Most every sales person has been instructed on the value and importance of sending a hand written thank you note. Yet most everything you have learned about these “Thank you” notes are all wrong. (We’ll all except the handwritten part, they truly must be handwritten!)Recently I was contacted by a very talented top producing New Home Sales Professional who heard that maybe there was a better way to write a “Thank you” note. Turns out that she had meet several other sales professionals who have worked with me previously, they informed her that she was not to use the actual words “Thank You” anywhere in the note. I am so proud of them for remembering!
The 1st challenge I give to any sales professional regarding follow up, is to write a “Thank You’ note without using the words “thank you”. Go-ahead try it, if you can you are well on your way to mastering follow up!I do insist that as part of a proper follow up system, you must send a handwritten note after a presentation, always! However, it is best to avoid the words “Thank you” for several reasons. First, everyone says “Thank you” and you want to be different. Second, psychologically when people hear “Thank you” it is when something is done or over and the purpose of follow up is to keep the sales process open and moving forward. Don’t get me wrong; you can still express your appreciation for the opportunity you had or their visit, just save the real Thank you note for once they purchase!
So how do you write this follow up note without saying thank you? Look for ways to force your creativity. What else could you say? Let me give you an example of some that I have used.
"Dear [1st Name of Prospect] ,
Your recent visit and interest at is greatly appreciated.
As you.... [recite information relevant and personal to them so they know that you remember them!]
As you.... [recite information relevant and personal to them so they know that you remember them!]
Welcome Home,
[Your Autograph]
In that example the specific words ”Thank you” are not used. Instead we expressed our appreciation for their visit or time with us. Also a note like this is designed to stand out from others as well.
Write a comment and tell us what other ways you can come up with to make your notes meaningful while avoiding the words “Thank you”!
That's an interesting perspective Steve. I like the concept that "thank you" is traditionally reserved for the end of something, not the beginning. Eliminating those words will certainly make the author think less generically about what to include in the note.
ReplyDeleteNovel way of looking at it, Steve. We believe very strongly in handwritten thank-you notes although we do use "thanks" in most of them admittedly. We do use the customers' first names in the intro and just our first name in the close. One new feature we started using is a real wax seal (with our logo). Takes a little time but really sets you apart from the crowd.
ReplyDeleteWow have I learned from the best! I was going over my thank you notes recently and noticed I did not use the word thank you in any of them. I am right with you on every point you made. Great topic Steve. You always make us step back to examine our process.
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