Day: August 19, 2018

Thank You Notes

Thank You Notes

When you were younger, did your parents make you send a thank you note to everyone that came to your birthday party and brought you a present? When you were married, did you and your spouse send thank you notes to all those that came to your wedding and wished you a long, prosperous and happy relationship?

So why don’t you send thank you notes to the customers and prospects that complimented you with the time allotted for a significant customer meeting? Even worse, why don’t you send them a thank you note for every order your customer places? You know they have competition for their time and money – don’t you think it is worthwhile to send a quick note thanking them?

Typing an email to your prospect for the meeting is easy. Thanking your customer for the latest order is easy.

All you do is just open up your email editor and send that person an email. In fact, it is so easy it almost has no value. Your competitor is also opening up his or her email editor and sending your prospect an email in thanks for the great meeting or demo. The difference is that your competitor is trying to encourage your prospect to eliminate you as a consideration for this upcoming decision. If you don’t match your competitors then they have the advantage. They are showing that they want your customer more than you want your customer.

In my book “Eliminate Your Competition” I explain that if your product (meaning your product, your company, or you) has the same feature with the same benefit as your competitor’s product, then it has almost no value in the sales process. Anything that results in a tie doesn’t eliminate your competition. It simply makes you equal. You are the same as your competitor. A feature that makes no difference in the sales cycle is not a feature, it is simply a checkmark. You may purchase my book “Eliminate Your Competition” from your favorite book retailer. The ebook version is available at the most popular retailers such as Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble. The paperback version is also widely available at such retailers as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books A Million.

Check, you have the functionality. Check, your competitor has the functionality. Tie. No differentiation.

If everything ends in a tie, then you don’t eliminate your competition from consideration. Your prospect can merely flip a coin. Who cares what product is selected? It is a commodity, so one vendor is as good as the next.

If everything ties then you end up with only one differentiator: which product is cheaper?

You need every advantage you can create! You need to win all of the big feature battles and big benefit battles. You also need to win the little battles as well. To eliminate your competition, you need to win every part of the sales campaign. You need to leave nothing to chance.

Since everyone can send an email thank you note, you need to do better. I suggest a handwritten thank you note. Yes, the old fashioned way. A piece of paper with ink on it sent via snail mail.

When was the last time your prospect received a nice piece of correspondence from a non-family member via the USPS? Probably months, but it could have been years! For that matter, it could have been NEVER (until you knocked on their door)!

Do you think that your customer will remember you sent a written note? Absolutely. Do you think it will be the reason that you won the order? Probably not, but then again do you think it will hurt? Do you think you will lose the order if you send a handwritten note?

Go buy some distinct stationery and some stamps. Don’t be the same as your competitor – be better.

Header Photo by 6072518 (Pixabay)