This article is an updated version of one originally published November 9, 2018.
I know the day I got on renown marketing consultant Mark Schaefer’s radar: October 25, 2017.
My former client Dan Levine mentioned Mark to me earlier that year (thanks Dan!). I sent Mark a message on Twitter with a question on July 3, 2017. He was kind enough to respond, though he did not know me.
That kindness prompted me to look up his website, to sign up for his blog, and to buy his book Known.
I read the book in September. On October 6, 2017, I sent him a handwritten thank you note for writing the book, detailing what I got out of it.
On October 25, 2017, Mark messaged me on LinkedIn to thank me for my thank you note. He said it was a nice surprise. Now he knew who I was.
Over the next 16 months, I read two more of Mark’s books, The Tao of Twitter and Marketing Rebellion, and handwrote thank you notes for both.
When Mark created The Uprising, a retreat for marketing leaders limited to 30 people, he sent me an early invitation before opening it to the public.
When I arrived at The Uprising on September 30, 2019, he greeted me like an old friend and gave me a bear hug.
In August 2020, Mark hired me to be an editor on his book Cumulative Advantage.
In three years, I went from obscurity to having Mark as a client. Mark has since hired me to edit two other books for him.
Evelyn Starr and Mark Schaefer, Photo credit: Alex Ledesma
I did not know all this would happen when I wrote that first thank you note to Mark. Authors put a ton of work and heart into their books. I like sending thank you notes to authors I enjoy. It lets them know someone appreciated their creation.
I handwrite thank you notes often. I don’t expect business to come from them and I never ask for anything. My focus is on expressing gratitude and building a relationship.
As you can see from my interaction with Mark, handwritten thank you notes are relationship-building power houses. They get you on someone’s radar fast and keep you there. I have seen them displayed in clients’ offices when I visit.
What makes handwritten thank you notes so powerful? And why are they better than thank you emails?
First, they stand out. According to technology research firm The Radicati Group, office workers receive an average of 97 emails per day. By contrast, the average American household receives just 10 pieces of personal mail per year, not counting holiday cards and invitations. While email inboxes overflow, a handwritten envelope in the mail grabs attention.
Second, they show you care. A handwritten thank you note represents thought and effort on the part of the sender.
Third, they elicit a positive emotional response from the recipient. Saeideh Heshmati, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University led a study on what makes people “feel loved.” Among the findings were “small gestures in everyday life” like people showing support without expecting anything back.
You’ve heard that the best brands establish an emotional connection in their marketing. Business owners often focus on the wording of their tagline or the storyline of their ads to do this, and that is important.
A handwritten thank you note can be even more effective.
About now you may be thinking “Well that’s all good but my time is limited. What’s the return on investment (ROI) on handwritten thank you notes? Do they scale beyond the single recipient?”
While exact results will vary by brand, handwritten notes’ ROI comes in the form of customer retention, repeat business, and word-of-mouth marketing.
Wufoo, an online form-building company, takes time every week to send handwritten thank you cards to customers. Customer Ops team leader Renee Morris reports that “out of the roughly 800 customers who received handwritten cards from us last year, 50% fewer folks left our product than those who did not receive cards.”
A 50 percent better retention rate means steadier revenue.
Online non-profit firm Donors Choose makes it easy for donors to help classrooms in need. Founder Charles Best conducted a study to measure the ROI of gratitude. He had his staff send handwritten thank you notes to half of their first-time donors. The other half received no thank you notes. The group who received the thank you notes were 38 percent more likely to donate again.
Handwritten thank you notes can increase the likelihood of repeat purchase or donation.
Beyond customer retention and repeat business benefits, handwritten thank you notes can generate positive word-of-mouth. Thanks to social media, that can scale to thousands of people.
I experienced this first hand when brand expert Denise Lee Yohn raved about a handwritten thank you note I sent her on Twitter. Denise has 17,100 followers.
My own experience supports the business case for handwritten notes. Thank-you-note-recipient referrals have led to six speaking engagements, twelve new clients, thirty-three research and consulting projects, one coaching engagement, four book editing gigs, and a three-year consulting stint on retainer.
I hope you can see now that handwriting thank you notes is a powerful marketing tool.
But the benefits don’t stop at your brand.
Handwriting thank you notes not only makes your recipient feel good, it can make you feel happier too.
Associate Professor of Human Development Steven Toepfer at Kent State University conducted a study where the participants were asked to write three “letters of gratitude” over the course of a month. Results showed that after each letter participants experienced higher levels of happiness and lower levels of depressive symptoms.
Scene on my desk several times a month
There is no downside to handwriting thank you notes and the upside benefits you and your business. The trick is to work it into your routine.
To get started:
I hope you enjoy writing thank you notes as much as I do!
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I was yesterday years old when I learned January 11 is International Thank You Note Day.
Also when I learned Jimmy Fallon writes thank you notes weekly on The Tonight Show.
Read some of his funniest ones. (2 minute read)
Read 6 famous thank you letters. Senders include Neil Armstrong, David Bowie, Roald Dahl, Johnny Depp, Ronald Reagan, and Rowan and Martin. (3 minute read)
Enjoy!
This post is an updated and enhanced version of one published November 14, 2014.
Have you heard a December holiday song yet?
It always amazes me how early the holiday music starts. I am among the 81 percent of Americans who don’t want to hear it in stores before Thanksgiving.
But while I am not ready to endure endless loops of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” I am already thinking about my business holiday cards.
In fact, I confess, I ordered them November 1st.
Why do I look forward to this ritual that many people find stressful?
Two reasons. First, I love handwriting cards and making a personal connection that way.
Second, I do them by choice, not from a sense of obligation.
For most people though, business holiday cards present a conundrum.
To send or not to send? Paper or e-card? Clients only? Or should you include employees, vendors, referral sources and prospects? How will someone feel if you don’t send them a card?
And the biggest question of them all: is it worth the effort?
Business holiday cards are one drop in the relationship marketing bucket.
The answer to “is it worth it?” is the same as all your other marketing efforts: only if it furthers the relationship.
Here are my holiday card guidelines to help you decide if you should send them, and to increase your success if you do.
The inspiration for this article came from a rant my husband sent me. He received several e-cards that turned out to be 1 – 1 ½ minute-long videos he characterized as “a completed waste of my time.”
He also said, “[With a traditional card] I know my contact put in the thought of signing their name and making it at least a scintilla personal. I will display cards in my office for a few weeks. The video? Gone as soon as I forward it to you.”
The companies that took the time to make the videos and send the email link actually hurt their relationship with him by annoying him. They would have been better off sending nothing at all.
Companies don’t celebrate holidays. People do. A holiday greeting should be from sender to recipient. Recipients see right through efforts to delegate the greeting. If you can’t sign the cards yourself, don’t send them.
This does not mean you have to spend hours thinking up what to say.
Find a short, meaningful phrase you can use for everyone (like “wishing you a happy and prosperous year!”), then add something else only if you want to. That phrase and your signature will be enough.
Like the rest of your business communications. This helps your cards remain inclusive and keeps the focus on your relationship.
The presence of a business card casts a marketing-pitch-pall over the greeting and loses the sentiment.
I aim to get my New Year’s cards to recipients in first week of the New Year.
Many people have thanked me for the cards. No one has ever chided me for not getting them there before New Year’s (and many people aren’t in the office that week anyway).
Over time you will add and delete names from the list and that’s okay.
You can always choose another holiday. And a handwritten card on a non-holiday is always welcome!
Remember that your goal is to further your relationship with the recipient. It’s better to send 50 personalized snail mail cards than 5000 meaningless and forgettable e-cards.
Fifty? Did she say 50? OMG. [Heart palpitations.]
Okay, step back from the email.
Take a few deep breaths. Come back once your regular pulse returns.
Sending handwritten cards can actually improve your health, especially if you are expressing gratitude.
If you want to send cards but still feel stuck or overwhelmed, I can walk you through.
1. Choose a holiday. Yes, I’m serious. We’re being deliberate about everything. If this time of year is crazy in your business, choose another holiday.
St. Patrick’s Day. Arbor Day. Independence Day. King’s Day (for my Dutch friends). Bastille Day (looking at you, France).
One year our family sent out Groundhog Day cards. Unusual? Weird? Yes.
Did they get noticed and bring smiles? You bet. Especially from the people to whom we sent the same card two days in a row!
Handwritten cards are always welcome.
2. Start with 10 or 20 cards. That’s it. I saw your reaction to 50. We’re not going there.
You can support small businesses, museums, and/or artists and feel doubly good about your effort.
Here are some great places to get business holiday cards for the December holidays. (I receive no compensation from these places.)
If you want help finding cards for a different holiday – or choosing a different holiday – reply to this email and I’ll help you.
3. Choose your recipients. Don’t overthink this. Who do you appreciate in your work? It can be a mix of customers/vendors/partners/co-workers.
Sending to employees is an excellent idea too.
If you are a boss, sending to some employees and not others could stir resentment, so please consider sending to your entire team if you are going this route.
4. Schedule card-writing time. Really. For this to happen, you need an appointment you will respect. For 10 cards, budget an hour. For 20, two hours.
5. Craft your message. Another place to not overthink. Something short and genuine will do. It could be as short as “Wishing you a fabulous 2022!”
6. Handwrite the cards and address the envelopes. Typed or printed-label addressed envelopes lose the personal aspect, while hand-addressed ones make the open rate soar.
One business owner reported a 99 percent open rate.
My hand-addressed-envelope open rate goes to 100.
Optional: add a sentence or two to your holiday message referencing one small aspect of your relationship.
If you have lunch plans in the new year, that could be “looking forward to our lunch on [date].” Or, “It was great to see you at [name of conference].”
7. Seal and stamp the envelopes. Or have your assistant or child do this. It’s the one thing you can delegate!
8. Mail the cards so that they arrive on time.
9. Reward yourself. A fist pump, a victory dance, your favorite indulgent beverage. Acknowledge your accomplishment!
Please let me know if you get inspired by this post and follow through on your holiday cards. I’ll send you a congratulations card celebrating your effort.
Whether or not you listen to holiday music as you write your cards is up to you. Just don’t play it before Thanksgiving!
Early holiday music isn’t the only autumn irritant related to December festivals.
The North Ridgeville, Ohio police department had to reassure residents they would not be charged for putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving after half-joking it would constitute disorderly conduct in their Halloween Facebook post. (Facebook account necessary for that link.)
Did you know that IMDb displays the user rating for This is Spinal Tap out of 11 stars? (You can catch the original trailer there too.)
Finally, in this video from Studio C, The Hartfords and the Joneses show how not to use holiday cards. (6 minutes, may be a bit traumatic for cat owners)
I have called SiriusXM twice in the past seven months to cancel my subscription and yet I am still subscribed.
Here’s why.
When I bought my Subaru Forester in April 2017 I got a free three-month subscription to SiriusXM radio. After three months SiriusXM offered me six months for $30 ($34.10 with U.S. Music Royalty fee) and I accepted.
Last March SiriusXM sent me a bill for the next six months at $114.26 ($95.94 subscription + $18.32 U.S. Music Royalty fee). That’s $19.04 per month and way more that I would ever pay to listen to music in my car.
I called to cancel.
Upon hearing my objection the customer service representative offered me the same deal I had before - $30 plus music royalty fee for six months - which I accepted.
On the Friday before Labor Day I realized that my subscription was going to expire in three days so I called SiriusXM.
The automated operator answered. I hit zero at the first opportunity after the initial screening questions to queue up to talk to a human.
After five minutes Josie picked up my call. I told her I wanted to cancel. When she asked why, I told her I did not want to pay $19 per month for music.
Josie reviewed my account with me and then told me she could not offer me a promotion but a different department could. She transferred my call and Francisco picked up.
At that point I was on the phone eight minutes and wondering if SiriusXM was worth the trouble.
Francisco offered me five months for $35. My thought was “Ugh then I have to call back again in five months?” I asked if he had anything longer.
His next offer was six months for $33. Though the offer was better I felt annoyed that he did not offer this one first. I asked if he had anything longer than six months because these semi-annual phone calls were not a good use of my time.
His third promotional offer was $5.99 per month for one year (plus fees and taxes of course) but the company required a credit card number and permission to bill automatically each month.
After all these dodges and shifts, SiriusXM wants authorization to access to my credit card on a monthly basis? No way!
This, ladies and gentlemen and people of all persuasions, is not customer service.
This is a game.
You’ve heard that the squeaky wheel gets the grease? It also gets the discount.
Wheels that don’t pick up the phone get fleeced.
As a human and perhaps as a customer of SiriusXM you can see my frustration with this brand.
Maybe SiriusXM’s management thinks that most customers will pay full price without complaining and that those who call will consider the steep discounts won from their promotions time well spent.
They would be wrong.
Because I, SiriusXM customer, was not thinking “Oh what a great deal. That was totally worth my time.”
My brand associations with SiriusXM are overpriced, frustrating, hassle and disrespect for my time. They have nothing to do with great deals, music or programming.
Moreover, SiriusXM has eroded my trust. They have a zillion deals and you never know if you are getting the best one. Given their tendency to keep billing as they raise their prices, I wouldn’t trust them with access to my credit card.
These are not associations that bode well for my future as a SiriusXM customer. Lost customer is more likely.
When you price your products and services of course you have to cover your costs and earn a profit. Most brands also have to consider their competitive set when pricing as well.
For any brand to thrive in the long run though, you have to deliver value to your customers.
Price is not the only measure of value.
Brand value barometers include:
If you deliver on these measures of value and price your offering appropriately, any price resentment customers may feel upon purchase will likely fade in memory. Impressive performance on those elements builds your brand value and goodwill in the mind of your customer.
On the other hand, if your pricing is out of sync with customers’ value perceptions your brand may already be on precarious ground.
Add time-consuming, hassle-laden semi-annual negotiations and your brand is now teetering on the precipice, ready to tip over into customer disengagement.
Brands betting on customer indifference and making attentive customers jump through hoops risk creating legions of disgruntled customers. And disgruntled customers share their negative experiences, like I am doing now with you, my wonderful reader.
I’ll never get back the 17 minutes and 22 seconds I spent on the phone with SiriusXM, only to end up paying 64 cents more per month than I did for the last six months.
Any manager who would claim I saved $74.96 from the full price would be dreaming. I would never have paid $114.26 to begin with.
Brands need to appreciate their customers’ business, not play roulette with them only when they threaten to leave.
Think about how you want your customers to feel as they interact with your brand and build every aspect of your business around that.
My last piece of advice?
If you are a SiriusXM customer, don’t pay full price!
For those of you left wondering, I took the six months for $33. I’m not sure if I will still be a SiriusXM customer after that.
What I am sure of is that SiriusXM isn’t the only one playing the subscription discount game. We have wrangled regular discounts from Comcast and The Wall Street Journal as well.
If you have a SiriusXM subscription (car radio and/or internet) that you want to keep and have been paying full price, here’s how to reduce your cost:
