The Power of the Handwritten Note
The handwritten note is becoming a lost art. Within ten short years, we’ve become an email culture, addicted to its ease-of-use and the speed with which emails can be composed1 and delivered to its recipients.
Today, we are overwhelmed with emails and mass-produced marketing materials. In this sea of non-personal communications, the handwritten note stands heads-and-shoulders above the crowd. The handwritten note conveys heartfelt emotion like no other medium, and has the highest chance of being read by its recipient.
I remember several years back when my father – then a senior executive at Corning – described what was perhaps the most distinguishing trait of its then-current CEO, Amo Houghton. Despite Amo’s extremely busy schedule, he would take the time to craft handwritten notes that he would send to customers, colleagues and employees. The impact was palpable. Recipients clearly knew that Amo had taken the time to craft a personal note customized just for them. What a great way to motivate and leave a lasting impression!
Today’s salespeople who are looking to stand above the crowd should incorporate the handwritten note into their repertoire. There are numerous occasions for which a handwritten note is the perfect communication vehicle. They’re great for expressing gratitude when you’ve gotten together with someone or recently obtained a new customer. They are also an ideal accompaniment to an article that you’re sending to a business associate.
Handwritten notes can also be used to lasting effect when things don’t go so well, such as when you’d like to apologize, or perhaps to express your best wishes to someone who has decided not to move forward with you on a specific piece of business. You never know when such a gesture might plant the seed for future business with that contact, or perhaps result in a referral to another prospect. Marcie Callan has written an excellent article entitled “The Top Ten Reasons to Send a Handwritten Note” that details several uses for the handwritten note.
I’ve chosen to go with 5.5” x 4.25” heavy-stock note cards. They’re just the right size: not too small if I need to convey more than a simple message, but not so large as to engulf a short message. The card can also be cut down with a single slice to accompany information (such as an article that you are sending) in a #10 envelope.
If my handwritten message is anything longer than a sentence or two, I’ll often first compose the message on my PC. After years of using the PC (since 1984), my thoughts flow most naturally when I compose at the keyboard.
Because of my poor penmanship – when I write quickly, I write like a doctor – I originally wrote out the cards using block letters. But I’ve recently switched to using cursive because I think it’s more elegant. Unfortunately, I had actually forgotten some of the finer points of using cursive, so I downloaded a script chart for reference (which you can download here).
Since I’ve been sending out these handwritten note cards, I have to say that I’ve never received such positive feedback to a written communication. Several folks have actually gushed in gratitude, saying that they really appreciated my extra effort and that they very rarely receive handwritten notes, especially from business colleagues.
If you’re looking to stand out from the crowd – especially if you are in a sales or management role – I’d strongly suggest that you make the small investment in note cards and accompanying envelopes that will enable you to leave a strong and lasting impression with employees, colleagues, prospects and customers.
1 The speed with which most people can compose emails is in part due to the general acceptance of a lower level of compositional standards for email