Words
Worth Reading...
The
Power of Personal Notes
By
Veronika Noize, The Marketing Coach
There are many things you can do to
develop a great reputation, establish rapport with clients,
colleagues and prospects, and get top-of-mind awareness in
your target market--certainly too many things to list here.
But few things are as effective (and inexpensive) in
accomplishing all of those objectives as personal notes. As
a devotee of personal notes, I've even been known to go so
far as to call personal notes one of the three "magic
bullets" of marketing.
I'm not the only person who is a true fan
of personal notes. As a matter of fact, any marketing
"expert" worthy of the title will tell you the
same thing: Personal notes yield a power that can have an
awesome impact on your business.
But how and why, you ask?
It's really not that complicated.
Personal notes demonstrate more interest, more care, more
attention, and more effort than most other forms of
communication. Email and phone calls are nice for casual
communication and information sharing, but nothing says
esteem like a personal note. And unlike phone calls and
email, personal notes appear to be more important because
it is obvious that the sender took more time and attention
to get this message to you than would have been spent on an
email or simple phone call, and because they arrive like
gifts.
Gifts? Yes, as in wrapped presents. Like a
gift, a personal note is almost always something nice,
something worth keeping, or something to brighten one's
day. Like a gift, it is very flattering and pleasant to
receive one unexpectedly.
Like a gift, there is a moment of
anticipation when the envelope is received because the
contents are a surprise. Is it an invitation? A note? A
card? Who knows? But expectations are aroused in a way that
they are not by the ringing of the phone or a new message
icon on the computer.
And so your recipient opens your
envelope, and pulls out the card. She sees at once that it
is not a greeting card but something else, something
different, and so with anticipation and curiosity she opens
the folded card and reads the hand-written lines. She
smiles as she remembers her participation in the event that
sparked such gratitude or good will in you that you were
moved to take the time to sit down and write that personal
note. Her feelings toward you warm as she places the card
on her desk to remind herself that somebody somewhere
thinks well of and appreciates her, no matter what happened
to ruin her day on the way to work this morning.
And then later, when out of the blue
someone needs the services of someone like you, she
remembers you, and although she knows several people who do
what you do, she suggests you as the preferred option.
After all, she has a relationship with you, thinks well of
you, and would like to reciprocate the kindness you showed
her by acknowledging her just a couple of days ago with
that lovely note.
So is sending a personal note
manipulative? No. It is a gracious way to further a
relationship, and it never hurts to have lots of friends,
particularly in business. If you know nothing else about
marketing, you probably know that people do business with
people they know, like, and trust. And since you probably
don't have the time or inclination to invite every person
you meet to join your Friday night poker game, sending
personal notes is a great way to slowly develop those
professional relationships without adding yet another
social obligation to your calendar.
Bottom line, personal notes are a great
way to develop a business relationship in an appropriate
and well-mannered fashion.
The
Do's of Personal Notes
 | Hand-write your message. |
| Make the message clear and sincere. It
need not be stiff or formal, but it does need to be
appropriate. |
| Use colorful, whimsical and creative
cards if they reflect your business and/or professional
personality. |
| Always use a stamp when possible,
rather than a metered tape for postage. It looks more
personal, and less like stuffy business correspondence. |
| Send notes for all kinds of reasons:
thanks, anniversaries, appreciation, reconnecting,
meeting someone at a networking event, and so on. |
| Keep track of what types of notes you
send and to whom, especially if you're using templates
to help you find the right words. |
| Use company courtesy cards for
attachments, rather than personal notes. For example,
if you're sending a copy of an article, it's fine to
paperclip your company's courtesy card with a short
note from you to the article. But use a folded card
when not including an attachment; it's more personal. |
The
Don'ts of Personal Notes
· Don't use a personal note as a
sales letter. Use letterhead for sales letters, and
personal notes for personal notes.
· Don't send cards with preprinted
messages and blank spaces for the recipient's name and your
signature. It looks horribly bulk mail-ish, and completely
contradicts the connotation of the personal part of your
personal note.
· Don't use a postcard without an
envelope. It's the envelope that makes your note so
precious, and a folded card inside is best.
· Don't limit yourself to your
company stationery. After sending two of those to the same
recipient, it begins to look like your marketing strategy
and not a personal impulse prompted your note.
Want some ideas about what to write? Take
a look at my Top
10 Reasons to Write a Personal Note (And What to Say).
Veronika
(Ronnie) Noize, the Marketing Coach, is a successful
Vancouver, WA-based entrepreneur, author, speaker, and
Certified Professional Coach. Through coaching,
classes and workshops, Ronnie helps small businesses
attract more clients. For free marketing resources
including articles and valuable marketing tools, visit her
web site at www.VeronikaNoize.com,
or email her at Ronnie@VeronikaNoize.com.
The
Power of Personal Notes Copyright
© 2003 Veronika Noize. All rights reserved.
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