Dear friends,

As I sit down to write to you, our valued customers, I’m taking note of the odd calm that’s been hanging over the ‘ville for the past few days. One that we haven’t felt in months. Well, practically since the beginning of 2012.

We had big plans for this year and some pretty lofty goals as well. As the final days are upon us (I’m not talking in a Mayan Calendar kind of way) we’re now in a place to look back on what we achieved.

It was a heck of a lot, actually. And, truly, we did it all for you.

We know that as the workplace changes and as the measures of success are continually redrawn, it can be challenging to find new ways to engage and motivate your team. The fresh products and programs we’ve been developing over the last year address those needs in surprising and innovative ways. And in just a few days, we’ll be unveiling them all to you in our new catalog and on Baudville.com.

In the mean time, I’ll be reflecting on what makes us, at Baudville, successful. And the answer once again is: YOU.

I am deeply thankful to you for shopping with us, for talking with us, for laughing with us, and for sharing your challenges with us. You make us stronger, and, in turn, our goal is always to help you and your business be stronger.

With appreciation, I wish you a wonderful holiday season, happy times with family, friends, and coworkers, and a prosperous new year!

Cheers!

Brad

Here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll see:

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Brad Darooge is President and CEO of Baudville and a positive mojo aficionado. He brings the positive mojo to work every day along with his bike. In addition to leading Baudville, Brad is also an amateur triathlete.

Are you ready for turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie? Mmmmm, I know I am! In my book, Thanksgiving is one of the best food holidays. What’s not to love about all that glorious food?!
More importantly, Thanksgiving is a reminder of the value of saying “thank you.” In our busy lives, we often forget to thank a coworker who did something extra that made our lives a little easier.

I’m sure you’ve all had an experience where you wanted to thank someone but simply ran out of time. It may have been a day when you felt like you were running at a sprint the minute you got into the office. On days like that, you know you can’t make it to the finish line without help from your teammates. The problem is you’re so exhausted when you stop running that you forget to send a quick note of thanks.

Thanksgiving is a time to catch up and send the thank you notes that may have fallen off your to-do list. Don’t worry about the timing of your note. The most meaningful thank you is the one that gets sent!

For instance, every year around Thanksgiving my husband’s employer sends a greeting card to our home. The card has a Thanksgiving look and feel with a message of thanks and the signatures of each of the company executives. It’s not my husband’s birthday or anniversary, but his employer knows the importance of acknowledging their employees at this time of year. It’s sent to our home, not dropped on his desk, so I know the company is thanking me, too. We display the card on our counter for a couple of weeks around the holiday.

Do you have an employee who’s been putting in extra hours? Send a thank you card to her family.

Has one of your coworkers been your trusty wing-man on an intense project? Send him a thank you.

Does your teammate brighten the office with her positive attitude? Let her know you appreciate it!

This week, take the time to send the thank yous you’ve wanted to send. We’ve made it easy for you with our free Thanksgiving ePraise cards. Select a card design, write a note, and schedule it for delivery before or on Thanksgiving. Your personal note will make you and the recipient feel thankful this holiday season.

Do you want to show appreciation for your team during Thanksgiving? Read our five Thanksgiving staff appreciation ideas in the Recognition Resource Center. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

Friday September 21 is World Gratitude Day 2012! Make the day all about saying thank you for the people you appreciate. Who are you grateful for? Let them know! It’s often the people we appreciate the most who hear “thank you” from us the least. Let’s change that! Use one of these ideas to express thanks and gratitude on World Gratitude Day.

Send an ePraise.  Free, easy, and fast, ePraise are a great way to say thanks on World Gratitude Day. Select your ecard design from over 100 different options and type a personal note to the recipient. You can even schedule the card to be delivered at the date and time of your choosing.



Mail a Thank You Card. Even though the volume of mail being delivered has dwindled, everyone still loves to receive a card in the mail! Drop a card in the mail today with your personal note, and your recipient will feel both appreciated and surprised!

Give a Thank You Gift. Giving a personal gift is a great way to express appreciation! Choose a gift that will be meaningful to the recipient, whether it’s an item for their favorite hobby, a book by a favorite author, or a gift card to their favorite restaurant. If you’re looking for ideas, shop our Thank You Themes.



Say Thanks in Person. It’s wonderful to give someone tangible appreciation in the form of a gift or a note card, but we shouldn’t underestimate the power of saying thank you face-to-face. Seek out the coworker or neighbor and use these four tips to give a sincere thank you.

At a loss for words? We’ve put together over 25 positive feedback phrases and 101 Ways to Praise to help you start writing. We have tips for writing a great thank you note  in our Recognition Resource Center, too.

Next Thursday September 27 is National Thank You Day! Keep the thanks flowing by acting on one of these ideas for that holiday, too!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

By now, colleges and universities are back in the swing of things. For most Michigan colleges, students are already into their second week of class! Although it may seem like school just got started, Student Affairs professionals and student workers have been hard at work on campus for weeks! Resident Assistant and Orientation Leaders were on campus long ahead of the start of classes to help freshmen, and new and returning students transition into the new school year. I know from experience that it is an exhausting but fulfilling job!

Now that students are moved into campus, take the time to thank your student leaders. By letting them know you appreciate their efforts, they’ll be more likely to help out in the future – and recruit additional help for next year! Here are a few ideas for thanking your student leaders:

Have a pizza party. Nothing gets through to a college student more than food! Invite your entire team to a pizza party and spend time socializing and reminiscing of the pre-school fun. Take a moment before diving into the food to verbally thank all their efforts. 

Send a card. Even in our digital and email-prominent society, a tangible card delivered in the mail still makes a big impression! Write a personal thank you card to each student you worked with. For an extra special treat, include a $5 gift card to a campus coffee house or iTunes. 

Choose a Character Pin. Appreciation is most memorable and effective when it’s personal to the recipient. That’s why I love Character Pins. There are so many options, you can find a pin that “perfectly” describes each member of your team. Spend some time reading all the stories, and choose a pin that fits each student. Present the pins at a staff meeting and read the stories aloud. This will be a moment your staff will remember!

Special delivery. When I was in college, my roommate and I requested tons of catalogs so we would receive regular mail at our dorm. Having something in our mail box was always a treat! Give your students the same feeling by sending a small package through campus mail to them. Choose a gift from our You Make a World of Difference or Leading by Example themes to thank them for being a leader.

School swag. Encourage students to show school pride by thanking them for their help with school swag. Order travel mugs, lanyards, or t-shirts from the university bookstore to give each student. Include a short note that thanks them for their individual contribution, too.

How does your university recognize and thank student leaders on campus? Tell us about it in the comments!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

I talk a lot about handwritten thank you notes on the Recognition at Work blog, and we have many articles on the topic in our Recognition Resource Center. When you talk and write about something so much, it can be easy to forget about the magnitude of its impact. In most of my articles, I instruct readers to write a thank you note to an employee or co-worker. Baudville is the place for daily recognition after all!

Recently, I was reminded that a thank you note can be a powerful tool for customer retention, too. Within the past week, I learned of two unique instances of organizations using the thank you to leave a positive impression on a customer.

First, I had the privilege of speaking at the Greater Ann Arbor Society for Human Resource Management  chapter last week at their monthly luncheon with a friend from Credential Check. During the presentation, my co-presenter shared that all of his sale representatives do A4s after sales visits. (If you work in an office, you’re probably familiar with the A4 paper size, approximately 8.5” x 11”.) Every sales representative is required to write an A4 thank you note after a customer visit before they even drive out of the parking lot! Sales reps have stationery and stamps in their car, so the letter gets mailed immediately, and the customer gets wowed.

Also last week, my dad had an outpatient procedure at a local hospital. Thankfully, everything went well and my parents had all good things to say about their experience. The icing on the cake, however, was when they received a thank you card in the mail from one of his nurses. The card was simple, it said thank you for letting us care for you, and was personally signed by the nurse. The simple gesture of a thank you note made an impact on my parents who told the whole family about it over the weekend.

Have you ever received a thank you note from a company who just wanted to recognize your business? How did it make you feel about the company?

Now imagine how your customers would feel if you sent them a thank you note after a large order, or included a personal note in their shipping box. How would your business grow? Think about the referrals and word of mouth marketing you’d receive!

This week, give a handwritten thank you note a try! Grab your own A4, stationery, or mini note cards (my personal favorite), and take a few moments to write a sincere thank you. I guarantee your card will have a lasting impact!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.