The Note-Writing System

A system will make it possible to send thank you notes to everyone you want to in your direct sales business, and it will make it easier to expand beyond the thank you note to other notes for your business. The note-writing system I recommend has just two key parts.

The first part is the 3-sentence note. Start by following the outlines in the previous posts. As you write more and more notes, your words will come naturally. Don’t worry that all of your notes sound the same. No one is going to compare her note to someone else’s. Just keep them sincere and thoughtful.

Developing a routine is the second key. Note-writing is a business tool, and it is an activity you have to schedule. This might be something as simple as writing notes in the car while your kids are at soccer practice or spending part of your lunch break knocking out a few. Or you can schedule two blocks of time each week into your business calendar. One block is the day after a party,...

The final list of people you want to send thank you notes to in your business include people who send you referrals, new connections, people who help you, peers and mentors. You can’t overuse a thank you note. Here are suggestions for what to write.

Referrals

Outline for a Thank You Note to Referrals (you can write these sentences in any order you choose)

1. Reason for the note
2. Something about the recipient
3. Something about the transaction or the referral

Thank you for referring Susie to me. I appreciate your thinking of me, and it was fun helping her. BTW, she has excellent taste like you.

Even if Susie didn’t buy anything, the referrer should get a note. She could have sent Susie to someone else or no one at all. Susie should get a note too even if she didn’t buy anything.

New Connection

Outline for a Thank You Note to a New Connection (you can write these sentences in any order you choose)

1. Reason for the note
2. A sentence about the meeting or something you...

Your direct sales team will grow faster if you make strong connections with your potential recruits. Some people look at the company, product line, career plan, team culture and upline when they are deciding where they want to join. You don’t have control over most of those things, but you can ensure that you make a positive and lasting impression. Whenever you share the opportunity with someone, you should follow up with a handwritten note. It is an easy way to make another connection with her, and it gives her an idea of what kind of upline you are.

Most people won’t send a thank you note after an opportunity meeting or one-on-one interview, but you’re not most people. You know that the handwritten note is one of the secrets to your success, and you make use of it whenever you can. If your potential recruit is looking at another company or another upline, you’ll stand out by taking a few minutes to write her a note.

Outline for a Thank You Note to Potential...

Every time a customer places an order with you in your direct sales business, you should thank her. A handwritten thank you note is the best way to do this. Here are suggestions of what to write in the thank you notes you'll send to your customers.

Outline for a Thank You Note for Orders (you can write these sentences in any order you choose)

1. Reason for the note.
2. Something about the party or the product.
3. Something personal about the recipient.

Repeat Customer Order

Thank you for your order. I appreciate your loyalty and know that you're going to love that scent. Please let me know if you have any questions about your candles.

You might be thinking about setting up a minimum order requirement to make it worth your time to send handwritten thank you notes. I get it. The cost of the card and postage might be more than your commission from some sales. If you made a big purchase, the thank you note you got might have been expected, but imagine the impact of getting a thank you note...

Every guest who attends a party in your direct sales business should get a thank you note even if she didn't place an order. Thank you notes are part of your personal brand and your excellent customer service. 

Outline for a Thank You Note to a Party Guest (you can write these sentences in any order you choose)

1. Reason for the note.
2. Something about the party or the product.
3. Something personal about the recipient.

Here is what the outline looks like in action.

Party Guest Who Ordered

Thank you for coming to Mary's party and for your order. The necklace looked gorgeous on you, and it will be the perfect complement to your summer wardrobe.

Even if you haven’t eaten in a restaurant that has more forks in a place setting than you have in your entire silverware drawer, you’ve seen these kinds of places in movies. The waiter will say, “excellent choice,” or “very good,” or something to make the person feel like she knows how to pronounce...

When you're writing thank you notes in your direct sales business, keep them short and sweet. Almost all the notes that you write in your business can be three sentences, and the thank you note is the epitome of this.

Your doorman doesn’t need a script. He’s not a robot or a sign. He can work with an outline so that he can make it personal. He doesn’t have to use stuffy, formal language. He can, as the kids say, keep it real (do they still say that?).

Outline for a Thank You Note to a Hostess (you can write these sentences in any order you choose)

1. Reason for the note.
2. Something about the party.
3. Something complimentary about the hostess.

Notice there is not a sentence about buying anything, joining your team, referring anyone to you or hosting again. This is just a thank you note. You can send her a second note (don’t roll your eyes, you can do it) or have a follow-up conversation with her about any of those other topics.

To the Ideal Hostess

Thank you...

Your hostesses are the VIPs of your direct sales business, and they should be treated as such. If you only send thank you notes to one category in your business, you should send them to your hostesses.

While your doorman isn't supposed to rank people by importance, you’re going to want to be sure that he goes out of his way to thank anyone who brings customers to you. He doesn’t have to shove someone out of the way to get to the hostess, but when there is a rush at the door, and he has to say a group thanks, he could give her a nod (or a wink) while he says it.

There are lots of reasons why your hostess is on the top of the priority list of people who should get thank you notes:

1. Hosting a party is hard.
   A hostess risks rejection. You are trained to handle "no," but she isn't. She wants to have a fun time and get some free stuff. She's going to take the path of least resistance and invite the people she thinks will come, and it's hard when even they say "no."...

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...

There are lots of benefits to using the handwritten thank you note in your direct sales business. Here are 5 of them:

It naturally makes you feel gratitude.
The simple act of writing a note makes you pause, reflect and give thanks. You're grateful for the person to whom you're sending the note and thankful for the reason why. You will appreciate your business a little more with every note you write.

It strengthens the relationship between you and your customers.
Thank you notes are written with good energy. When the recipient reads the note, she’ll think about you positively. Sending a handwritten note enhances your relationship.

It measures your business growth.
The more your business grows, the more reasons you have to send thank you notes. Getting referrals, receiving sales, making connections and participating in opportunities to share your products and services are all business-building activities. If you set a goal for the number of thank you notes you send,...

The thank you note is the most important note you'll write in your direct sales business. It’s more than an indication of manners and a mark of exceptional customer service; it is part of a good business woman’s brand. It is a business tool that can't be overused. How you say “thank you” lets your customers know how seriously you take customer service.

Giving your customers the doorman experience is simple. And in the world of online parties and fast-growing companies, its practice is critical if you want your business to grow. Your replicated website and product offerings are identical to every other consultants’ websites and offerings. Your customer service is the only thing that distinguishes you from everyone else, and it is the reason that everyone besides your mom will be loyal to you. Customer service isn’t something that improves with size. It’s easier to start offering white-glove service when you have a few customers than it is...