The Andma Group

Professional Services Company

Thank God You are Leaving

30/06/10 22:46
CASH ONLY Sorry..I was having a moment. What I really meant was THANK YOU! Yep...thank you...the most used two words in the English Language. Maybe.. Two words that got you a sound thrashing from your Mum and Dad if you forgot to use them...another "six of the best" from the Headmaster if you forgot to say them after the first six...ahh memories. Two words that can express all kinds of things... Come on..come with me on a walk through "Thank You" and I'll try to take you on a trip down memory lane. (mmmm..trip...ohhh sorry..was having a flashback) Anyway, I digress....thank you for your patience..I will get round to the point soon...I promise..(or are they more important than Thank you...now I'm confused) Ok..lets play..the Thank you game! Thank you #1: Uninvited Guests.. Thank you for coming... (choose your inflection for these...its ok, don't panic..you dont need anti-biotics.. I said Inflection...) Translation: Thank God your going Thank you #2: Unwanted Gift...      Ohhh...thank you...you really should'nt have... Translation: What the hell am I going to do with this thing Thank you 3#: Obvious Statement: Thank you so much for that.... Translation: As if I haven't heard that before..sheesh.. Ok..so there's three..I'm sure you can think of a squillion others. What I'm thinking of is the real genuine THANK YOU! And that is where you come in. So really..what is a Thank You when it comes to your Business...How do people see your Thank You?  Is it really enough? Is it really going to have an impact, or is it going to be as genuine as the "Thank You for taking the time..." you get from a call centre salesman, trying to sell you a years membership to a Resort in the Bahamas as long as you buy 5 million dollars worth of Sea Shells, when you say "No Thanks". So lets keep it simple....and here's a few things that I hope may help you on your Journey... There are a lot of things to thank your customers for in a business relationship.  Sad thing is, customers are not thanked enough—or thanked at all—by the businesses they’ve patronized.   Some companies do send out thank you cards and letters, but they tend to look mass-produced, impersonal and cold.  
 Saying thank you properly comes out of genuine, heartfelt gratitude.  It’s an action that’s very personal and human... so clients should be able to feel that that thank you card/note/letter really comes from a person and not out of an automatically set machine that churns out thank you memos.   And believe me, it will do your business a lot of good when your customers get the message that you truly appreciate them.  A person who feels genuinely appreciated by a friend will make the effort to continue the rapport and relationship between them. 
That’s the kind of relationship you’ll want to have with your clients.  Being able to show that you’re human—despite cold reality of business in keeping profit margins and ensuring efficient production lines—makes you stand out from the businesses who are more concerned about profit, than the relationships built in doing business.  That’s why thank you makes your business great! Keep these things in mind when you’re going about your thank you’s—they’ll help put the message across more clearly.
Send them something that represents YOU or THEM.  Don’t go for the generic greeting card; invest in a set of cards that is designed to represent you and your company.  Not only will it generate instant recall at first sight—more importantly, it helps your client connect the "thank you" with you. Don’t go for generic messages.  Write them a short note that thanks them specifically for buying this particular product or service, for their feedback or for their referral.  No, a typical “Thank you for your business” isn’t going to do it.  Be more personal than that—this challenges you to build rapport and get to know your clients more—particularly walk-in clients.
Keep your thank you’s fresh.  When a thank-you comes late, it becomes watered down; it seems like an afterthought, a polite gesture suddenly remembered.  It’s good form to send your thanks in the mail within 7 days after receiving your client’s business.         Go analogue.  An email will work if the message is personal and heartfelt; but sending a handwritten note or card shows that you’ve put in effort to show clients your appreciation. Throw in something more.  Coupons, discounts, info on new products and promos. A little something more to show your appreciation—which also encourages your clients towards repeat business with you. And for taking the time to read this.. I thank you!
Two powerful words that make a business great:
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