5 Ways Using Handwritten Notes Build Business Relationships

One of the things I love most about Christmastime is that good things appear in my mailbox. In addition to the usual assortment of bills and ads, I get letters and Christmas cards from friends, family and associates all around the world.

I don’t know about you, but there’s something special about getting a card or letter in the mail, especially when it has a personal, handwritten note inside. We generally expect to receive notes and card from personal friends but have you ever thought about how using handwritten notes can help you build business relationships?

I’ve set a goal for the last couple years to make sure that Christmas isn’t the only time I send out personalized notes to friends, colleagues and clients. I have learned using handwritten notes can be a great tool for building business relationships. While there are many different ways of using handwritten notes to build business relationships, here are a few of the simplest and easiest to get you started.

Send Holiday Greetings

This one ought to be a no-brainer. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or something else, the end-of-year holiday season is a great time to remind clients and associates you’re grateful for them. If you don’t want your cards to get lost in the holiday crush, consider sending a Thanksgiving greeting or a New Year’s card. There are also multiple other holidays throughout the year, such as St. Patrick’s Day, Independence Day or Halloween.

Whether you send a card to commemorate a specific holiday, or no holiday at all, a greeting at the traditional card-sending times of year is always welcome and can make a difference in helping clients, prospects, vendors, and associates in remembering you during the coming year. Holiday cards are one of the most popular ways of building business relationships.

Just remember, using handwritten notes in your holiday card, no matter how brief, will have more of an impact than a mass mailing of pre-printed, pre-signed cards. The possibilities are as endless as your creativity.

Send Birthday Cards

Everyone has a birthday. If you have access to birthdates, consider sending a birthday card with a brief handwritten note inside. This spreads your card sending throughout the year and doesn’t add extra work in the holiday season. Whether they admit it or not, pretty much everyone enjoys being remembered on “their” day. Just don’t remind them how old they are.

Send Thank-You notes

Who doesn’t love to be appreciated? Find every possible opportunity to express gratitude, whether it’s for being a client, sending a referral, helping you with a problem, giving you a great idea, or just being a great employee or friend. Handwritten thank you notes let recipients know they’re special in a much more personal way than an email or phone call. In a pinch, email is ok, but a handwritten note sent through the mail says that you appreciate them enough to go the extra mile, and that you want to build business relationships that last.

Express Condolences

This one’s not as much fun, but it is certainly meaningful when you let someone know that you are not only willing to celebrate with them, but offer comfort in a time of loss. A handwritten note or card with a personal message is always the best way to go here.

Commemorate Important Occasions

Employee Anniversary? Promotion? New Baby? New Job? Wedding Anniversary? Graduation? All these occasions are worth celebrating and noting with a personalized card. It only takes a few minutes—and speaks volumes about how important they are to you.

Keeping in touch and sending out notes are easier if you keep a supply of notecards close at hand. For everyday notes and thank you’s, I keep a stack of blank notecards on a corner of my desk. Not only are they convenient, but every time I see them, I remember I should send out a note to someone.

You can also purchase an assortment of greeting cards to make sure you’re always ready no matter the occasion. You can easily purchase greeting card assortments like these from Amazon, or from some office supply stores.

Plan ahead today to use handwritten notes to build business relationships with employees, clients and associates. Still not convinced that handwritten notes are worth the effort? Check out this article on why using handwritten notes can make a difference.

One my goals in the coming year is to write and send a note every day. How are you using handwritten notes and cards in your business?