A thank you note with a business card enclosed

It alters your message and wastes money. There’s a time for blatant self-promotion and there’s a time for expressing your deepest gratitude. The two shall never meet. If you do, the recipient of your note will surely wonder if you have a hidden agenda. Unfortunately, that could mean less than desirable results for your efforts. The last thing you want is to have your clients wonder how grateful you really are.

So how do you let the recipient know what you do and how to contact you? You do a little thing I like to call soft self promotion. I usually scribble a note at the bottom of the card saying something like, “Let me know if you ever need anything” or “I’d be happy to return the favor”. Right after my signature, I either include my phone number or e-mail address. This lets the person know I am a business woman who genuinely cares about the recipient’s well-being as opposed to being a business woman who only cares about the recipient if there’s something in it for me. Get it?  It’s one of the major differences between soft self-promotion and blatant (hard) self-promotion. Plus it seems to be more inline with proper business etiquette.  Think about it. Are you really going to think favorably of a holiday card from your accountant with a business card in it? You just might be prompted to roll your eyes at it and immediately trash it. Once a business card gets placed in a note or holiday card the intentions may immediately be skewed.

I learned this the hard way. After sending hundreds of holiday and thank you cards with my business card enclosed with little to no response it dawned on me that I was doing it completely wrong. Not only was I was wasting time and money on stamps, I was connecting with my audience the way I had hoped.  I analyzed my approach and realized I was sending the complete opposite message than what I wanted to communicate.  The hallelujah chorus sounded once I replaced my business card with jotting down my contact information. Suddenly, the responses and words of gratitude kept pouring in. It’s amazing what a small change can do for business and how much money it can save!

Do you respond favorably to cards with a business card placed inside? Do you receive responses from placing business cards in thank you note?

For better or worse, email messaging has been at the center of business relationships for over two decades. Sometimes it can be hard to step back from the normal interchange of greetings and thank-you’s that, in many industries, govern the way we express our gratitude and send our appreciation. Handwrytten thank you cards are one way to break the mold.

According to research, at little as 20% of a business’s customers contribute to the future revenue of a business. Studies show that sending thank you cards is one of the most effective ways to keep your paying customers close.

In this article, we’ll discuss five common examples of “thank you for your business” greetings to use in a card. Read on, and you might pick up some tips and tricks in this sensitive but critical business practice.

Do’s and Don’ts for Business Thank-Yous

According to an experiment conducted by market strategist Jeffrey Slater, businesses can reap real rewards from sending business thank you cards. Businesses that sent regular thank-you notes for customers yielded an over 10% increase in orders from those customers. But what are the basic building blocks that business thank-you’s need to have?

  • DON’T be afraid of being personal. If your company has a personality or a certain flair, remind your customer or business partner of that with a genuine note.
  • DO be swift with your reply time. Wait longer than a few weeks, and the gratitude you wanted to express may have gone flat.
  • DON’T be generic with your thanks. Cite at least one real-life effect that your customer or partner made on you and the company.
  • DO be short, rather than long-winded. Handwritten notes carry a special presence all on their own; no need to write pages and pages that might muddy the message.
  • DON’T add any promotional material. Resist including vouchers or coupons.

Five “Thank You for Your Business” Templates

The following examples have all been used by various companies to reap success. Since every customer relationship is unique, we selected five samples that will work in five slightly different circumstances.

Thank You for a New Business Partnership

It’s a good idea to let your new business partners know how much their teamwork and loyalty mean to you. Write a business partner whenever you’ve crossed a threshold together, transitioned into a new area, or made a joint win:

“Dear Martha,

Just one letter isn’t enough to express how exciting it is to be joining up with you, but I wanted to let you know how thankful we all are that you’ve joined our business family. Please give our thanks to all who helped to make this venture work. Good things are coming in the future and we look forward to your continued partnership. Thanks again!

Sincerely,

Raul

XX Company”

Thank You For Your Payment

For digitally-based businesses in particular, it can be hard to slow down and give your thanks to customer payments. Sharing your appreciation for a transaction might seem basic, but it pays off in the long run:

“Dear Yolanda,

This is a short message to thank you for your payment. We appreciate your payment and wanted to thank you for your professionalism in sending it to us early. We’re grateful to have you as a customer. We are looking forward to working with you even more. Thank your for your trust in our business!

Yours,

Naomi

XX Company”

Thank You for a New Customer

Whenever a new person or account joins your ranks of loyal customers, it’s vital to send along your gratitude for their trust in you. To avoid burnout, it may be smart to limit the number of thank-you’s you release for high-paying customers in particular. All the same, if you have the resources to send personal thank-you’s to each new customer, it’s a good investment:

“Dear Peter,

We appreciate you as a new customer, and since you’ve used our product for the last month or so, we would love to hear any of your additional feedback or questions about using it if you so choose. As always, we are here to listen anytime by phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you about our upcoming release/product/event.

Yours in gratitude,

Teresa,

XX Company”

Thank You for Business in the Past

One of the most common reasons to send a “thank you for your business” note is to send appreciation to a trusted customer. You should never miss the opportunity to cement a business relationship. Send these kinds of message on any occasion: a surprise note works just as well as a yearly greeting:

“Dear Izzy,

I was just looking back at our history together and I noticed that you’ve been our customer for just over FIVE YEARS. I wanted to step back and take the opportunity to thank you for your business. And thanks for all the feedback you gave when we were transitioning to new leadership. I hope our products are still working out for you. As you know, we are always here to answer any questions you might have! Thanks for always being such a dependable client.

All the best,

Leon,

XX Company”

Thank You to an Employee

Finally, there’s always a reason to send thanks to your employees. Whether they closed a deal, surpassed expectations, or simply persevered through adversity, thank you’s are always welcome to fellow employees and colleagues:

“Dear Geoff,

Hello. I want to take the opportunity to let you know how much we appreciate your role in our team. In particular, we want to express our gratitude for the extra effort you put out recently when the going got tough. We look forward to having you by our side in the future. Thanks again!

Best,

Horace

XX Company”

In Summary

A quick thank you for your business note can do wonders to improve team morale, lock up a business partnership, or express gratitude in a more intimate setting.

Inspired? Choose from one of our predesigned  “thank you for your business” cards or designs your custom card at Handwrytten today!