Underwear and Gratitude: Get It?
My two-year-old grandson loves picking out his 5-year-old brother's underwear every morning. He lives for it. It's the first thing he does after waking up. And what does he do after that, absolutely unprompted? He says "thank you" to his bro...for that privilege.
Kids...will they ever quit teaching us!
For over 30 years whenever a customer of my former business picked up a garment from our tailor shop, there was a substantive, handwritten personal thank you note from that customer's salesman placed inside the pocket. Every time. Every customer. It became our literal and figurative signature.
Now, many years later, when I run in to many of those same customers, they remind me about the warmth and sense of loyalty that those notes evoked.
Upon consideration, I take back the two above words "every time." Of all people, I, the owner, forgot to write one for someone who had been shopping at my store for 20 some years and who must have received dozens of these notes (each one different). He actually called me a few days later when putting the garment on because he "noticed" the absence of the note. "Larry", he exclaimed, "have I done anything to not deserve your thank you note?"
$20.00 = $200 million
A young couple I know starting a savings account from wedding gift money. They are taking up a 1/2 hour of this banker's time trying to decide if this is "their bank." The banker carefully and thoroughly explains all available options. He's patient, he's attentive, he listens...all of this for a paltry $20,000 for a bank that has a couple of hundred million on deposit. The couple decides to sign. The banker handwrites a beautiful thank you note praising them for being so deliberate with their decision making process and congratulates them on the birth of their new son.
Why does he remember? Why does he care? Because he understands that trust is more important than the details. Because he is good.
I coach fundraisers, retailers and all service providers, and anyone in career transition or just beginning their search on the never stated enough importance of the words THANK YOU...or other ways of expressing gratitude. Some of this note writing stuff is pretty darn basic...nothing pre-printed, personally addressed, personal salutation. Then we get a bit deeper...noting something specific about the past conversation, an attention getting PS, and, for fundraisers, emitting joy, enthusiasm and emotion. In training sessions, I have devoted up to an hour on this subject.
The Rabbi And The Toll-Taker
A few years ago, an extremely respected and affluent owner of a chain of stores in our community was asked to be the commencement speaker at a local university. He shared this personal experience:
Years earlier, he (we'll call him Mr. David) was in a car-ride discussion with his Rabbi about getting deeper into the religious part of his faith. The eager learner was driving and just shortly after he paid a toll taker, the rabbi said, "before you go any deeper into this study of our faith, you must learn the two most important words in any faith, 'thank you.' You did not thank that toll taker, who is a hard working human being!" Lesson learned, filed away, moving on.
Mr. David goes on with his graduation speech by relating that for the past few months he has been traveling often between Pittsburgh and Ohio as his new prototype "super store" is getting ready to open. On Grand Opening Day he addresses the staff and customers just before cutting the ribbon. After his eloquent welcome speech a woman approaches him and tells him what a"remarkable, kind, caring and deeply sensitive" man he is. Mr. David responds, embarrassingly, "do I know you... how do you know me so well to say such flattering things to me?" She responds by saying that "for the past many months I have been the toll taker you pay on the Turnpike. Every time you pay me you say "thank you" to me. No one does that. Clearly this is evidence of your unmatched character."
WOW!
Two words: "thank you." They convey appreciation, respect and gratitude.
The message is in the details. That's my role.
A little girl approached a great concert violinist after his performance and asked him for his autograph. "I'm sorry", said the maestro, "but my hands are too tired from playing."
"My hands are tired, too,", said the little girl, "and they're tired from applauding."
My two-year-old grandson loves picking out his 5-year-old brother's underwear every morning. He lives for it. It's the first thing he does after waking up. And what does he do after that, absolutely unprompted? He says "thank you" to his bro...for that privilege.
Kids...will they ever quit teaching us!
For over 30 years whenever a customer of my former business picked up a garment from our tailor shop, there was a substantive, handwritten personal thank you note from that customer's salesman placed inside the pocket. Every time. Every customer. It became our literal and figurative signature.
Now, many years later, when I run in to many of those same customers, they remind me about the warmth and sense of loyalty that those notes evoked.
Upon consideration, I take back the two above words "every time." Of all people, I, the owner, forgot to write one for someone who had been shopping at my store for 20 some years and who must have received dozens of these notes (each one different). He actually called me a few days later when putting the garment on because he "noticed" the absence of the note. "Larry", he exclaimed, "have I done anything to not deserve your thank you note?"
$20.00 = $200 million
A young couple I know starting a savings account from wedding gift money. They are taking up a 1/2 hour of this banker's time trying to decide if this is "their bank." The banker carefully and thoroughly explains all available options. He's patient, he's attentive, he listens...all of this for a paltry $20,000 for a bank that has a couple of hundred million on deposit. The couple decides to sign. The banker handwrites a beautiful thank you note praising them for being so deliberate with their decision making process and congratulates them on the birth of their new son.
Why does he remember? Why does he care? Because he understands that trust is more important than the details. Because he is good.
I coach fundraisers, retailers and all service providers, and anyone in career transition or just beginning their search on the never stated enough importance of the words THANK YOU...or other ways of expressing gratitude. Some of this note writing stuff is pretty darn basic...nothing pre-printed, personally addressed, personal salutation. Then we get a bit deeper...noting something specific about the past conversation, an attention getting PS, and, for fundraisers, emitting joy, enthusiasm and emotion. In training sessions, I have devoted up to an hour on this subject.
The Rabbi And The Toll-Taker
A few years ago, an extremely respected and affluent owner of a chain of stores in our community was asked to be the commencement speaker at a local university. He shared this personal experience:
Years earlier, he (we'll call him Mr. David) was in a car-ride discussion with his Rabbi about getting deeper into the religious part of his faith. The eager learner was driving and just shortly after he paid a toll taker, the rabbi said, "before you go any deeper into this study of our faith, you must learn the two most important words in any faith, 'thank you.' You did not thank that toll taker, who is a hard working human being!" Lesson learned, filed away, moving on.
Mr. David goes on with his graduation speech by relating that for the past few months he has been traveling often between Pittsburgh and Ohio as his new prototype "super store" is getting ready to open. On Grand Opening Day he addresses the staff and customers just before cutting the ribbon. After his eloquent welcome speech a woman approaches him and tells him what a"remarkable, kind, caring and deeply sensitive" man he is. Mr. David responds, embarrassingly, "do I know you... how do you know me so well to say such flattering things to me?" She responds by saying that "for the past many months I have been the toll taker you pay on the Turnpike. Every time you pay me you say "thank you" to me. No one does that. Clearly this is evidence of your unmatched character."
WOW!
Two words: "thank you." They convey appreciation, respect and gratitude.
The message is in the details. That's my role.
A little girl approached a great concert violinist after his performance and asked him for his autograph. "I'm sorry", said the maestro, "but my hands are too tired from playing."
"My hands are tired, too,", said the little girl, "and they're tired from applauding."
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