Writing thank-you notes has been an idea that has been so reinforced throughout my life that it has just become second nature. As a child, my mom made me write a thank-you card as soon as I opened a gift. There was no exception to this rule. In college, my business classes taught me that it is extremely important to write a card after a job interview. I was told that it would give me an extra edge when the company sat down to consider applicants. We have been taught these things growing up, but it seems that we forget this simple rule the longer we are in the business world.

If writing a thank-you note could possibly help you get a job, what's to stop it from landing that potential customer or closing a sale? Writing a note is a simple and effective way to impact the amount of sales that your reps make each year, and this is one simple sales coaching technique that you can't afford not to share with your employees.There are multiple different reasons to write thank-yous to clients:

1. If they give you a referral.

2. When they make an order.

3. After being with you for a year.

4. After they sit down with you to listen to your proposal.

5. After a meeting.

There are a couple of things that you can do to make your thank-you note more effective. Make sure that the card is hand-written, and don't send a thank you via e-mail, that's been overdone and is not as personal. The length does not have to be extensive; a few lines will suffice. If you want to increase the chances of a prospect calling you back, include your business card in the letter. That way they will definitely have a way to call you back as well as a way to give other people your contact information.

If you use this one technique, your inside sales team will begin to see results. So, the next time a rep closes a sale make sure they take the time to sit down and write a thank-you note to their client.