Sometimes in business we assume it’s the big things that get us noticed. The “go big, or go home” mentality prevails and unless we have the capability to go big, we believe we are stuck with going home and not getting our business and brands out there.
The Story
A couple of days ago I was contacted by Matt Heinz of Heinz Marketing, whom I didn’t know prior to his first email to me. He paid me a compliment about Small Biz Bee and said he had a free report called “Six Essential Social Media Tools for Every Small Business (PDF)” and thought readers of Small Biz Bee may be interested in it.
I took a quick read over it, and he was right. It was exactly the kind of information I like sharing, and I told Matt I’d send it out to the
Twitter followers that day, which I did. Start to finish took about 10 minutes of my time.
That same day Matt asked if he could add me to his contact list, which I happily did since he had just provided such a nice resource for those who follow me on Twitter.
Two days go by and I get an envelope in the mail, from you guessed it, Heinz Marketing. Now I’m thinking, “oh great…what kind of list did I get on?”.
When I opened the envelope here is what it contained:
Not a pitch to do business with him, or an offer for 20% off his services - nothing like that.
Just a business card, a drink coaster (at least I think it’s a coaster Matt – it’s nice, and that’s what I’ll be using it for), and the piece of the mailing that impressed me the most:
A hand written note which read: "Matt, Thanks for the Retweet! Best of luck in the rest of 2009 & beyond. Cheers, Matt”
Hands down the best thank you for a simple retweet I’ve ever received.
The Lesson
Matt obviously understands it’s the little things that get you noticed. It’s the unexpected, small things, that can have a big impact on potential customers.
It doesn’t have to be ground breaking, or earth shattering to work. And if you don’t have the budget for a custom made drink coaster, don’t think you can’t do this same thing with almost no budget.
The next time someone helps you out in a small way, make a big deal out of it. Send them a hand written card, say thanks, don’t try to sell them anything – this is what gets you noticed, gets people talking, and eventually gets you business.
If you got something like this, who would you think of the next time you needed the service they offer? Be that kind of business.
Front page photo credit: laurenatclemson
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That’s so incredibly true. I find myself gravitating towards companies where I feel I matter and am valued. Conversely, I find I get the best rewards when I don’t have anything on my agenda other than being nice or expressing gratitude.
It’s pretty clear that he sees value in what you have to offer Matt. I mean of course we can’t all send letters thanking everyone that retweets our content or takes an interest in our what we do so the fact that he took the time to do that definitely indicates that he truly values the potential relationship/friendship.
@Tracy
Yep, it only takes a little something for you to feel like you matter to that company and they appreciate you. Keeps you coming back.
Matt
@Gerald
Right, he obviously appreciated what I did, and no you can’t go sending hand written notes for every retweet, but any company can do this with their potential and existing customers. It’s just a little gesture to say “hey, you matter”. In this economy a little goes a long ways.
Matt
I had a conversation this morning about recognition, and how different cultures like to be recognized in different ways. This is a great example of a person that took their time to figure out what people would like to receive and it really was smart. Heck, he got more than a RT, he also got this blog post!
@McLaughlin
My point exactly. His simple thank you turned into even more PR for him and his company. His *small thing* turned into a larger thiing becuase he took the time to recognize.
Matt
Great post. Found it at BizSugar and glad I made it here. I appreciate you reminding me/us that saying thanks is a long lost art that we need to re-ignite in our business and culture.
There is a great deal of truth in this post. Being courteous and appreciative of other people efforts to be helpful, however small those efforts are, can be very rewarding. For both parties.