Sometimes a thank you note is more than a thank you note, such as when it results in a steady freelance contract that brings in $500 a month.

I don’t make time to do it enough, but I always like to send thank you notes to sources that have been particularly helpful. For the most part, my sources don’t get any personal gain from talking with me, so thanking them for taking time out of their busy days is the least I can do.

A few years ago I sent a source a thank you and was surprised when he called me the day he received it. He told me it was the first time he’d ever been thanked for his time and we spent the next 30 minutes getting to know each other outside of our initial interview. That little thank you note opened the door to a deeper relationship with my source.

Since then, we’ve talked a few times a year for stories. Earlier this year he called to let me know his colleagues in a different division of the company were looking for a writer to work on their internal monthly newsletter. He recommended me and took care of the initial introductions. After a few interviews and written proposal, I secured the project and now write a monthly newsletter for his company.

Obviously I had to prove I was qualified to do the job and my pricing had to be right, but I am certain that my thank you note helped build the relationship that led to the contract. When I wrote the thank you, my only goal was to show my appreciation, but you can never underestimate the power of saying thank you. 

*Photo by Anna Mailie Design via Flickr