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The Power of Thank You
Three Simple Steps to Increase Your Profits

By Rodger B. Price

As my daughter approaches five years of age, I gently remind her daily to watch her manners. I tell her to ask for things with a please at the end of her sentence. I prod her to say thank you to the family member who brings her dinner, to the person at the store who gives her a balloon. It reminded me that we constantly work with our children to say thank you, but forget do to the same to our customers. Here are three easy ways to say thank you and get more business.

Say It
I not only say thank you to the person who gives me an order, I also extend that courtesy to anyone who helped me even in the slightest way. A thank you card is sent to anyone who refers me, usually along with a small gift. I also make it a point to say thank you to the receptionist or assistant who greets me. These people can stop the deal with one bad word about you to the decision maker. They might also be the decision maker one day. Say thank you from the bottom to the top. Say thank you to every order and mean it.

Write It
The power of the written thank you was brought forcefully home to me one day when a customer called me to thank me for the thank you card. I had my graphic artist design a thank you card that I custom printed. On the outside is a beautiful seashell motif with a pre-printed message inside. I add a personal note and seal the envelope with an embossed seashell label. I receive thank you card, label and printing orders from existing customers just by sending them a nice, custom thank you card. You not only thank them for the order, you thank them using products they can use in their own business. Have your own custom cards designed and printed and send them on a regular basis to your customers. It's easy, it's quick, and it's profitable!

Give It
Another way to say thank you is by giving a small promotional gift. I am partial to Swiss Army Knifes and Mini-Maglite flashlights with our logo imprinted. Many distributors already sell promotional items like these, and like the thank you card, this is a wonderful way to open the door to advertising specialty business. You might even put a small card in the item case thanking them for the business and reminding them they can get this type of product from you for their own business.

The power of thank you is meaningful to your customers just like it is to your children. Use these three simple steps to not only be grateful for your business but also create opportunities to sell more and different products and increase profits. What a wonderful way to say thank you to yourself for all your hard work!

Rodger B. Price, is President of Primal Marketing.  He is a professional speaker and consultant specializing in business marketing and sales strategies. He can be reached via e-mail at rbp@primalmarketing.com or by telephone at (888) 858-6453. Sign up for his free monthly marketing tip at www.primalmarketing.com