Card Printed by QinPrinting
Do thank you cards work for business?
All businesses need to make a profit. That's the point, right? Of course, not all profits come from direct sales of goods and services. Smart businesses understand the importance of relational marketing. Most modern marketing focuses on building relationships of trust and good feeling between your brand and your target customers. Sending printed thank you cards not only to customers but to colleagues, suppliers, and others, definitely work to build the kind of relationships that may not bring immediate financial returns but steadily reinforce positive experiences which will pull in the dollars down the line.
Printed thank you cards are inexpensive and goodwill is free
Who doesn't feel a happy, warm glow inside when another person thanks them for something that they've said or done? And who won't remember the name and face of the person who expressed their gratitude with such kindness and generosity? If the name is that of the company, and the “face” is the brand, it works just the same. In any case, saying thank you is just the right thing to do!
Customers will be more likely to buy from you if you thank them for doing so. Employees work harder for you if you express acknowledgment and appreciation of their efforts. Colleagues and business associates listen to your ideas and are willing to help you out if you have been generous enough to acknowledge their contributions and thank them for it. In short, being thoughtful and kind is good for business.
Great opportunities for saying thank you with printed thank you cards
There are no shortages of opportunities to send out printed thank you cards. Not convinced? Well, here are just a few ideas to get you started. We're sure that once you get into the habit, you'll find even more.
- In response to any positive enquiry about your products or services, you can send the printed thank you card expressing your gratitude for the interest that the person or organization has shown in your business and offering to make yourself available if you can be of use to them in the future
- When you send out products through the mail or by courier, drop a thank you card into the box. It may seem like a small gesture, but it will make all the difference to the experience your customers have of receiving the goods that you send them.
- Make a note of your colleagues' birthdays, anniversaries, or even the day that you both worked together successfully to clinch that life changing deal. When those dates come around, make sure that they find a thank you card on the desk or dropped to them through the mail. Sure, you could send an email, but there's something super thoughtful about a physical printed card that will be much more appreciated and have a more powerful and long-lasting effect.
- If you reflect for just a few minutes on the network of relationships which sustain your business you'll find links with all kinds of people, organizations, and other stakeholders and very often, whether directly or indirectly, they'll be referring work to you. Thank them.
- Shortly after a meeting, whatever the outcome, is the perfect time to thank your colleagues for their support, input, hard work, and other contributions. It's often worth expressing your gratitude to the people sitting on the other side of the table, too. Even if you don't get the outcome that you had hoped for, you will still have benefited and learned something from the engagement. That's always something to be grateful for. Let them know.
- One of the most exciting ways that contemporary companies receive testimonials is via social media. Satisfied and happy customers who voluntarily share positive reviews and kind comments about your products and services with their friends online through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and the rest are invaluable and loyal brand advocates. They deserve your thanks, too. If they bought from you in the past, you should have a record of the delivery address and you can send a printed thank you card as a gesture of appreciation.
- If you interview potential new employees or sit on the panel, why not send thank you cards to all the interviewees? Maybe you could only choose one, but they all made the effort to come and they all showed interest in your company. And you never know when a positive business relationship with them will prove valuable in the future. Imagine the advantage you would gain if a year down the line you walked into a meeting to clinch an important deal, and there was the guy you sadly turned down before but were kind enough to acknowledge with a thank you card. That meeting is likely to move quickly to a more positive outcome than if his only memory was that you rejected his application, right?
This is a strategy but it needn't be a cynical one
At this stage, some of you may be thinking that this is a very cynical approach to gratitude! But the truth is that if you approach it that way — purely as a technique to gain advantage and no more — then you'll probably find that it doesn't bear the results that you hope for. Sincerity can't really be faked. So, while you should actively look for opportunities to express gratitude, only do so when you genuinely feel that it's appropriate.
Aside from being sincere, you should also be prompt. Cards sent too late can seem like an afterthought. It should always be sent as soon after the fact as possible; at the very latest by the close of the following day. That way you won't forget, the recipient will still have the situation fresh in their mind, and the act will be more spontaneous and convincing.
Let us print your thank you cards
We've enjoyed over a quarter of a century of success in the printing industry and our business goes from strength to strength. In part, our global reputation for excellence is sustained by the expertise and enthusiasm of our staff, the rigor and efficiency of our protocols, our state-of-the-art technology, and a sincere commitment to genuine customer service. But it's also because we practice what we preach and frequently seek to express our gratitude to all our customers, colleagues, and co-workers. We'd be delighted to have the opportunity to help you do the same.
While it's always a great idea to add a comment or at least a signature in your own handwriting once you take up the practice of sending thank you cards, once you realise how many people you can express your gratitude to, you'll appreciate having a stock of pre-printed cards you can personalize quickly for each occasion. Unlike most offset printers who require a minimum order of at least a thousand units, at QinPrinting we've set our minimum at just a hundred cards. Get in touch today, either by telephone, email, Skype, or our handy online contact form to discuss your needs or to ask us for a no-obligation quote. We look forward to working with you and you can be sure that we'll thank you for your custom!
