A few weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon I walked into my kitchen to find water spreading across the floor. The dishwasher was running but leaking. I shut it off and called the plumber for emergency service. He was in my kitchen less than 45 minutes later -- miracle number one -- and diagnosed the problem in a few minutes -- miracle number two. He walked me through what he wanted to do and after I agreed, he was off to Home Depot to get the necessary material. A couple of hours later, he was gone and our kitchen was back in working order.

A few days later I got something unusual in the mail. It was a hand-written letter. Remember those? I didn't recognize the writing so I opened it with curiosity. It was a sincere 30-word note from my plumber thanking me for the "opportunity to serve my plumbing needs." What? He had rescued me. I should have sent him a thank you note for taking time away from his family to work on our problem. Well, I was blown away, and it made me realize the power of a short and sweet thank you note. It also made me think how little effort marketers make in simply thanking their customers for choosing them. And, I'm not talking about a cross-selling DM that starts with a thank you. I'm talking about how we've lost sight of the power of common courtesy. The power of a simple thank you.

Go thank someone today! You'll feel good about it, and even better, they'll feel great about you.