| For the last several weeks or so, I've been noodling | | | | even pre-printed templates. The best thank-you |
| about different ideas for creative relationship building | | | | notes are the ones you least expect, like Tim's note. |
| marketing. I included patient service in this realm, too. | | | | They're not a waste of time and money, because |
| So much of what I see and hear in both areas is | | | | they work. People remember the thank you notes, |
| blatantly self-serving, artificial and sometimes just flat | | | | remember the person who sent them, and |
| out nonsense. How is it supposed to work? | | | | remember the person's company, too. |
| Last week I got a "thank you" note from a CEO | | | | So it occurred to me that Tim had given me two |
| about a personal problem that I helped him with and | | | | great lessons: |
| it hit me like a tone of bricks...THANK YOU is the | | | | 1. Just send thank-you notes. |
| most powerful way you can build relationships! | | | | 2. Send them from a real person at your company. |
| So, before I go on, I want to thank you very much! | | | | Don't send them from a company, as in "All of us at |
| Those words --- "thank you very much" --- are | | | | Smith Chiropractic want to thank you for your |
| Disneyland magical, aren't they? | | | | business." |
| When you remember to thank someone, wondrous | | | | Here's how to get started: |
| things can happen --- such as what happened with | | | | Implement a Thank-You Note relationship building |
| me recently. | | | | marketing program for your brand of chiropractic. |
| I was driving to an appointment, while out of town, | | | | How do you write a great thank-you note? Here are |
| and I was in danger of death by starvation. That | | | | some ideas to consider: |
| means lunch was 15 minutes late. | | | | * Like any letter, make it personal. Make sure you |
| I stopped at a Denny's Restaurant...the first place I | | | | connect with the person immediately. Something like |
| saw. I only had 20 minutes to eat and be on my | | | | this: |
| way. | | | | "Visiting with you yesterday was a real treat. Mike's a |
| I got my table and when Tim, my waiter, brought | | | | character, and your whole staff is so enthusiastic. |
| the food, he asked where I was from. We chatted, | | | | What a great idea to have the meeting out on your |
| and I thanked him for the quick service. he asked for | | | | wood deck. Imagine, a wood deck at a chiropractic |
| my business card. In the car, I called Denny's | | | | office!" |
| customer service number to tell the company about | | | | * Mention specifics, so it doesn't appear like a form |
| its great waiter. It was closed. | | | | letter. |
| When I returned home, there was a handwritten | | | | * Let your personality shine through the note. |
| thank-you note from Tim, the Denny's waiter. I called | | | | * Do your homework. |
| Tim to ask why he'd written the note, and he said, | | | | * When you're thanking someone for a gift, tell |
| "Because I want people to know they're not just a | | | | people what you're doing with it. |
| dollar amount to me...I've written to many folks from | | | | * Write it by hand, if your handwriting is legible. If |
| London, and Italy, and they come back and visit." | | | | your handwriting's shoddy, type it and print the note. |
| Denny's should thank its lucky stars it has an | | | | * Write thank-you notes immediately. Do it daily. |
| employee like Tim. Even though this is not my usual | | | | * Invest in some really nice branded "blind embossed" |
| preference for a place to eat, guess where I'll have | | | | note cards. |
| lunch next time I'm in the area again? | | | | A good Thank-You Note marketing program is an |
| Tim, a waiter in a huge chain, is undertaking his own | | | | AWESOME low-cost marketing program that will go a |
| customer relationship campaign and doing a great job. | | | | long way toward building relationships, which will |
| So why are thank-you notes magical? | | | | attrack more patients and referrals to your brand of |
| Well, for one thing, we don't get many of them, and | | | | chiropractic. |
| the ones we get are usually pretty bland. Some are | | | | |