The Lost Art of the Thank You Note: Give Honest, Sincere Appreciation (Taken from Dale Carnegie Training)

Writing a sincere thank you note is one of the professional skills that can make a lasting favorable impression. People like being appreciated. One of Dale Carnegie's fundamental human relation principles is "Give honest, sincere appreciation." When writing a thank you note, use a plain, small card. However, the card is not as important as the effort, so if paper is all that is available, write the note anyway! Use this 6-step formula as a sure-fire method of expressing appreciation in a written note.

1. Greet the Giver: Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith OR Dear Jamie. It seems like an obvious point, yet many people will begin a note with "Hi" or even omit the greeting.

2. Express Gratitude: Thank you so much for the book. The key is to keep it simple and specific. The point of writing the note is to create an expression of a heartfelt sentiment.

3. Discuss Use: I started to read the book immediately and have found many great ideas already. People like to know that you found their gesture or gift valuable. Sharing how you are using the item or idea makes their effort more meaningful.

4. Another Thank You: Thank them again for the gift. It's not excessive to say thanks again.

5. Complimentary Close: Wrap it up with a close that expresses your final thought: Regards, All the Best, Sincerely, Gratefully, etc. Then sign your name.

6. Send It: Even if your colleagues and acquaintances are not of the note-writing variety, be the one who sets the precedent.

It is the mark of a true professional to become skilled at writing thank you notes in this age of email, voicemail, and text messaging.

Demonstrating business professionalism is not difficult; it just takes effort and focus. Applying simple aspects of business etiquette goes a long way in establishing our professionalism, which builds our confidence and comfort in business settings.

Please feel free to contact me, or your BERN consultant; help is only a phone call or email away!

Allen Rigby CSP
Business Consultant, SEA Program
(705) 792-0989 or 1-866-963-7327

al@selfemploymentassistance.ca

www.selfemploymentassistance.ca

“KNOW WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE”

Have you written a brief profile of your ideal customer?

Analyze their geographic area, demographic characteristics, social class, and stage in life, their personality, and self-image. List the potential benefits gained from using your product or service (such as convenience, time or money saving, independence from chores, or buying behavior). Identify in what ways you will save them time, money, or hassle.

Also, consider frequency or regularity of purchase, amount of purchase, brand loyalty, and attitudes toward your product or brand, use of cash, check or credit card, or customer's desire for personal relationships with you and your associates.

It helps to develop a customer profile form to identify potential clients. It might list age bracket, approximate income, occupation, etc. Try to identify different types of customers and the benefits they need and want. Let me know if you want help developing one, or I can send you an example.

Determine some basic characteristics of who has purchased similar products in the past, either from you, or other businesses offering comparable products or services.

Consider this imaginary case in point for a business-to-business situation: 80 percent of our clients come from three types of businesses; They average 75 employees per company; Most have been in business 15 years or more; They have at least $1 million in annual revenues; They are all in Simcoe County and Muskoka; They are all suffering because of the increased cost of petroleum.

Then, go where they go, be where they are. For example, if many of your identified target customers belong to the curling club, perhaps you should consider joining that organization, or at least getting involved with it somehow.

Schedule time in your weekly plan for focused sales activities. Discipline yourself to stick with it for a pre-determined time.

Please feel free to contact me, or your BERN consultant; help is only a phone call or email away!

Active Listening

Active Listening

You have probably noticed by now that I consider ‘active listening’ to be one of the most important sales skills. Here’s a little article from Denis Waitley with his comments on the subject. Take it to heart, apply it, and your own sales will be sure to improve.

This Week's Jump-Start

A great stage director once said, "Acting is reacting. It's done with the ears, not the mouth." Contrary to popular belief, listening is not passive, it's active. How do you get someone's attention? It's not by talking or by making clever remarks or by trying to impress others with yourself. If you want to get people interested in you, talk about what's important to them. The biggest mistake most people make in communicating is talking about me, myself and I: "What I want to sell"... "These are my needs"... "I would like this to happen because I"....

Instead, turn your attention to the other person: "What are your needs?" "How can I help you?" Then listen. Always pivot the conversation around the other person. Talk about people, places and things that are important to him or her.

It's been said that by showing interest in people you can make more friends in twenty minutes than you can in twenty weeks. So be an active listener this week!

—Denis Waitley

If you need help to overcome your fear of ‘selling’, or to know what to say when you call or visit prospects, please feel free to contact me, or your BERN consultant; help is only a phone call or email away!

Year End Thoughts

During this time of year which is quiet for many of us, it is a good opportunity to stop and reflect on our dreams, goals, and what we are doing to achieve them. Give some thought to what you are offering, who is most likely to benefit from it, and how you are approaching potential customers. Here’s a short article by Denis Waitley which may help you with your thought process.

This Week's Jump-Start
Your success depends on how well you think. You are not paid to collect, sort, store or retrieve information, although you do these things every day. You are paid to interpret that information and create and implement new ideas. Ask yourself:
1) What can I offer that "they" aren't offering? Where’s the niche that hasn’t been developed? How can I add value to the service or products I promote?
2) Where is the market inefficiency? What would make this process more convenient? How can I do this less expensively?
3) What would people pay for that isn’t available now? Which consumer groups and Internet communities are the most likely prospects who want what I provide? What trends will change my and their assumptions about the quality of life?
Breakthrough ideas often occur when you are calmly searching for opportunities. They rarely occur when you are anxious and frustrated. Close your eyes and dream this week! Spend some quality time this week thinking about a breakthrough idea you can apply to your professional life.
—Denis Waitley