Breaking Free
How to Quit Your Job and Start Your Own Business
The Power Of Thank-You Notes
In: Advice By: Brian Armstrong
14 Jan 2009I have to credit my mother with instilling in me the importance of thank you notes from a young age. As a young man I absolutely HATED writing my thank you notes after Christmas but she would still force me to do it.
I remember one year (I was about eight I think) I had put off writing them for as long as possible. When she threatened some major action, I decided I would do it – but it would be in my own way. I proceeded to write thank you notes to all my aunts and uncles explaining that although I truly WAS thankful for their gift, I was being forced under threat of punishment to write these thank you notes which really removed any true meaning from them. I sealed up the envelopes and presented them to my mother to send off. Needless to say she got some interesting phone calls from my aunts and uncles shortly thereafter :)
Anyway, while I still can’t say that I ENJOY writing thank you notes – I do write them more often now and also see them as a valuable business tool. I’ve used them on a number of occasions to make connections with people who otherwise would not have remembered me. After all, a hand written thank you note is quite a rarity these days and takes only a second. People often save them on a shelf at work which helps them remember you at some point in the future. This can also be a great way to get a mentor or get in touch with high profile people.
Anyway, I sometimes like to make my thank you notes stand out a little more by doing funny or weird things like drawing pictures or using my bizarre sense of humor. Here are a few examples for you to check out. Hopefully they inspire you to write your thank you notes if you haven’t already!
- Tags: mentors, thank you notes
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Breaking Free is a blog for people who'd like to quit their 9-to-5, start their own business, and achieve financial freedom. It's written by web-entrepreneur Brian Armstrong. You can read more here »
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Caroline
January 14th, 2009 at 10:39 am
We never wrote thank you notes, in fact more often than not we forget peoples birthdays altogether or send cards late.
Brian Armstrong
January 14th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Haha…yeah if it wasn’t for Google Calendar I wouldn’t remember anything!
Sara
January 19th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
You are right about telling people thank you. My mother always instilled those values in me, but I never had to write ‘thank you notes’ :) But, it does show that person appreciation for their work and people never forget a good gesture. This can help you out in the long run because that is all people want…to be appreciated.
Sara (check out my employment & career blog)
http://www.employmentmoney.blogspot.com
Matt Thomas
January 14th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Brian,
Like the thank you notes, very interesting, but they do their job at standing out!
You do bring up a good point that thank you notes in business are not that common, so when you receive one from a business, you feel more apt to do business with them. Salespeople are often instructed to do this, and the ones that actually do stand out and often enjoy more success from it.
And I do think you are on to something: a handwritten note (and in your case, drawings) to make the note your own will increase the chances of your client remembering you.
Brian Armstrong
January 14th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Yep…I get lots of mass produced christmas cards from companies and those do nothing for me. If you can give it a human touch it helps. Thanks!
Josh Peters
January 14th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
I am a fan of using this method not only to solidify relationships, but also as a great Guerrilla Marketing tactic that sets you and your brand apart from the competition. Zach Braff uses a typewriter to create his Thank You notes, but I think your pictures are even better!
Brian Armstrong
January 14th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Pretty cool…do you get thank you notes from Zach Braff? I’m jealous, haha!
Josh Peters
January 14th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Not yet, but when I do I’ll know that I have really made it to the top :)
Click and Inc
January 16th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Your mom was right to teach you such a valuable skill although from personal experience, I always hated doing it too. As you get older sometimes you realize that your mother was right about a lot of things. Thank you notes are a great skill and way to make people feel appreciated. These little things work well to help out businesses and create loyalty among customers. Thanks for sharing and I found your personal notes quite entertaining.
Brian Armstrong
January 16th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Haha, I hate to admit it but, yes she was right about a lot of things :) Thanks!
Derek - Success Tips
January 16th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
You know, that’s a great way to write a successful thank you note. I love your doodles because it really does make the thank you note much more personal.
Brian Armstrong
January 18th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Yep, hopefully they save it! :)
Dan Massicotte
January 20th, 2009 at 9:50 am
You’re right, and writing them by hand is always the best.