Last week, as I was settling down after a fun and festive holiday season, I received a postcard in the mail.  It was from a store called Uniform that is a few blocks away from my home in Boston.  I’d visited the store to get some fun gifts for my nephews (and, it turns out, a “gift” for myself, too).

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The card didn’t say a lot, it just said “Happy New Year from Uniform! Thanks for making 2011 great.” It was a simple, handwritten note, but it had a big impact - at least for me.  I thought, “Wow!  These people are great!  I want to visit their store again.”  Just a small note made a big difference.

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In the rush of trying to do many things with too little time, we might forget the power of a thank you note.  My New Years resolution is to thank people more often - and, if possible, more than once.  Here are some thoughts that occurred to me about this note:

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It was simple: The postcard had just two short sentences, but the message was clear and I felt appreciated.  Thank you’s don’t need to be complicated.

It was hand written:  The postcard was handwritten.  That made it more personal.  I know that someone had taken time to send me a note.

The tone was positive: I felt appreciated for helping to make 2011 a good year for a nice local store in my neighborhood.  The positive tone of the note left me feeling good about myself and appreciated.

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So, this note was a good reminder for me and I thought you might appreciate it as well.  For all our customers, friends, and fans… THANK YOU!  I hope 2012 brings all of you health, happiness, and success.

I am sure all of you recall the story of Capt. Sully Sullenberger, who landed his US Airways plane on the Hudson River in the heart of New York City after all the engines shut down after the plane flew through a flock of geese.  The story of the landing and the safe rescue of all 155 passengers is dramatic and inspirational.  But the lessons from this event are also inspirational.

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Recently Capt. Sullenberger wrote the book, “Highest Duty” that speaks about the events on that fateful day.  In the book, he also shares ideas that can be an inspiration to everyone.  Now, one of the producers with whom we work have released the video, “Miracle on the Hudson.”  It is both inspirational and shares these philosophies.  If you want to see the book, click here.  If you’d like to preview “Miracle on the Hudson,” click here.

We have completed our new catalog!  As always, our design team has come up with a fun cover.  But, the material inside is really exciting too.  We have a lot of terrific new programs – and also classic bestsellers.  You can view the catalog online by clicking here.  Or you can request a copy of the catalog by visiting our catalog order form.

I know I’ve written about customer service in the past.  Well, this time, I want to speak about small things.  In particular, how welcome a company makes you feel.  I have two examples (one positive and one negative) that come to mind.

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This past weekend, I went to a gas station near my parent’s home to fill my car up.  I decided that this would be a good opportunity to check to see if I had won “Mega Millions” at the lottery and to put down another dollar for a new ticket.  (I am pretty sure that I will never win the lottery, but it’s kind of fun to give it a try and I know the money I spend supports cities and town in my state, so I get a ticket now and then).

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I waited in line for a little while and presented my ticket.  The sales clerk looked at me with a big frown on his face and said, “You know, you can check to see if you’ve won this on the web.”  Unsaid was, “Why are you bothering me with this, I don’t like you.” Now, I know I can check the winning numbers online, but I wanted to get a new ticket (and a bottle of water).  The sales clerk make me feel unwelcome.  As I left the station, I asked myself, “why should I shop at this gas station?  There are lots of places to get gas, water, and a lottery ticket.”  I was made to feel unwelcome and as a result, I think I’ll avoid this gas station in the future.

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Now, on the other side, I went to a different gas station a few days earlier to get my inspection sticker.  I pulled up to the garage and waited for the man who does the inspections to come out.  When he arrived he gave me a big smile and, anticipating my questions, asked if I needed an inspection.  He thanked me for coming to the station and told me it would be a few minutes and pointed me to the waiting area.  When the inspection was done, he thanked me for coming and asked if he could help me in any other way – and he mentioned that as a customer I could get free air for my tires at any time.  I left this station feeling welcomed and wanting to give this gas station my business in the future.

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It is interesting how important your welcome can be for a customer.  Think about it: A smile; a few friendly words; a thank you.  That’s all it took to make a huge difference.  With one encounter, I left unhappy.  With the other, I had a smile on my face – and a resolve to come back.

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Business is tough enough for all of us.  Remind your team about the importance of a genuine welcome for customers.  It will make a difference.

We just received notification that our program The Happiness Advantage has won a Telly for outstanding training program. This program, hosted by Shawn Achor is based on Shawn Achor’s best selling book and shows how companies can improve job satisfaction, productivity, and creativity by focusing on positivity in the workplace. The results from this work can be amazing!

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If you haven’t had a chance to see this program, you might want to take a look at it by clicking HERE.