The pen is mightier than the keyboard

Thank clients for their business. Thank them for referrals. Remind them about their appointments. And do these things with a handwritten note. Find any excuse to send a note card to prospects, service providers and clients. Handwritten notes are simple but powerful.

We have all become so accustomed to communicating via email, text, tweet, Facebook post, etc., that the lowly card — a handwritten, hand-addressed, hand-stamped piece of “snail mail” — has become an item that prompts immediate interest and delight in the recipient.

While there is a cost factor and a small amount of labor involved in selecting stationery, buying stamps, writing and posting a card (not to mention tossing the occasional mistake into the trash), the potential rewards can be great indeed.

One of my clients, Peter, a financial advisor, told me how he thought his light gray suit had been ruined. Someone had spilled red wine onto his lap at a networking event. But he took it to a dry cleaner and was amazed that the cleaner was able to get the stain out entirely, leaving his suit as good as new.

“Send him a note. Thanking him for getting the wine out,” I advised. Peter protested, saying a handwritten note would be overkill. He had thanked the owner personally when he picked up the suit and felt that was enough.

I explained to him that the owner probably receives dozens of letters each from year from people complaining about damaged shirts and demanding reimbursement. The seemingly outdated thank-you note, I told him, would surprise and flatter the owner and in the long term might even help Peter’s own business. Peter was skeptical but sent the thank-you note anyway, along with one of his business cards.