The Lord and I were headed up Tenth Avenue on our way to Lincoln Center when he mentioned an interview with Chris Matthews about Richard Nixon. Normally I am loathe to hear anything about either man but The Lord said I'd like this story so I encouraged him to go on.
To make the point Nixon had a soft heart, Matthews described a visit by the young Kennedy children and their mother to the White House. The Lord wasn't sure if Mrs. Onassis or Nixon initiated the visit but Nixon welcomed the children and personally gave them a tour. (Reader, are you riveted by this story?) Just as I began to mentally rearrange the food in the refrigerator, The Lord produced the voila moment: Two days after the visit, Nixon received hand-written thank you notes from both Kennedy children.
"Is that the correct amount of time for sending out a thank you note?" inquired The Lord.
Wonderful question. And here's my response: It's fabulous to send out a personal thank you note within 24 hours. It sets you apart -- I swoon when I get one. But there's a rhythm to these notes...you're cannot send them out too quickly either. For example, it's completely warped to leave someone's office, take the elevator down to the lobby and on your way to a Starbucks, text message a thank you to the person you've just spent time with.
Take some time to think about what you want to say and within 24 - 48 hours of receiving someone's gift or time or recommendation, write a handwritten note of appreciation. Slip the note in the mail and sit back and wait for the huzzanahs from the recipient. You will get them, I promise.
With so few ways to out-class the competition, this is guaranteed to do it: A simple card, a few sentences of thanks and a stamp.
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