So it’s 2012 and a new year is already upon us. I hope everyone had a nice holiday and a made lots of money working extra holiday hours, selling products, and performing additional services. I know I was glad when the holidays were over. I always say, “You have to make hay while the sun is shining.” With that in mind, I know every year that I will be busy during the holiday season. However, I’m also relieved when it’s time to go back to my regular scheduled hours.

We know that our clients love us and gosh, they tell us everything! They share things with us that they don’t tell their best friends, sisters, or husbands. We have built rapport with our clients and many of them thank us by giving us something for the holidays. Many of us were blessed by our clients with a holiday gift or gift card, cash, or a big tip.

Now that the holidays are over there is something that is really important — something we need to talk about out loud. Something we can’t ignore and need to take care of. Thank you cards! Yes, I know it takes time and the thought of writing all of those cards is exhausting. We have to remember everything we received from each guest and send each of them a note. My dad always told me while growing up, “If someone takes five minutes to do something nice for you, you take five minutes and write them a thank you note.” This was, and still is, good advice. Until this day, I am prompt and very good about writing thank you cards.

Here’s a few reasons why we need to write an thank you notes to our clients:

• Hardly anyone writes handwritten thank you notes anymore. Imagine the pleasant surprise on your client’s face when she receives a handwritten thank you in the mail. With all the social media, e-mails, texting and Internet, most people have gone away from handwritten notes. Giving someone or getting a thank you card in the mail is exciting and always puts a smile on the recipient’s face.

• It good manners to send a thank you note. Everyone works hard for their money and if they spent some of it on you, you really should respond with a verbal thank you and then follow up with a handwritten note.

• If you don’t send thank you notes, maybe next year you won’t receive a holiday gift. Some clients may think to themselves, “She must not have liked what I got her since she never thanked me.”

• A lot of our clients are in the age group where thank you cards are expected. Now, if we don’t send a thank you note, I’m not saying our clients will think bad thoughts about us. But I am saying they will think more of us for taking the time.

• Writing thank you notes can be time consuming, but it is a gesture that is above and beyond! This is another way that will help you to “stand out above the rest and become the BEST!” This is a business practice that is executed and achieved on purpose by successful professionals. Writing thank you cards is all part of exceptional client care.

Here’s how to get started:

• Purchase some thank you cards in bulk. Make sure you purchase enough.

• Make a list of your clients. You can use the same list you used to write out your holiday cards. List the gift cards, cash gifts, big tips, and holiday gifts received from clients.

• Make time every day to write a few thank you notes. The thought of writing out 50 cards is overwhelming, but five a day is easy to do and comprehend.

• Take the time to write a few words about your gift and let your client know what you are going to purchase with the money/gift card or what you did with their gift.

• Use verbiage: “I really appreciate... , I love..., I look forward to..., I plan to spend it on...” Our clients love to hear what we are going to purchase with their gift of money or gift cards.

• I finish by saying, “Thank you for thinking of me during the holidays.”

• Mail out your cards promptly.

Here’s a tip to make writing out thank you cards easier for next year. When I receive a gift from a client I write out my thank you notes that very day. Here’s why: It helps me to remember what I got from each client. It also makes me accountable for my thank you notes. This way I only do five to eight a day and it is more manageable for me. My clients always comment how quickly they received my thank you card. I have also seen nail techs hand their thank you notes to their clients during their next visit to save postage. As long as you get them out to your clients in a timely manner, they will appreciate it.

Going above and beyond, showing appreciation, and practicing exceptional client care by writing thank you notes — one more way to help you to stand out above the rest and become the BEST!

— Jill