15: The Anatomy of a Proper Thank You

episode-15-featured-imageShowing gratitude is proper etiquette for those with good social graces. But just saying thanks or sending a text really isn’t sufficient for your gratitude to be truly felt. And, we know that the more grateful you are in your response to generosity, the more generous people are with their gifts.

I often go above and beyond for my clients. Mostly because it’s what I love – I get all jazzed up when I see them succeeding! But for the clients that regularly show gratitude, I am always looking for ways to over-deliver with generosity. Giving feels good when it’s well received. And if you can show you appreciate someone’s generosity, they’re far more likely to continue giving.

In this episode, I’ll talk you through the anatomy of a proper thank you so you can show your gratitude for the generosity of others. 

Thank you notes aren’t trained in school, so I don’t really know how people learn how to write them, other than if they receive them.

My mom is the one who taught me and my siblings to write thank you notes – thank goodness, cuz it’s an amazing skill! Our notes were timely, personal, significant, and thoughtful. Truthfully, at the time, writing a thank you note was a real pain. Each Christmas we had to write like 15 notes to family members. My mom always said that they wouldn’t know I appreciated it unless I told them.

I didn’t understand that at the time because I hadn’t yet experienced receiving a thank you note from a thoughtful gift I sent. After all I was like 6, 8, 13, 17…it wasn’t until I started giving thoughtful gifts and being generous that I started receiving thank you cards. And let me tell you – I get the biggest smile on my face each time I receive a card! That’s why I find it so valuable to show gratitude to those that are appreciated.

I have one client in particular, Erin, who writes me the most beautiful thank you cards! She’s from nearby my hometown and must’ve had a mother like I do because her cards are always timely, personal, significant, and thoughtful. I received one recently and got her permission to share it with you.

Erin Bogda Thank You Note (1)Erin Bogda Thank You Note (22

My clients like Erin, Samantha, Kristina, Rachel, and Tiffani send me thoughtful notes, messages, and social media posts that make me want to do more for them! I find myself shipping off cocktail dresses, earrings, clothing, little presents and cards to my clients regularly – at least the ones that I can tell appreciate it.

I know that being grateful leads to more generosity. So, in this episode, I’m going to walk you through the anatomy of a thank you card so that you can write amazing words to those you are grateful for and show them how much you appreciate their generosity.

Four things to include:
1: How did this gift make you feel?

2: Why is this gift so valuable? Or what you’ll do with it

3: Statement of Thanks

4: Compliment to honor the giver

A simple example may be:
I felt so loved to see you attending the pageant. The flowers you brought were lovely and are still blooming beautifully on my dining room table. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity! I’m lucky to have a friend like you in my life!

Be sure your note is:
+ Timely (within 1 week), though if it’s late that’s better than never sending one
+ Personal (speak directly to the gift that was given and how you’ll use it)
+ Significant (not one or two flippant sentences)
+ Thoughtful (think beyond the ‘thanks, man’)

I have so many wonderful clients, please keep the thank you notes coming, ladies!

That’s how you win a pageant! 

Samantha's Thank you Note
Samantha’s Thank you Note

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