Don’t Forget to Write…

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

I have a friend who is also in the restaurant business. He and his partner own 85 units of an east coast chain, all privately held by the two of them. They have been wildly successful and maybe two of the nicest guys on the planet. They used to live near one of my restaurants, but have since moved to Florida. They are incredibly busy and are constantly traveling the east coast and Midwest opening new units. They have a million things to do every day. But here is what makes them unique. The one gentleman will send me a handwritten note whenever he sees that we won this or that award. He always says how happy they are for us and cites the award and it always makes me feel special. He’s a multi-millionaire who takes the time to write me a note, put it in an envelope and hand address it. He could just send an email, or a text, but he sits and hand writes the note. I have one of his notes that I carry in my briefcase to remind me to do the same.

Now, I’m not as good about it as he is. But I occasionally sit down , first thing in the morning, go through my newly acquired collection of business cards (more about that another time) and spend twenty minutes hand writing a note. Not long, but something that says I was listening. “Best of luck to your son in the big ballgame”. Or, “loved getting to meet you and your wife the other evening.” I gave all of my managers note cards and envelopes and a roll of stamps and had them write two notes every morning. It lasted a while, but sadly, not long enough. I was the Co-Chair of raising funds for a local organization. When I accepted the position, I told them that I would do it on two conditions. First, that everyone who contributed over $1,000 would get a hand written note from the organization. Not a blanket email with 35 email addresses on it.

And secondly, for everyone who gave over $2,500 that at some random point during the year they would be sent flowers with a note saying “Thanks for everything you do”. We received a bunch of calls thanking us for the hand written notes. We also got incredible feedback on the flowers. And the funny thing is, all of those people decided to go ahead and write a check for the organization the following year. By the way, we raised $350,000. And the next year, people were lined up to contribute again. I know how much easier a text or email is, but nothing says Thank You, like a short, hand written note. Sometimes the little things truly make a difference. Hey…Don’t forget to write!

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