Before you ask me no, this is not a post about being polite or having manners (though that doesn’t hurt…). The point I want to make is that saying “thank you” can also take you farther with your business relationships.
A couple of months ago a reader of the blog emailed me saying he was having trouble to get started with his online store. He didn’t know what kind of software to use, where to invest money, how to promote the store and so on.
I had some time available, so I decided to help. I wrote a relatively long email (300 words or so, which is pretty long to my standards), making recommendations for the best software and tools, explaining the best way to setup the website, the strategies to promote it and so on.
I wasn’t expecting anything in return from the other person, but after a week or so he hadn’t replied even to say “thank you”, and that pissed me off a bit.
Obviously I still wanted the guy to succeed with his online store, but if a couple of months down the road he emailed me again asking for help with something else I would probably just ignore him.
In other words, a single “thank you”, either personally or via email, can go a long way to strengthen your relationships and to get people willing to help you out when you need it.
Bottom line: if someone helped you, be it a big help or a small one, make sure to thank the person explicitly.
Original Post:
Do You Say “Thank You” Enough?