The Power of a Thank-You Note: A Firsthand Account

The holiday season might be over, but there’s no reason you can’t show your gratitude through thoughtful gifts all year long. When an end-user receives something as a thank-you for hard work or for being a trusted partner or customer, they’re likely to hold onto the gift for a long time. If you can make that gift a tasteful, attractive and functional piece, then you’ve checked every box.

Patti Maloney, sales support and customer service team lead for Professional Solutions USA Inc., Burlington, North Carolina, remembers one promo she did that included a stone phone holder for a desk and a printed thank-you letter.

Print+Promo Marketing: How did you first start selling print and promotional products together and why was this the right move for your business?
Patti Maloney: I’ve been working in this business for 11-plus years. From the beginning, we’ve always presented print and promo/apparel as a solution. Once customers started asking more frequently about these items, it just made sense to be their one-stop shop.

PPM: Can you tell me about a promotional campaign you’ve worked on that blended both print and promotional products?
PM: I recently had a customer ask about a gift/award that they could provide to their team who had recently had a great achievement. They also wanted to include a letter thanking them.

PPM: How did you choose the particular collection of products for this application?
PM: Based on questions I asked the customer, they wanted to give them something that would sit on their desk, so I chose items from there, and had great help [from] a supplier I met at a Power Meeting.

PPM: How did the combination of print and promotional products specifically solve the customer’s needs?
PM: They were able to give them a gift and thank them in detail, and ship to each individual on the team.

PPM: Did you run into any roadblocks working on this campaign? If so, how did you overcome them?
PM: Not anything outside of the current normal — possibly stock shortages on the items they liked.

PPM: What advice would you give distributors looking to work on a similar project?
PM: Lean on your suppliers for help! Ask them about ways they can help you with projects, including offering fulfillment.