A Tardy Thank You Note Trumps No Thank You Note

I enjoy it when I get networking questions from the readers of my blog. I received the below questions from a reader who is an excellent networker, referral source and good friend. It is a question I hear often, and one that I believe is important to those who actively cultivate powerful business relationships:

Thom,

When is it too late to send one of those follow up thank you notes. While we all agree they should be sent right away, what if you look up a week later (or two weeks later) and realize you have yet to pen the card?

Is it worse to send a really late one or not one at all?

Sending a "Thank You" note when someone does you a favor or makes a referral is important. The best time to do this is right away. The longer you wait, the more likely you will forget to send the card. Additionally, your prompt response shows the other person that you value their graciousness and appreciate their efforts.

However, the facts of real life are that sometimes you forget for a few weeks, or even longer. One day you realize, "Dang-nab-it, I never followed up to show my gratitude to that person!".

I think that it is never too late to say "Thank You". If you believe that too much time has passed to still be fresh, own up to the tardy nature of your note and tell the person that you should have acknowledged them sooner. But even late, remember that the person being thanked will still appreciate your note.

To never say "Thank You" might leave you looking selfish. One pet-peeve that I hear from those who make referrals and introductions is that they never hear back from those whom they have helped. They wonder if how their favor panned out and what was the impact. This limbo of never being thanked makes many folk weary of making future efforts on behalf of those who never respond.

Your best way to get future favors is to say "thank you". Even late, a Thank You Note is amazingly powerful.

Have A Great Day.

thom

How To Handle Friends Who Send SPAM

I enjoy it when readers of my blog ask me questions (see: www.askthomsinger.com). It is a great way for me to understand what topics are important to people, and allows me to create some unique blog posts.

I received the following email today:


Thom- Today I got a electronic newsletter from someone I know. Clearly they added me to their list. It was one of those Constant Contact things -- something you need opt in for although I did not opt in. I dislike this person. He's married to a childhood friend of mine and he is a TAKER. I am not his target audience although I could certainly refer people to him. But I never would because he is flighty. That being said, how do I get off his list? I think the answer is that I can't but I'd love to get some advice from someone as in the know as you!

Wow, that is a tough one since you have a life-long relationship with the person's wife. We all know "takers" and those whom are part of our life, but whom we do not respect in a business environment. While this is annoying, in the end you want to be respectful. I don't think you can just tell him to "buzz-off", so in my opinion you have three choices:

1. Just stay on his list and delete his newsletter when it hits your in-box. While we all get a lot of junk email, and spam drives us crazy, in the end, hitting "DELETE" only takes a moment. I am sure you are afraid if you unsubscribe it will make for awkward moments when you have to see him at a friendly BBQ.

2. Set up an extra email address where you receive junk mail and then inform him that you are unsubscribing, but will sign up under this other email account, as this is where you get all of your newsletters, list-serves, etc... (actually this is a good idea, anyway. Having an address for all your subscriptions and other types of junk mail keeps it off your day to day screen). Make it clear this is how you manage your inbox, and allows you to focus on things like newsletters when you have the time to devote to them.

3. Send him an email telling him you appreciated receiving his newsletter and praise an article or link that you found valuable (there should be SOMETHING!). Then let him know that you will be unsubscribing. Inform him that you hope he will not be offended, but that you know that you will not have the time to be a faithful reader of yet another piece of email, and that to just hit "DELETE" would make you feel bad because of your personal friendship. If you approach it in a positive and friendly manner, he should just accept your actions with little or no negative reaction. If he is really a jerk, then who cares anyway. If he is that petty then he will soon by annoyed by someone else anyway.

Good luck, and let me know what you end up doing.

Any other readers have suggestions? Leave a comment.

thom