Saying Thank You

It’s funny how we associate saying Thank You with a once a year holiday.  As we sat around the table last week, my friend and I took turns saying thank you for our many blessings.  We each own a business and during the listing of our thank yous we each mentioned how thankful we were for our customers and the joy our businesses bring.

I wonder.  Do our customers know we are thankful for them?

We say thank you at the time of the sale but do we ever go back and reiterate just how appreciative we are that they took a chance with our products or services?

Mark Twain said “A man can live a month on one compliment.”  A thank you is just another way of complimenting the intelligence of your customer for deciding to do business with you.

In my December newsletter I talk about simple ways to say thank you to our customers, both external and internal.

It can be as simple as picking up the phone and saying “thank you.”

Glenn Ross, contributor to AllBusiness wrote about the “no cost way to remind your customers you are still in business.”  He offers a script you can use during slower times this December:

“Hello, Ms_________? This is Margaret with _____ store. I just wanted to call and thank you for your business this year and to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. We’re so glad you’re one of our customers.

Bye, bye.”

Saying thank you to your employees also goes a long way toward making them feel a vital part of the organization.

In a blog post by Janet Smith entitled Thank Your employees Often she quotes Robert Nelson, the author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees.  He says:

“The number one reason people leave their jobs today is that they don’t feel recognized for the job they’re doing.”

This holiday season – before things get too crazy – take a moment to say thank you to your customers, your internal department that support your efforts and your employees who make it happen.