Ever own a business before? Well I did, and believe me, the little things matter. Every minute detail is scrutinized by your customers. You always think to yourself, “Well that really won’t matter,” but believe me…it does! The best way to get things done in business is to get it done cheaply and with meaning.

There’s a little trick I’d like to let you all in on; something that nobody ever thought about till me. Well…okay, it’s been around forever but I bet you forgot about it. It’s simple, it’s cheap, and it’s thoughtful beyond belief. What is it? It’s writing business thank you cards! Yes, that’s it.

You know your customers by name and address. Take the time to pick up some business thank you cards and send some out. Everyone wants return customers, so why not give them a reason to believe you actually care about them? Putting together thank you cards is an easy task.

What thank you messages should you write in these cards? Well how about, “Thanks!” Okay, now stop muttering under your breath at me. Here’s a little more: “Thank you for your continuing support. We hope you had a great experience using insert your company name here.” Sign your name inside the greeting card and you’re done.

Writing thank you cards is an uncomplicated business tactic that leads to customer retention. I don’t know about you, but I like holding onto customers who spend money on my business. So when you get new customers, send them a nice reminder that their dollars spent were dollars much appreciated. And before you know it, they’ll spend more.

When do you expect to get an anniversary card? Wedding anniversaries? Sure. Personal milestones? Of course. But how about an anniversary card for the date you started your job? Business anniversary cards were never anything I had even considered – that is, until I got one!

I couldn’t imagine why I was getting mail from my office but was pleasantly surprised upon opening it. Inside the deckled-edged envelope was a magnificent anniversary card, signed by the company executives and thanking me for my hard work and devotion. It reinforced my feelings of being appreciated and valued at my job, and I surely was happy to go to work the next day.

But think about the opportunities. If business anniversary cards can make your employees feel valued, then imagine how they can make your customers feel. Why not send clients or vendors anniversary cards to observe the day they began working with your company? And in the same way these cards might encourage your employees to look forward to going to work, which after all is a good thing, business anniversary cards might make your customers look forward to giving you some extra business!