One of the first things many of us were taught as kids was to say
"Thank you." It is one of the first things we taught our daughter, and
we still sometimes remind her when she is excited about something and
forgets. We'll ask her, "What do you say?" She will then always say
those magic words, that along with the other magic word, "please" mean
so much and can do so much for us. They are so important, take so little
time to say, and can add to our personal and business lives, so why
don't we say them or hear them more?
Are people's mom's not
teaching them any more? I don't think so. Are we getting lazy? Maybe.
Are we too used to typing "tx" or "ty" instead of writing it out? Maybe
that's it. We get so used to using the abbreviations that in actual
conversation we forget. I'm not sure. And what about sending actual hand
written thank you cards? How many people still do that? I know that I
do, and that I help my daughter send them too. I've always believed in
them, and I guess the one good thing is that if less people are sending
them, mine will make a greater impact and stand out more. If for no
other reason, this should be enough to get you to say thanks more and
start sending cards. It will help get you noticed. Besides, it's the
right thing to do.
Why does it get you noticed? It gets you
noticed because saying thank you is giving recognition and acknowledging
others for their contributions to you. People appreciate appreciation
and recognition is a great motivator. A sincere thank you can make a lot
of difference to both your personal and business relationships. And
there are many ways to say thanks, depending on the situation, so be
creative with your gratitude.
Personalize your thank you notes and
comments. Let the person know what you are thanking them for, and use
the thank you as an opportunity to connect with the person and further
your relationship. Make the thank you about the other person, express
acknowledgment for the act and offer thanks. Don't turn it into a sales
pitch or something else. Save the other message for a separate
correspondence.
Make it a habit to send written thank you notes
and to say thanks more often to those that do things for you. Besides
advancing your relationships and leading to more success, it simply
feels good to acknowledge others and say thanks. Be creative, enjoy
doing it, and always remember to say thank you.
