Some time ago the owner of a small but profitable business wrote
columnist Ann Landers about his practice of giving annual bonuses to his
employees. The amounts were based on time served and salary levels.
He had been doing it for 16 years and in all that time only two
employees had ever said "thank you." Neither were still with the
company. One passed away, and the other took early retirement.
The owner vowed that he wasn’t going to give any more bonuses,
and if anyone complained, the response would be, “There will be no bonuses this
year because not one of our current employees has taken the time and trouble to
say ‘thank you.’ “
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How many times have we sent a birthday check and not heard a
word back, the only evidence that the gift was received found among the pile of
canceled checks returned from the bank?
How many times have you given a larger than normal tip without
any recognition? Waiters and waitresses should realize a larger tip is a signal
that a customer enjoyed the experience and wants to return, particularly if
their generosity is acknowledged. Diners even have been known to ask for a
favorite waitperson’s station.
If you’re a salesperson or own a company and have recently
received a larger than expected order from a customer, what have you done to
make that customer know how you feel about it? It’s great to take your spouse
out to dinner to celebrate your great sales ability, but what about the guy or
gal who gave you the order?
A thank you is just good manners. A prompt thank you is easy to
say, a lot easier to say than “Gee, I forgot to tell you how much I appreciated
your order,” or “How’ve you been after all this time?”
When Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York City, the police
enforced quality-of-life laws and Giuliani even called for New York City’s
cabdrivers and waiters to improve their manners, pointing out that rudeness is
not a great civic selling point. It seemed to work. Crime went down. Tourism
went up. New York City was on a roll.
Many companies wait until the holidays to say thank you. There’s
nothing the matter with that, but why wait? It’s a lot more personal and
responsive to seize the day and say the magic words the moment it’s
appropriate. And forget the stuff with your corporate logo on it as a thank
you. It’s fine as advertising. For yourself. But it isn’t a gift.
The best gifts I have ever received have no monetary value but
what I call memento value. They are the letters I receive from people who have
used tips or advice I’ve given in speeches, columns or books to get jobs,
bonuses or unexpected orders. When a 72-year-old woman wrote to thank me for
helping her make a dynamic splash in her chosen field, I was on cloud nine for
days. And what an upper it was to hear from a man in prison that he’d begun to
turn his life around thanks to the inspiration he’d received from one of my
books.
One area of thank-you territory that many of us neglect is
our formative years. They don’t call them “formative” for nothing. Have you
ever said thanks to the teachers and coaches who lifted you up, dusted you off
and set you straight when you were trying to figure out what growing up was all
about? Though it may have been decades, you would be surprised how many of them
remember us and remain our cheerleaders throughout our life. Believe me, a note
or even a phone call from you would be well received.
Harvey Mackay is a nationally syndicated columnist, author, and speaker. He can be found at http://www.harveymackay.com/.
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