Page 60 - Today’s Business Communication; A How-to Guide for the Modern Professional

WhY MUST I REMEMBER ThAT COMMUNICATION 49

the contest. The judging panel was composed of two marketing
executives with Delta, two business professors at the University of
Whooterville, and two small business owners in West Hartford.
The judging panel said that of all the contestants, your letter was
“the clearest, most compelling demonstration of applying Zimpal’s
seminar advice to craft a personal brand and target a particular niche
for selling your personal services as a graphic designer.”

You’ll find additional information from Delta on how to redeem
your travel vouchers enclosed with this letter. We wish you safe trav-
els and best wishes for continued career success.

Sincerely,
Jason Snyder and Robert Forbus
Partners, Zimpal Group, LLC

Writing a Memorable Thank-You Note

Google “Jackie Kennedy” and “thank you notes,” and you’ll get about
95,000 hits. The point, here, is that the internationally famous, ele-
gant, trendsetting, polished former first lady of the United States, who
was also a book editor in her later years, was famous for her hand-
written, highly personalized thank-you notes. Both of us keep stacks
of plain, beige-colored fold-over cards and matching envelopes in our
respective desks at our individual universities and homes. We both
believe, as did Mrs. Kennedy, that handwritten thank-you notes are
foundational to good manners. We also have learned through our indi-
vidual experiences that these notes are appreciated by the receivers and
that they differentiate our personal and professional brands from those
of others.
Oh, sure, you could just dash off an email. But, really, is that
approach enough? We argue that it is not enough. In this age of elec-
tronic, instantaneous communication and over-sharing on Facebook, the
handwritten thank-you note has taken a seat at the back of the city bus.
We’re campaigning to bring back the handwritten thank-you note. Here
are three simple reasons for our campaign: