Today you might receive 100 emails. If you’re a Millennial, Xennial, or Gen Zer, you’ll get 100+ text messages. How many will you remember?
When is the last time you received a personal handwritten note in your physical mailbox? How many cards and letters have you saved? How many do you remember? Have you held on to special ones for years?
Handwritten notes are special, largely because they’re rare and the recipient recognizes the time and thought that goes into them. Send handwritten notes to your professional contacts. You’ll be seen as thoughtful and won’t quickly be forgotten.
- Recognize a reason. Use handwritten notes as a networking follow-up. After you’ve met a new connection and sent an email or LinkedIn connection request, it may be appropriate to add a more personal level of connection. A handwritten note, sent a week after you’ve met, adds a personal touch to your budding relationship. Thank yous and congratulatory notes should be handwritten too. Watch local, regional, and national business publications and LinkedIn for professional accomplishments worthy of kudos. Received a referral, help on a project, or a gift? Promptly send a thank you.
- Slow down! Chances are your handwriting is as neat as mine, which means, illegible. Write slowly and deliberately. Ensure spelling and grammar is correct. There is nothing wrong with writing your draft on your PC first.
- Be personal. For the recipient to feel special, make it specific. Don’t just say thank you, tell them why you appreciate what they did. Did their efforts in coordinating the conference make it a more enjoyable event for you? Did others share their positive comments about the event? Pass those on, too.
- Check the address. Ask for contact info right away, when you first start working with someone, then they won’t be expecting the letter. Don’t assume you’ll be able to find their home address online anyway. Returned letters mean lots of lost time. If you send a letter to their office, address it to their attention right on the envelope. Consider adding a personal or confidential stamp to the front so it isn’t opened by an assistant or tossed out with junk mail.
- Stock up. Always have stamps on hand. Buy a bulk pack of nice looking cards. Personal stationary certainly isn’t required. Have envelopes printed with your return address or print return labels. Keep these necessities organized and accessible at your desk.
- Make it routine. When tasks become part of our routine, they don’t seem like a chore. Start putting note writing on your calendar for a regular time each week. Jimmy Fallon does his thank you notes on Fridays!
