Maybe I’m a dinosaur. After attending a dinner party or receiving a gift, I handwrite a thank you note and mail it the same day. It’s a great skill to have and it’s common practice within the HNW community. E-mail and texting is great, but pick up a pen and start writing personal notes.
Here’s my logic:
1. Surface mail is a neglected channel. Read a novel about life in Victorian England. Mail was delivered several times a day! Today, your mailbox only contains ads and bills. Getting a greeting card or a handwritten note stands out. It makes a person’s day!
2. Paper quality matters. A friend of ours uses notepaper sold by Cartier. The recipient feels the quality and can likely see a watermark. I use notecards made of stiff cardstock. It makes an impression.
3. Staying power. E-mails and texts are easily deleted. Card and letters sent by mail can be saved and revisited another time. If you are sending greeting cards, they are often displayed on a table or mantle.
4. It says “I made an effort.” Sending a thank you note isn’t the same as leaving a voicemail. You needed to pull out the cards, write legibly, look up their address and put a stamp on the envelope. It all comes together to say “I place a high value on our relationship.”
5. The business memo pad. Years ago, I learned the technique of finding a newspaper article that might be of interest to a client. I would cut it out and attach a note from my financial advisor notepad. “(Name) thought you might find this article interesting.” When the person receives it, it’s an attention getter. The article is irregularly shaped. The message implies “Of all the people he could send this to, he chose me.” That’s what a client actually said! It shows you are paying attention to the relationship. Check with your compliance folks and always include the entire article.
6. Certain mail gets opened first. Imagine the mail just arrived. You see junk mail, magazines, bills, business letters and greeting cards. Which gets opened first? Usually the personal looking ones.
7. Small details add up to big results. Your objective is to get your mail opened and read. A notepaper or invitation sized envelope is better than a business envelope. A handwritten address is better than a typed address, which is better than an address label. A postage stamp is better than an envelope run through the postage machine.
8. It leads to opportunities. You send a birthday or holiday check to your nephew. You don’t hear anything back, but you see the check was cashed. How motivated will you be the next time? Not very. Different scenario. Your client invites you to their holiday party. You attend and send a thank you note afterwards. Will they be motivated to invite you to another party? Yes. Why? Because you showed appreciation.
9. Better than a gift tag. You brought a bottle of wine to that client’s party. It went onto a big table in the hall with lots of other gifts. Will they know who gave them which gift? Probably not. It you write a nice note and attach it to the bottle with a ribbon, they will make the connection.
10. Party invitations. You are inviting friends, clients and prospects to your home. You are extending yourself and spending money. Send a handwritten invitation. You can buy them at a stationary store. They will get the message this isn’t pizza night in front of the TV. The card sets the tone. (Yes, you can follow up by e-mail and text!)
11. New Years Eve invitations. You throw this party every year. Get some really great invitations printed up. You won’t use them all at once. No worries about dates or the cards going out of style. New Years always falls on January 1. The card tells them what time to show up on New Year’s Eve! These can make an impression.
Resurrecting the lost art of the handwritten note is an easy way to make a positive impression, especially within the HNW community.
Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc. He provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry. His book Captivating the Wealthy Investor is available on Amazon.