genuinely expressing appreciation for another’s act of thoughtfulness, consideration and … yes, generosity.

The thank you letter has served me well in business. Our customers truly know that we are so grateful for their patronage and express our sentiment in a genuine, authentic manner. In turn, customers appreciate the display of courtesy, reflective in a sincere thank you note. Such a display of appreciation solidifies a relationship, building mutual trust and respect.

Business owners who refrain from the practice of writing thank you notes truly do not understand their importance. Perhaps they need to adopt a customer’s perspective. When I assume the role of customer, I want – no expect – a company to value my business. The company does not have to be overzealous in their appreciation, but a simple “thank you” satisfies my desire to be recognized and appreciated.

And don’t we all want this in our personal lives, too? When we hold the door open for someone, don’t we want to hear the magical words, “Thank you”? When we go to pick up food at a restaurant, don’t we want to be sent off with a “Thank you”? Indeed, when we go out of our way for someone else, we are ingrained with the notion that a simple "thank you" is considered a currency of reciprocation?

Albeit, writing a business letter takes more time and effort than uttering a “thank you.” (By the way, if you are going to say “thank you”, say it like you mean it! And you should mean it!) But customers will be even that much more impressed with the written word, opposed to the spoken word, because they recognize the greater labor involved. In addition, people are apt to remember a written token of appreciation since receiving one is a rare occurrence.

My fellow business owners, please keep the following points in mind regarding business thank you notes and letters:

1) They ar

the teddy bear! He is going to be my new best friend and I plan on taking him everywhere, including the baseball game.

I am sorry that you could not go to my birthday party. Next time I see you, we can play with the bear together. Thanks again for your generosity! (My grandmother told me to include this big word.) I miss you and can’t wait to see you.

Love, Andy

No, the letter is not in the same league as one written by Ernest Hemingway or F Scott Fitzgerald, but remember, I was only five years old at the time. (My writing has improved to some extent.) Still, the compilation of the letter was significant as it reinforced the notion of the importance of thanking others, genuinely expressing appreciation for another’s act of thoughtfulness, consideration and … yes, generosity.

The thank you letter has served me well in business. Our customers truly know that we are so grateful for their patronage and express our sentiment in a genuine, authentic manner. In turn, customers appreciate the display of courtesy, reflective in a sincere thank you note. Such a display of appreciation solidifies a relationship, building mutual trust and respect.

Business owners who refrain from the practice of writing thank you notes truly do not understand their importance. Perhaps they need to adopt a customer’s perspective. When I assume the role of customer, I want – no expect – a company to value my business. The company does not have to be overzealous in their appreciation, but a simple “thank you” satisfies my desire to be recognized and appreciated.

And don’t we all want this in our personal lives, too? When we hold the door open for someone, don’t we want to hear the magical words, “Thank you”? When we go to pick up food at a restaurant, don’t we want to be sent off with a “Thank you”? Indeed, when we go out of our way for someone else, we are ingrained with the notion that a simple "thank you" is considered a currency of reciprocation?

Albeit, writing a business letter takes more time and effort than uttering a “thank you.” (By the way, if you are going to say “thank you”, say it like you mean it! And you should mean it!) But customers will be even that much more impressed with the written word, opposed to the spoken word, because they recognize the greater labor involved. In addition, people are apt to remember a written token of appreciation since receiving one is a rare occurrence.

My fellow business owners, please keep the following points in mind regarding business thank you notes and letters:

1) They ar

Our customers truly know that we are so grateful for their patronage and express our sentiment in a genuine, authentic manner. In turn, customers appreciate the display of courtesy, reflective in a sincere thank you note. Such a display of appreciation solidifies a relationship, building mutual trust and respect.

Business owners who refrain from the practice of writing thank you notes truly do not understand their importance. Perhaps they need to adopt a customer’s perspective. When I assume the role of customer, I want – no expect – a company to value my business. The company does not have to be overzealous in their appreciation, but a simple “thank you” satisfies my desire to be recognized and appreciated.

And don’t we all want this in our personal lives, too? When we hold the door open for someone, don’t we want to hear the magical words, “Thank you”? When we go to pick up food at a restaurant, don’t we want to be sent off with a “Thank you”? Indeed, when we go out of our way for someone else, we are ingrained with the notion that a simple "thank you" is considered a currency of reciprocation?

Albeit, writing a business letter takes more time and effort than uttering a “thank you.” (By the way, if you are going to say “thank you”, say it like you mean it! And you should mean it!) But customers will be even that much more impressed with the written word, opposed to the spoken word, because they recognize the greater labor involved. In addition, people are apt to remember a written token of appreciation since receiving one is a rare occurrence.

My fellow business owners, please keep the following points in mind regarding business thank you notes and letters:

1) They ar

“Thank you”? When we go to pick up food at a restaurant, don’t we want to be sent off with a “Thank you”? Indeed, when we go out of our way for someone else, we are ingrained with the notion that a simple "thank you" is considered a currency of reciprocation?

Albeit, writing a business letter takes more time and effort than uttering a “thank you.” (By the way, if you are going to say “thank you”, say it like you mean it! And you should mean it!) But customers will be even that much more impressed with the written word, opposed to the spoken word, because they recognize the greater labor involved. In addition, people are apt to remember a written token of appreciation since receiving one is a rare occurrence.

My fellow business owners, please keep the following points in mind regarding business thank you notes and letters:

1) They are a crucial component in building business ties. You will be more than compensated for the time it takes to create business thank you notes. Good will ensues when customers receive them and, in turn, customers are more inclined to doing business with you because of them. Customers will remember a show of thanks because they are not used to receiving (m)any!

2) Business thank you notes should be sincere! A note should reflect a genuine feeling of gratitude.

3) Hand-written notes are more personal in nature. If possible, send such a note rather than one that is computer-generated.

4) If, due to time constraints, it is impossible to send a hand-written or computer-generated business thank you note, send one via email. Any show of appreciation is better than none.

5) Business thank you notes do not have to be a dissertation. They are generally concise and to the point. (Customers may not have the time and inclination to read long thank you notes.)

6) Business thank you notes should be clearly written and not done in a slipshod fashion. Customers will not be impressed with any note that has grammatical errors or misspellings.

7) They should be written on quality paper on your business’ stationary. Again, it is desirable that the customer is left with a favorable impression.

8) Write business thank you notes as soon as possible. For example, if a new client forms an alliance your company, send a thank you right away. Try not to let weeks go by before thanking the customer for his/her patronage. (Of course, you can send thank you notes at any time but the first one should be forwarded expeditiously.)

9) Proofread business thank you notes before you send them. This ensures that the “final product” will merit the approval of customers.

10) Be specific, include details, and stick to the points. You don’t want to digress too much or be too profuse with your feelings and expressions of gratitude. Business thank you notes are different from personal thank you notes.

My WIN recipe for a standard business note (here, thanking a new customer for buying/using your product/service) follows:

- Write the purpose for the note, including why you are thankful.

- Indicate how the alliance will prove to be mutually beneficial and iinclude specific details.

- Note your future availability – that you will be accessible if any questions arise – and nix the idea of trying to up-sell. Differentiate a business thank you note with a sales pitch note or letter. (You can always forward a separate sales letter to your customers afterwards.)

Indeed, you can certainly win the everlasting loyalty of your clients with business thank you notes. Your company should manifest such courtesy and responsiveness and your company’s reputation will be enhanced in the eyes of your clients.

Start writing them and see what happens! And when favorable results ensue, you can write me a business thank you note for reminding you of their importance.