Sometimes, I sound like a broken record. Write thank you notes, write thank you notes, hand-write thank you notes. This is the most important piece of literature you can mail out to your customers, and yet everyone tells me that they don’t do it. A hand-written thank you note is guaranteed to be opened by the recipient – and often, left out on their desk for themselves and others to see. A hand-written thank you note is guaranteed to be read by the intended, rather than filtered through by an assistant. A hand-written thank you note is one of the best ways to put your brand in front of your target market.

Yet, most business professionals admit to me that they are lacking in their follow up process for one reason or another. They tell me that the number one thing that they neglect to do is send thank you notes.

Even though we know it’s the very easiest and best thing to do – it is the one thing we all neglect. I have a friend who tells me that he rarely sends thank you notes. However, when he first started his business, he did it all the time. His business grew and he got so busy that he doesn’t have time to write them anymore. However, business has tapered off recently, and he came to me for advice. My advice to him is something I read on my shampoo bottle. This clever little phrase not only helped increase shampoo sales, but it’s great advice for all business owners; Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

Lather your clients with thank you notes. Make it handwritten, and write something bubbly inside.

Rinse every interaction with your customers by sending them a handwritten thank you card. Rinse your brand over your customers in a way that makes them feel all squeaky clean. Don’t dirty it up by asking for another sale or a referral – just rinse them with a thank you. Besides being a professional courtesy, a handwritten card says you care enough to take the time to send it.

Repeat it over and over again. Every interaction deserves a genuine follow up. A handwritten card has the potential to create trust and recognition. The gesture gives your customers a chance to talk about you. The average person will tell 3 people about a card they received and they will show it to 3 others.

Expressing gratitude should be one of the major components of your marketing plan. When you send thank you notes, you focus on the pleasant aspects of doing business. As a result, you are more aware of your success and you make it more pleasant to do business with you.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat reminds your customers that you’re grateful for their business. Write thank you notes and you’ll improve your business.