The Art of Saying Thank You

Good manners matter. Whether in business or our personal lives, proper etiquette makes a positive impact on others and helps us stand out. Expressing gratitude is known to improve relationships and make us likeable. It may be a given that you are grateful for sales, but are you making sure your customer knows how grateful you are?

One of the easiest ways to follow up after the sale is to show gratitude. Saying thank you builds your relationship with customers and sends them the message you appreciate their purchase and gives you an opportunity to deepen their commitment to your brand without asking them to do anything in return.

Use the Right Platform to Say Thank You

There are multiple ways to connect with a customer after their purchase to say thank you. Each have advantages and disadvantages. Choose the best platform for your brand, resources, and comfort zone.

1. Email – Email is a common way to express gratitude after the sale. The benefits of email include being fast and easy, but your email may get lost in a sea of other emails and remain unopened. It may also seem impersonal or insincere to your customer since email has become commonplace.
2. Snail Mail – Sending a card or note of thanks has more impact than it once did. As email has become more common, fewer cards and letters are being sent via post. Sending a thank you note in the mail can be great as long as it is handwritten. Many people discard mail that looks like junk mail or appears to be sales-related.
3. Texting – Texting has become very popular and can be a highly effective way to say thank you. Depending on your market, they may be very responsive to texting, while some customers may not be tech savvy.
4. Phone calls – Calling someone after the sale can be one of the most effective ways to say thank you. There is a risk your call will be unanswered or sent to voice mail, but a well-crafted voice mail can be very effective and make as big of an impact as a conversation.

Create a Well-Crafted Thank You

Saying thank you is essentially a simple task; however, there’s an art to saying thank you in business. Your thank you is most certainly a polite gesture of gratitude, but it can also be a tool. A well-crafted thank you can:

• Show appreciation
• Boost brand loyalty
• Increase referrals
• Support the sale
• Grow trust

A lot can be said in a simple thank you note. A well-crafted thank you will convey gratitude, offer additional value, and tailor to the sale that was made. Here are some guidelines for well-crafted thank you notes.

1. Show appreciation – Indicate how happy you are to have their business and that you appreciate their purchase when you know they have plenty of options.
2. Offer support – If you have customer service, be sure to share how to reach out should they have any issues.
3. Be sincere – People can tell when someone is going through the motions. Be sincere in your communication and find the balance between professional and personal communication styles.
4. Tailor your message, but don’t upsell – Your thank you should be a one way exchange, offering your gratitude for nothing in return. Don’t use this time to try to sell more goods or services. Try to say something specific about the sale that is tailored to the customer. If they made an online purchase say thank you for your online order.
5. Open yourself up to feedback – Offering the opportunity to share feedback is always a great way to learn more about the customer experience. Encouraging your customer to share their sales experience and offering them an easy way to do it can result in valuable information you might not have gotten otherwise.
6. Keep it short – Your thank you doesn’t need to be long. The sentiment is in the act of saying thank you altogether. You don’t need to overdo it.

Following up with your customer after the sale is a gentle combination of marketing strategy and good manners. Caring about your customer after the sale helps boost loyalty, referrals, and increases future sales. Make saying thank you an easy and important part of your general business practices.