The Third Stage

Book review #23 365 Thank Yous

Book reviews from The Third Stage is our blog series devised to recommend marketing and networking books that could help with your business.

365 Thank Yous

John Kralik

ISBN 978-1-4013-2405-6

 
This book is a story of personal journey made by a middle-aged American lawyer who made a fundamental decision to change his rotten life by spending a year sending out 365 thank you notes. It is intensely personal and often excruciatingly so.

What we find important about this book, is that it is part of a trend towards older values; the simple politeness of saying thank you, being grateful for what we do have rather than bemoaning what we don't have, showing appreciation to those around us.

John Kalik's personal style of thank you note will not suit everybody. The pain that he felt and healed will be uncomfortable for some. However, take on board the underlying honesty and warmth of this story, and the amazing decision he took to do this, and you will learn a lot from this book.

Saying thank you is a first step towards developing your own ability to treat others with appreciation and by doing so to improve their lives and yours. Have a read we're sure you will enjoy this.

The Oldpreneur says: "Have we lost the art and the benefits of saying thank you?"

I ask this because I always try to thank people, when they have done me a favour or have been an advocate for my business. I guess it was part of my upbringing, with my parents insisting that thank you notes always be sent for Christmas or birthday presents - as I do now with my children. Yet when I thank someone much younger than myself they always seem surprised, especially if it is a handwritten note.

My route to appreciation started with an idea to become more memorable after meeting people at networking events. Instead of the ubiquitous sales e-mail to follow up a short meeting, I started sending handwritten postcards to the people I met. These cards noted something about the conversation we had had and I soon found that people remembered me more for this approach. In fact people come up to me often and say “You’re postcard guy I remember you”.

A Los Angeles judge recently spent a year sending out 365 thank you notes. This turned his life around and he became a judge, and in his words, a better person. He also got a book out of it!

After practising appreciation for a couple of years my company has just launched an appreciation marketing service to help companies and time constrained one-man bands show their appreciation to their contacts. This is really exciting to us and immediate clients include solicitors, estate agents, and a department store.

It occurs to me that every older businessperson has an advantage over (most) younger competitors in the field of appreciation, having been brought to show gratitude. This is obviously a generalisation, but I believe there is truth in it.

Does it work for your business? Recently a colleague from a previous corporate role asked if we would be able to help a client of his. We could, and won a contract with them. Our first action was to send handwritten thank you postcard to the colleague. His response was to e-mail asking has some of my business cards to appoint more similar clients towards us. When they first cheque comes in he will be in line from more substantial thank you in the form of a hamper.

Mother Teresa said “There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation than for bread”.

So, thank you for reading this and let me know if I can help you…

(Reproduced from the July 2011 column by The Oldpreneur for Wales and West Media)