Sending a thank you note is considered part of maintaining good customer
relations. Many businesses do it routinely. After each show, I send a thank you
to my contact person. If I book the show myself, it goes to somebody in that
family or organization. If I worked through an agency, I send it to the person
who booked the show for me. If I booked the show as a result of a referral, I
also send a thank you to the person who referred me. I know some clowns who send
a generic thank you. One boasts that the thank you is in the mail the day before
the event. I wait until afterwards and try to comment on something specific that
happened at the show. I find that personal touch is important in building a
relationship that can lead to repeat bookings.
I have special thank you notes with a drawing of my clown character tipping
his hat in appreciation. Since I am also an artist, I drew my own, but you
can have somebody else do the drawing for you. Angel Contreras is an
outstanding artist with a flair for doing clown subjects. If you don't
want to invest in customized cards, Angel sells thank you cards with clowns on
them that are very well designed.
Sometimes I will send a quick thank you by email, especially if I have worked
for a booking agent and want to report on what happened at the event. I
usually follow that up with a thank you card sent through the mail. I
believe the extra effort increases the effectiveness,
How can you thank your customers? What type of card would you use?
How can you personalize it to demonstrate your interest in your that particular
customer?
Saying thank you is a type of praise, and can be a powerful motivator. There
was a dramatic increase in the number and variety of articles submitted to Clowning
Around magazine during my two terms as World Clown Association Education
Director. One of the tools I used to encourage that was thank you notes. Each
month I would send a thank you to everybody who had their first article
published in the magazine. Then I selected one of the regular contributors and
wrote them a note thanking them for their long-term commitment to the magazine
and organization. I knew from my own experience and discussions with other
writers that written feedback to an article is rare. It is easy to wonder if
anybody is reading what you write. I heard from some of the writers how much it
meant to them to be sent an acknowledgement of their work. I know it means a lot
to me when somebody responds to an article I have written and thanks me for
doing it.
Are educational articles important to you? Is there a type of article you
would like to see more often? Is there an author whose writing proves
particularly beneficial to you? You can encourage them to write more of the
articles you like by sending them a thank you. Who should you write to this
month?
I was a children’s teacher with Bible Study Fellowship for a year. One of
the techniques I learned there was the use of saying thank you in positive
discipline. We would explain the type of behavior we expected in our classroom,
and then we would watch for the opportunity to thank children who were acting
that way. When you reprimanded somebody for doing something unacceptable, they
often return to that behavior. It is their method of getting attention. When
meeting our expectations was recognized as the quickest way to gain attention,
it was amazing how quick the kids were to adopt and maintain that behavior. The
application for entertainment is to explain at the beginning of your show that
you will need some help during the show and you will pick people who are seated,
smiling, and raising their hand. Then when it is time to pick a volunteer, you
select somebody who has been doing that, and say, "you have been seated the
entire time, and I’ve noticed your beautiful smile. Thank you for being such a
good audience member. Would you like to join me on stage to help with this next
trick?"
How would you like audiences at your shows to act? How can you communicate
that to them? How can you find the opportunity to thank those who do what you
expect?
I was part of an alley (local clown club) in Southern California that was
experiencing decreased event participation. In each month’s newsletter, the
president scolded people for letting the club down by not supporting the
activities. People resented being treated that way, and participation continued
to plummet until by the end of the year only two of the sixty members were
active. When new officers took over, they decided to use a positive approach.
Each newsletter expressed thanks to those who had participated during the
previous month, related some of the fun things that had occurred, and invited
others to join the enjoyment. The meetings included an "atta boy"
game. A timer would be set for a period ranging from five to ten minutes. Then
members could nominate somebody for the Funny Bone award in recognition of
something good they had done. To make a nomination, you had to deposit ten cents
in a clown bank. When the bell went off, the last person to have been nominated
won the award. At the next meeting, they got to wear a dog chew toy bone on a
necklace. It was a fun way to raise a little money and acknowledge member’s
contributions. By the end of the year, average participation at events had
reached 30 and attendance at meetings averaged 50.
What would you like to encourage members of your group to do? How can you
motivate them by expressing thanks to those who do that? How can you have fun
while expressing thanks?
Alley members expect their officers to thank them. A thank you from somebody
who is not an officer sometimes means more, especially if it comes at an
unexpected time. One year, I sent a Valentine’s card to each of the women in
my alley. Each card contained a note thanking them for something they had been
doing for the club. When we did a parade, one of the ladies always parked her
car near the end of route and had a jug of water and cups in the trunk. She told
me she appreciated my note because nobody had ever thanked her for providing
drinks and she was thinking about discontinuing the practice. To be fair to the
others, they did say thank you as she handed them a cup, but since it seemed
like an automatic response, she didn’t remember that.
Being an officer in an organization is often a discouraging task. It seems
like the only time you hear from somebody is when they have a complaint. It is a
common practice to give officers a thank you gift at the end of their term, but
often by then, it is too late. They have burned out. It is common for somebody
to drop out of an organization soon after serving as president. Another
seemingly thankless job is that of convention chairman. A note of appreciation
and encouragement can sometimes make a big difference in how they perceive and
approach their job. If you want officers who do a good job for you, you can help
them do that by providing them with emotional support.
Who has been making positive contributions to your alley or organization? How
can you encourage them to continue? What unexpected way can you use to express
your thanks?
One season when I was working at Raging Waters, the secretary in the
Operations Office was supposed to announce the times of my shows using the
public address system. She had many other duties, and kept forgetting to make
the announcements. I could tell she resented it when somebody called to remind
her. One day, she remembered without being reminded, so after my show I called
to thank her. She remembered to do it again the next day, so I made another
thank you call. After that I didn’t call her each day, but the next time I was
in the office I mentioned how much I appreciated her taking time from all her
other demands to make the announcements. I told her I could tell it really made
a difference in attendance at my shows. (That was true.) She told me that when
there were many different demands at the same time she got depressed and
frustrated because it seemed that nobody appreciated anything she did. She felt
that the only things they noticed were what she hadn’t been able to do. She
said it meant a lot to her that I took the time to let her know I appreciated
her efforts. She didn’t miss making my announcements during the rest of the
season. At the end of the season, I sent her a written thank you note, and sent
a copy to her supervisor. The next year she was promoted, and because of the
relationship I had developed with her, she helped smooth out some potentially
difficult situations. When people feel appreciated, they are more willing to
expend extra effort.
After each of my shows, I try to go around and personally thank every person
who had played some part in it, whether it was running the sound or setting up
the chairs. The show is not about me, and many people contribute to it. I
believe establishing a good working relationship with them is important. I have
a BA in Technical Theater, and was on many technical crews (make up, costumes,
lighting, props, and sets) in college. I observed that some performers treated
the technical crews as slaves who had to cater to their demands. Those
performers did get what they demanded, but nothing else. Other performers
treated the technical crews as assistants working together to create a good
performance, and expressed their appreciation for anything that was done. I
noticed that crew members tended to go out of their way to give those performers
extra assistance.
As a clown, I am an easily identifiable member of a group. I believe that
each time I perform I represent all clowns. Sometimes I am the first clown the
people at that venue have worked with. Their attitude towards clowns could
depend upon their experience with me. If I can create a good working
relationship with technical people, and let them know I appreciate the service
they provided me, the next clown they encounter may get improved service. So,
even if I don’t expect to return to a venue, I still want to create a good
impression.
It is not just the technical crew that contributes to your success. Kenny
Ahern has a performance style based on audience interaction. He uses a lot of
audience volunteers in his performances. They contribute to the success of his
shows. At the end, he expresses his thanks to them by having them stand and be
applauded. It always strikes me as an especially strong moment in his shows.
Who contributes to the success of your performances? What kind of a
relationship do you have with them? How can you let them know you appreciate
their contribution?