Giving Thanks By Linda Formichelli Think that once your customers' orders are packed and shipped, your job is done? Think again. There's one extra step that will keep your name fresh in your customers' minds and show them that you value their patronage: a heartfelt thanks. Here are some of the best ways from other small business owners. Everything's Relative The most appropriate and memorable thank you may be something related to your business. Alec Wiggin , owner of the Darien, Conn.- based aabalone [red], a consulting and implementation agency for the asset management industry, sends clients a red abalone shell presented in a sea of blue-green string confetti. "We send them sometimes to prospects that are considering us for a large assignment or we send them as thank yous following an assignment," says Wiggin. "On one occasion, some people on the rather large client team received shells, while others did not. Those left out coveted them, and we had to send more." Nancy Hayes knows that warm thank yous are the seeds that grow into good customer relations. This owner of the secretarial business Accurate Office Services and the flower seed company Backyard Beauties in Arnold, Mo., sends her clients her All-Occasion Seed Cards, which include seeds from the flowers she grows in her own backyard. Deep Discounts One of the easiest ways to fill your customers' hearts -- not to mention their wallets -- with joy is with a discount. "I created a bonus program called Beadbucks to thank customers who order more than $300 in a calendar year by awarding them free shipping on their orders until the end of the year," says Jane Shafrin , owner and operator of Beads by Mail in Pembroke, Mass. Her Web site specializes in loose gemstone and glass beads for crafters and jewelry designers. She also gives people who refer new customers $10 off their next order. Laugh Lines Why not give your customers a good laugh with your thanks? Jeff Fisher of Jeff Fisher Logomotives in Portland, Ore., thanks clients by giving them a T-shirt with his logo on the front and back. "It's a symbol of the fact I would give them 'the shirt off my back,'" he says. "I include a tag on the shirt showing the date it was actually worn by me -- although I don't really wear it. Not only do the clients appreciate the 'thank you' gift -- it turns them into walking billboards for my business." At a Premium Premiums are free promotional items, usually with the business name printed on them. Once upon a time, premiums meant cheap pens or cheesy inspirational sayings in gold-tone frames. Nowadays premiums run the gamut from pocket calendars to fleece blankets. Whenever Robyn Harper , owner of RMH Web Design in Algoma, Wisc., launches a new Web site for a client, she sends a box of customized Post-it® notes printed with their business name and site's URL. "Everyone just loves them," she says. Minerva Chiu Martinez , president of Casa Automation, a home automation distributor in Austin, Texas, sends clients and manufacturers candy bars wrapped with a personalized message. "This is the fifth time I've used these personalized candy bar wrappers," she says. "They are truly eye-catching and memorable." Nota Bene A successful thanks doesn't have to break the bank. The most common, and simplest, show of appreciation is the old-fashioned thank you note. "Too many businesses these days have everything pre-printed," says T.J. Wonders , owner of MakeoversForMoms.com in Jacksonville, Fla. "I firmly believe taking an extra five minutes to hand write a thank you note shows sincere appreciation from a business. I always think it's the little things that mean a lot." "Got an idea?" In our next issue we look at the best ways to keep your phone, PDA and PC synchronized. Send us your best way.		Access free tools Use your FREE e-mail, personal calendar and address book tools now! 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