I bought my first new car when I was 21 years old. It was a bright red convertible. Along with the joy of owning my dream car came the responsibility of paying for it. I remember how the feeling of "buyer's remorse" plagued me for days after I drove the car off the dealer's lot. ("Buyer's remorse" is what we feel after making an impulsive decision -- until we can justify our decision with logical reasons.)

About a week later I got a personal letter from Ray, the salesman who sold the car to me. He thanked me for the business and congratulated me for making such a wise decision. He then went on to list all the benefits I'd enjoy as a result of my wise decision. Ray's letter didn't change the car payments I faced for the next 3 years. However, it did change the way I felt about them. I lost my buyer's remorse almost immediately. Ray's letter also changed the way I felt about him. I bought 3 more cars from Ray during the next 10 years.

I used versions of Ray's "thank you" letter throughout my business career. They helped preserve a considerable amount of business. They also helped solidify many valuable business relationships.

Benefits of the Unexpected "Thank You"
How would you react if you received a personal "thank you" from a company or person a few days after you spent money with them? You'd feel good and probably want to do more business with them sooner rather than later. Why not give that same feeling to the most important people you know -- your customers.

Here are some benefits you gain when you send a personal "thank you" to a customer or client who just gave you business...

• You reduce or lower any buyer's remorse your customer or client feels after their purchase.
  
• You develop a closer relationship with your customer.
  
• You gain free word-of-mouth advertising when your customers tell everybody about your unexpected "thank you" letter and how good they feel about doing business with you.
  
• You have an opportunity to resell more (or other) products or services. You can even promote this by including a special price or discount offer in your "thank you" letter.
  
• You enhance your image as a consumer-oriented business.

Your unexpected "thank you" doesn't have to be lengthy. You don't have to write it individually for each customer or client. You can use the same text for everybody with just a few minor changes -- like inserting the customer's name. You don't even have to take the time to type envelopes and mail letters. You can send your "thank you" by fax or email. Just be sure to personalize it as much as possible.

Examples
If you've ordered books on the internet from Amazon.com, you received a good example of an unexpected "thank you" letter by email. Their "thank you" email message even includes the titles of other books you can order on the same subject.

Most buying decisions are made on impulse. Only after buying do we look for logical reasons to justify our decision. You can help your customers with this by including all the benefits they'll gain from your product or service in an unexpected "thank you" message. These benefits are what initially compelled them to buy. Repeating these benefits reassures them of the wisdom of their decision. It can even reduce or eliminate cancellations or refunds.

Copyright 1999 By Bob Leduc