The Importance of Thank You's in Business

As my firm grows, we are consistently hiring new employees for various positions. No matter how good an interview goes, I will not hire employees who don't say a basic "thank you" via email as a follow-up to our conversation. Some forget to do it even after I tell them that those two words are very important to me. If they do not, regardless of talent, I will not hire them. Once, I told a candidate, front and center, that those two words are very important to me. Two weeks later, he wondered why I didn't call him.

Also, I have been asked to do various consulting jobs for owners of small businesses. I was once asked what I wanted for 20 minutes of my time. I promptly told them that a simple "thank you" would suffice. Only 50% of the time, I get this response. No matter how much free time I give, people still don't get it. That is why getting in the habit of writing these emails as a follow-up to an interview or business conversation will put you ahead of the crowd.

I am not sure why people fail to write these. They're not too hard. All it takes is two minutes of writing and thirty seconds of proofreading. Though, people still don't seem to get it. I still have to remind some executive level sales and marketing job applicants to thank a client of mine after interviewing. After an interviewer gives you a portion of his or her time, gratitude is the normal thing to show. There are no exceptions; that is even if you botch an interview. After all, we say "thank you" to someone who gives us a hot dog at a sporting event. Putting together fast food takes all of thirty seconds. Interviews can take hours.

Showing gratitude is also extremely important in sales or any type of client interaction. As you approach the business world, you will be dealing with vendors of your company. Watch how many don't say "thank you" after a phone call. It is a large percentage and this should tell you which vendors are going to be reliable and which are going to be duds, are going to take you money and provide service that is going to run you up a wall. I've seen it time and time again. Every single time you deal with a client, you should always remember to thank them. There are no excuses for not doing so. Additionally, you would not imagine this, but it forms a trust between both parties.

Ask yourself: when was the last time you did a favor for somebody and they didn't say thank you? We're you a little turned-off? Well, that's what you do to other people when you don't follow-up with a thank you note. Also, wait until you need one these individuals for a job position, to sell them a product or service or any other reason you may need to get in contact with them. Upon writing this email, it's going to appear that you are using them. With most people, you won't get very far. If you put yourself in their place, I'm sure you can empathize with them.

Therefore, if so few people write thank you notes, there is no excuse for you not to do so. You will quite surprised as to how many people are willing to go out of their way for you if you show them a little appreciation. This is how I make a lot of my lasting professional contacts. Simply stated, make it a habit.