10 People to Send Thank You Notes to in Your Direct Sales Business
All direct sellers should be sending thank you notes to their customers and hostesses. You are probably already doing that. If you want to build your direct sales business even more, you can add other people to your list of thank-you-note recipients.
In this blog series, we've been equating the thank you note to a doorman. A doorman’s job description is short. It includes opening the door and thanking everyone. He doesn’t sell. He doesn’t book. He doesn’t recruit. His vocabulary is limited to compliments and words of gratitude.
A doorman treats everyone equally. He doesn’t bow to some and snub others. He says thank you no matter how many bags a customer is carrying, and he says it every time he sees her. He is warm and friendly to the sweet customers and the sour ones. He is patient and well-mannered.
Thank you notes are the same. They give thanks and compliments. They don’t sell, book or recruit. Ideally, everyone who comes to your business gets one every time she comes, and it is a worthy goal to work up to that—to build up to having a fulltime doorman. But if you must start with a part-time one, I’ve prioritized a list of people who should get notes based on the impact it will have on your business.
- Hostesses
All hostesses regardless of their party attendance or sales get one. Thank them for their time, for introducing you to their friends and for the opportunity for you to do your job. (Don't say it like that though. I’ll tell you how to say later in this book. Patience, Grasshopper.) - Party Guests
Like hostesses, all party guests should get a thank you note whether or not they purchased anything. If they did purchase, thank them for their attendance and their order. If they didn't, thank them for coming. It shows off your professionalism, and if you send it the day after the party, it is a gentle reminder that they attended a shopping event and there is still time to order. You’re not going to write that because, remember, doormen don’t sell. The note itself will be the nudge. - Customers
Thank them for their purchase. If you keep inventory, you can tuck the note into the order. If the order ships from your company's warehouse, send the note the day the order is placed. It doesn’t matter what size the purchase is. Small orders can lead to big orders. And a lot of little orders can add up. Thank loyalty. Create loyalty with gratitude. - Potential Recruits
Thank them for their time and consideration. Coffee dates, meeting guests and opportunity-call listeners should get a thank you note. If they are shopping for a company or an upline, you'll move to the top of the list because they will know that you are thoughtful, caring and have your act together. - Referrals
Thank them for thinking of you and for trusting you. When someone sends business your way, either by giving out your information or by giving you her friends' information, she should be thanked because it means she likes and trusts you. When random people contact you or shop from you, you can say, "who can I thank for sending you my way?" And if you're going to say that, you actually have to thank the person. - New Connections
While this isn't technically a thank you note, I included it on this list because you should treat it the same way you do a thank you note. You should send it out shortly after you meet the person, make it about the person and not ask her for anything in it. - Uplines
If your upline is supportive, thank her. Yes it is in her best interest for you to do well, and she does profit from your efforts, but you profit from your customers' purchases, and you don't think it is weird to thank them. If your upline isn't supportive, don't fake it. Just don't send her one. You don’t want to positively reinforce bad behavior. And don’t worry, she won’t be your upline forever if she doesn’t change. You don’t have to send this note on a schedule. When you feel she was key to your earning an incentive or promotion, or when she goes above and beyond, send her a note. - Your Peers, Home Office Staff and Trainers
Thank them for their support. Your peers will probably become your best friends in your business, and because they don’t profit from you, their support is genuine. The home office staff is often overlooked, and technically you’re their customer, but you wouldn't have a business without them. Thank the consultant service rep who helped you straighten out an order that a customer (or you) screwed up. Thank the field development manager who trained you. Thank the breakout speaker for her speech that was exactly what you needed to hear. You will stand out. You want to have your name known throughout your company. - Anyone Who Helped You
Thank them for their help. This list could include the hostess' daughter who entertained the kids at her party, the neighbor who rescued your UPS delivery from the porch when it rained unexpectedly and the Staples guy who helped you figure out the cheapest way to mail surprises to your team. They might not be customers, and you might never make money from them, but I bet they will remember that you were appreciative of what they did, and that's probably the kind of person they want to refer to their friends. - Your Business
Thank it for everything. Treat your business like a business partner. Thank it for the money, the experiences, the knowledge and the stuff it gives you. If you don’t, you’re the only person who is going to know. If you do, you’ll experience the same benefits of keeping a gratitude journal. We’re not going to go into the thank you note to your business in this book. Let’s get you started with real people first.
Who will be the next person to receive a thank you note from you?
Cheering for you,
Kelly
This is a series of posts about how to use the thank you note to grow your direct sales business.
Read the next post here.
Read the previous post here.
Go back to the beginning of the series here.
Get your collection of My Heart Beats thank you cards here.
