Never underestimate the importance or the power of a simple thank you. Businesses everywhere can foster strong relationships just by being more genuine and appreciative in their correspondence. Customers, after all, want to feel good when they’re buying from and supporting a brand. If they feel like you’re short, callous, or cold with them in any way, then all the good feelings associated with the sale, regardless of how happy they are with the product itself, will vanish. In some cases, they’ll rarely buy from you again. Even worse, unhappy customers are also the most vocal.
You can’t afford to be lackluster in your communications. Following up after a sale is the perfect moment to help solidify your brand’s relationship with your customers and can turn a single sale into repeat business. If you’re not sure how to begin crafting a thank you note, don’t worry, this guide will help you get up to speed.
Understanding the Different Types of Follow-Up Correspondence
First things first, there are two key areas you’ll want to follow up with the sale itself.
The Immediate Confirmation
You need to set up your email system to automatically send a thank you and purchase confirmation note. This doesn’t need to be complicated. The only purpose of this note is to act as the receipt and to assure your customer that the order went through and everything is good on your end.
The Thank You Note with the Purchase
If you really want to wow them with something like a thank you note, include it with the purchase itself. This lets you reinforce your thanks and also encourages customers to review, post about their purchase online, or buy again with something like a discount code.
How to Take Your Follow-Up Correspondence to the Next Level
Taking your follow-up to the next level can be done with these top tips:
Add the Personal Touch
For best results, handwrite the note itself. Handwritten notes today don’t even need to be written by a person. You can have them written out with a pen by a robot, which lets you scale up this sort of personal touch for larger businesses. Try to make these notes as personalized as possible. This can be done easily with the right system. Just remember to include the name, what the purchase was, and other key information that helps customers feel seen. These notes can contain anything you want after the thank you and can come with the order or even after the order.
Encourage Further Communication
The last thing that you want is for the communication and relationship with that customer to end. That’s why you need to include language and pathways that encourage customers to move forward. This is best done in the note or email that comes after the order has been delivered. You can encourage customers to leave a review, but for best results, include something like a discount code or even a referral code where they can then get a discount just for inviting friends and family to shop with you.
