Everybody likes to hear the words “please” and “thank you,” right? Unfortunately we don’t hear them as often as we should. It’s nice to be thanked and acknowledged for even the smallest of deeds. Saying thank you goes a long way.
A Simple Courtesy
In this age of instant messaging, text messaging and email, it’s easy to forget old-fashioned courtesies such as the thank you note. Sure, it’s convenient to shoot off a quick email or text but when’s the last time you got a letter in the mail? More importantly, when is the last time you wrote a thank you note?
A handwritten thank you note will mean more to your customer than you may think. It’s easy to delete an email or a voice mail message, but a personal thank you card written on printed stationary is special.
Personal Notes Are More Memorable
Let’s take an example from the field of human resources. Recent studies show that job candidates who wrote thank you notes were more likely to be called back for second interviews than those who did not. If it’s true for HR recruiters, it’s probably true for real estate agents and their customers.
Anatomy of a Thank You Note
If it’s been a long time since you’ve written a thank you note, don’t worry. Follow these simple steps, and you can easily customize thank you note to each one of your customers.
Step 1: Get Note Cards
Order a stack of folded note cards, with seasonal designs—such as Thanksgiving cards with images of a cornucopia; or holiday cards featuring winter landscapes. These pleasant images may end up being displayed in your customer’s home.
Step 2: “Old School” Techniques
Toss out your laptop—you’re not going to need it (at least not now). For this purpose, you want to use old-fashioned pen and paper. If you’re not sure what to say or how to say it, you can to write a first draft. That way, you can be sure that you won’t end up with grammatical errors or awkward sentences.
Step 3: A Formula for Thank You
Begin by saying thank you. Specify what you are thanking them for, and how their “gift,” information, or referral will come in handy. For example, “Thank you for referring me to Mr. and Mrs. Jones. As you know, they’re a great couple and I’m enjoying helping them find their dream house.”
Step 4: “You” Focused
Keep the language you-focused, as in, “thank you for your helpful introduction your friends, Joe and Jane Doe.” Keeping the emphasis on “you” helps make the connection more personal. End the note by saying something unique and special about them in particular.
Step 5: Make it Memorable
If this relationship resulted in a sale, you’ll probably want to send along a small gift along with the thank you note. Ideas such as a gift certificate to a local restaurant or home improvement store are certainly appreciated. Gift like these are a nice way to say, “welcome to the neighborhood.”
Sample Thank You Note:
Here’s an example of a thank you note. Don’t forget to enclose a few business cards!
Dear Bill and Mary,
Thank you for selecting me as your real estate agent. I hope that you are settling into your new home and you love it as much as I loved showing it to you. It’s customers like you that make my job great!
Enclosed is a gift certificate to a restaurant I thought you might like. It’s got great food, plus it’s great place to meet your neighbors. You might even find me dining there!
I truly appreciate your business. And remember, if you know anyone who is interested in buying or selling their home, keep me in mind.
Take care,
Bob Johnson, Realtor
Summing it Up
Now that you know how to write thank you notes, all you have to do is buy some stamps and order thank you note cards and start sending them out. Visit BestPrintBuy.com to order your thank you notes now.
BestPrintBuy.com provides print and marketing solutions for real estate agents and their franchises. We offer online design and print solutions for business cards, postcards, postcard mailing and marketing, folded note cards, door hangers, note pads, bookmarks and several other products to real estate agents.