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A few months ago, Guy Kawasaki tweeted (made a short announcement on Twitter, the micro-blogging site) that he was done with his next book’s manuscript and was looking for a few people to proofread it and give him feedback.
I was what I assume was a pretty large group of people who raised their hands. Who doesn’t want to read Guy’s book before it gets published? Anyway…read it, proofed it, critiqued it and sent it back.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. I got a package and voila, it was Guy’s new book, Reality Check (released October 30th). I thought sending it ahead of the release was a nice gesture. But when I opened it, Guy had also taken the time to write a personal note to me inside.
Class act.
You have to figure quite a few people (like Valeria Maltoni who mentioned she got one too, although for the life of me, I can’t find her reference now.) offered to proof his book. So it was probably no small task to get handwritten notes into each copy before sending them off. A very nice gesture but even more than that….smart marketing.
Guy knows how few handwritten notes and cards are used today. He knows it feels personal and that it makes a connection.
The book is a great read – very irreverent and practical. And the author – a great marketer.
P.S. If you find any typos….I swear, I told him about it! 🙂
How about you? What small gesture could you make to create a connection with your prospect, customer or employee?
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I agree about the power of small gestures like cards. People thank me for my thank-you cards. Nobody sends real cards anymore, so getting one makes a great impression.
Small and seemingly insignificant changes in language can make a difference, too. My latest favorite: instead of “no problem”, say “my pleasure”. Same situation, completely different impression the recipient gets.
It’s all about making others feel special.
I love your blog! I’ve not commented before, but this post really hit a nerve with me today–for personal reasons.
I recently donated to the annual fund drive for my local public radio station. Not only did I join during one of our local fall festivals, with a small amount, two weeks later, I called in and did not just pledge, but gave my credit card number to pay on the spot, to sponsor a day. All of this came to over $200.00. The day I wanted to sponsor was my anniversary, which is next week. It has been over three weeks, and I have still not received a letter, a phone call, or even an email either a) thanking me for my support or b) asking me about the day I wished to sponsor. I called them to make contact three times, before I found the right person, who has still not confirmed with me that she received my “day sponsor message.” This especially irked me because Queensboro, the business I work for, is so focused on customer service, that I am hyper-aware of it in the “outside world” now.
Thank you notes make such a big difference. Even a form letter with a small personal note written at the bottom would have been great. I still send thank-yous after job interviews, for gifts, to personal freelance clients, etc. As a manager, I used to leave post-it notes on computers or lockers of my staff to say thank you for a job well done. I bought pizza occasionally or brought in doughnuts for everyone.
Little things really do make a difference.
I send a personalized greeting card to follow up on every meeting with a prospect, client, or referral source. I collect birthdays, too, so I can always send a card. This is my primary marketing strategy and it has gotten me “known” very quickly in my local Chamber as “the card lady”. People notice because so few people do this. Pity, because it can be so easy.
Peter,
Love the “no problem” example. That’s probably something that just about everyone could implement!
Drew
Kate,
Thanks very much for adding a comment. I hope you’ll stick around and jump into more conversations.
You are very right…the little things like a thank you mean the world. But in your example, it’s even worse. Not only are they missing the thank you but they are demonstrating to you that they are disorganized and inefficient.
Hardly the sort of thing you want a donor to know!
Drew
Sherrie,
Not only is it easy, but it is very memorable and personal. The question is…do they remember you as the card lady AND what you do/could do for them?
Drew
I’ve found Guy’s unconventional wisdom very refreshing in a world of jargon. Congrats for having had the opportunity to be involved in such a cool project!