Christopher Wallace is vice president of sales and marketing for Amsterdam Printing, one of the nation’s largest providers of promotional products for businesses large and small. Amsterdam specializes in promotional pens, personalized pens and other personalized items such as calendars, laptop bags and T-shirts.

When I recently had to leave my car with the mechanic for major service, I decided to ride my bike to work. On the third day of this, I passed what looked like a large wad of money on the road. I looped back, and my breath stopped when it revealed itself to be a large roll of hundred dollar bills.

After regaining my composure, I decided that I ought to knock on the closest front door before truly reveling in my windfall. While I waited, I counted.

At $1,400 (and counting) the door opened. With the money concealed, I asked if anyone here had lost any money. The man identified the roll of $100s, cursing his brother for losing it and saying it was their rent. Then he took it, muttered a ‘thank you,’ and closed the door.

I rode the rest of the way to work in a state of shock. This man must have been grateful, but he didn’t really express it. It would have been easy, and not even wrong, for me to pocket the equivalent of a week’s vacation and continue on my very merry way.

Wondering if the death of the ‘thank you’ was a cultural trend and more than an isolated incident in my neighborhood, I looked around on the web and found a USA Today columnist bemoaning the same phenomenon. He wrote about finding people’s cell phones and credit cards, without receiving the slightest bit of expressed gratitude.

Two things worry me about this trend: First, will we reach a point where without a genuine ‘thank you,’ we will also lose the impulse to do good in the first place? And second, if showing gratitude loses its importance in society, what effect will that have on sterilizing our business culture?

After more consideration, I realized that keeping ‘thank you’ at the tip of your tongue may actually become more of a business advantage than ever before. When we market ourselves or our company, we’re usually looking for that first contract or sale. What about our existing clients? Gratitude is how we keep them around. Try these ideas the next time a ‘thank you’ is in order.

1. Write it by hand.

Many of us can remember being sat down with stationary to write thank you notes after our childhood birthdays, and sending them as an adult may still feel like a chore. Make it easy on yourself. Keep cards, envelopes, and stamps at your desk so that jotting down a few lines of genuine thanks only takes a minute or two.

There’s a six-point formula that can be accomplished in three or four sentences: Greet the giver, express gratitude, discuss use, mention the past and allude to the future (it was great to see you, can’t wait for the party at Christmas), grace (thanks again), and regards. Presto, wham-mo. There is power in a handwritten thank you that an email can’t begin to approach.

2. Know the names of their children.

Does your boss know your husband’s name? Did she know that your birthday was last week, or that your son just won the county spelling bee? If you’re on the manager side of things, get to know your employees, without being nosy. If you show real interest in their families and lives outside of work, your words of praise and thanks after a job well done will be accepted and appreciated.

3. Give back.

If you know your staff and clients, then you can also personalize thank-you gifts. Everyone appreciates a holiday bonus, but why not surprise employees throughout the year? If you beat your sales goals for a quarter, take everyone out to lunch at that buzzed about new restaurant downtown. Did one employee just close a big deal for the company? Splurge on box seats for him at the basketball game or concert he’s been anticipating.

Consider these gifts an investment – keeping your staff and customers happy (even more than just content) will pay back tenfold.

4. Wine and dine your customers.

I recently went to a PGA golf tournament, and a friend invited me up to his company box. In a covered tent with prime seating at the 17th green, the clients of his concrete supply company were enjoying an open bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres. These guys were thrilled, raving about how much fun they were having.

It crossed my mind that this sort of setup couldn’t have been cheap, but it must pay off. If any competitors come knocking at the clients’ doors, chances are, they’ll remember the good time they had on the annual weekend trip with their supplier. Their spouses are now friends, and they look forward to next year. Thank yous build loyalty – always a smart move.

Sincerity Counts

Of course, every company is different. You may be a one-woman show, or you may work with a staff of freelancers. Even if all of your contact with clients and staff is online, it still pays off to say thank you. Surprise them with a phone call. Put a gift card in the mail. However you show gratitude, be genuine, and know that it’ll pay off for your bottom line down the road.

What’s the most memorable thank you from a boss or company you do business with that you’ve ever received? Do you still work with that person or business?

“Thank You” image courtesy of vistamommy.