One of the most powerful — yet also the easiest and least expensive — tools you can have in your arsenal is the handwritten note.
WHO APPRECIATES A HANDWRITTEN NOTE? Everyone.
“Even Millennials?” I’ve been asked. Of course! (And what a silly question!) Case in point: we send birthday cards to all of our clients — physical, hand-signed, old-fashioned birthday cards. You may never know the impact you have on every person who receives your cards — some may never reach out. But when they do, it’s enough to convince you to keep sending them.
…especially when you get a phone call from a client (ironically, a Millennial) who thanks you profusely for the birthday card, claiming that even his mother didn’t send him a card this year because she jumped on the Facebook bandwagon and wished him a happy birthday there.
Consider the power of snail mail: once our main form of communication (do you remember the excitement of having a PenPal?), then disparaged as old-fashioned and antiquated, snail mail has now regained its power as a fantastic tool to help you show your clients more love.
Think about what you now encounter when you open your mailbox: junk mail, bills, and more junk mail…maybe even without the bills if you choose to receive those electronically. Most of us have completely sorted the stack on the short walk between our mailbox and our garbage can, with the majority (if not all) of the stash going straight into the trash.
Now think about the small thrill of that single, rare, hand-addressed envelope. It stands out amongst the bills and junk. It has a glow around it, almost a halo. It’s the unicorn of the mailbox.
You may not realize the little thrill you give that person who receives your note — they may not call you to thank you or let you know that it was the ONLY card they received in the mail this year. But know this: the 60 seconds you take to sign your name and address on that card could put a smile on that person’s face for the entire day.
Need a little help finding the right words? Here’s a resource that might help: Finding the Right Words, by J. Beverly Daniel
