You never know the power of a hand-written thank you note.
I was reminded of this yesterday reading about a thank you note Julia Child wrote before her death. She thanked Roger Berkowitz, president of Legal Sea Foods, for a clambake he had sent to her. It was a special note for Mr. Berkowitz.
Julia Child was a loyal customer and a family friend. Their relationship went back to the days when his family ran the fish counter in Cambridge, MA. “We were her fish store,” recalls Berkowitz. The note is framed and hangs in his office.
I’m sure it reminds Mr. Berkowitz every day. It’s a reminder about his childhood working at the family store in the 1950’s and the importance of a customer.
There is not a more special moment in business than when someone becomes your customer. Without it there cannot be a lifetime relationship. It’s a precious moment in time.
When investors become clients of Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. we thank them. It puts closure to the hardest part of a long-term business relationship–that initial commitment of trust. Sitting before a blank-card is a special moment.
The cards I send are wood-cut, carefully crafted by Ilse Buchert Nesbitt of The Third & Elm Press in Newport, RI. When I visit Ilse’s shop we both smile knowing business is good. I love the smell of ink, the creaking floor, and the huge press that looks as if it may have been used by Benjamin Franklin.
Thank you Julia for reminding me of the importance of practicing what seems to be a lost art.
