I am sure I am not alone in remembering being forced to write thank you cards to friends and family members who had given me a gift for a holiday, birthday or special event. I remember dreading having to take the time to thank my grandmother for sending me all those Christmas presents and her famous cookies because in the mind of a 12 year old child, wouldn’t my grandmother want me to spend that five to ten extra minutes enjoying her gifts – did she really care about my handmade thank you card?
To answer that question – yes, she definitely did. It is time to thank my mother for raising me to properly show my appreciation and gratitude to those who have given me gifts – be it an actual present or their time as it relates to the business world.

Expressing our appreciation has seemingly become a lost art in the day-to-day business dealings. When was the last time you received a thank you note from a business or vendor? You probably remember it because it was unique. Isn’t that sad that it was unique? There was a time a thank you note was commonplace, and now with the hustle and bustle of our busy world, many people push this activity aside – using such excuses as it’s not a requirement or thinking a quick email saying “thanks” will suffice. How many emails do you receive every day? Is an email saying thank you really going to make any real impact?
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