When I first received a thank you for the referral card, I was baffled and surprised. I had never seen a business letter thank you before. In general, I consider myself a very polite person, but my written communications are rather brief and to the point. I always try to get the job done and say what needs to be said, and I thought I was addressing everything that I needed to, but apparently I wasn't. I thought back to how many referrals that I had gotten from people that I never thanked them for. It made me wonder whether I had missed out on referrals by being ignorant of the need for a thank you letter. Many times, clients gave me only a single referral. Would I have gotten more if I had sent thank you for the referral letters?
I am one of those people who has trouble when the rules of conduct are not clearly defined. Before one of my friends sat me down and patiently explained the intricacies of writing referral about a year ago, I never gave one out. I know that this might seem a little bit neurotic, But I have always liked knowing where I stand. In my line of work, I get to travel overseas quite frequently, and my favorite place to work has always been Japan. Although the rules of formality are difficult there, at least there are always rules. In America, the best course of conduct is not always quite so clear.
Nonetheless, I was oddly excited about the thank you for the referral letter. Business had been a little bit stagnant lately, and I was always looking for new clients. I figured that if, next time I got a referral, I sent a thank you letter, it might stir up some more business. As it turns out, I was almost too eager. I had to edit my thinking for a referral letter several times to make sure that it wasn't too gushing. You see, I was trying to figure out the best form on my own, and I was unsure. After all, I only had one example to work from.
As it turns out, I have since had quite a bit of business from that client. I don't know if it was the thank you for the referral letter or not, but whatever the reason, he has been one of my most valuable customers ever since. It just goes to show you what a difference small details can sometimes make.
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