Gratitude. Such a simple word - and yet somehow, so rare in business today.
We all know saying “thank you” matters. Research piles up proving it: gratitude improves relationships, health, and morale. It makes people trust you more and like you longer. Yet most of us still treat it like a seasonal decoration - something to pull out for Thanksgiving, then shove back in the closet.
But here’s the surprising twist: saying thank you isn’t just good manners - it’s good business.
The Effort Equation
A study in the International Journal of Advertising found that when a brand goes beyond the bare minimum, for example, pairing a thank-you note with a small gift or meaningful gesture, customers view that brand as more trustworthy and more likable. Effort, it turns out, is the currency of sincerity.
Think about it this way: A low-effort “thank you” is the marketing equivalent of forwarding a meme to your spouse or partner on your anniversary. A high-effort thank-you is remembering their favorite meal and cooking it yourself. One says, I remembered. The other says, I cared.
Insurance and risk management professionals know this difference instinctively. When you follow up with a client after a loss, when you send a handwritten note after a renewal, when you thank your underwriter for getting a quote quickly, that’s not a waste of time. That’s strategy. It builds the one thing that cannot be commoditized: trust.
The Power of the Personal
Even small gestures of gratitude can make a big impact - especially when they’re personal. A producer in a recent Beyond Insurance program put it perfectly:
“I can’t believe how many agents don’t return phone calls. Returning phone calls and sending a thank-you after someone gives you their business - whether it’s an email or a handwritten card - goes such a long way. I still send little thank-you cards when someone takes or renews a policy. It may seem old-fashioned, but it matters. I’ve walked into a client’s office months later and found my card sitting on top of their insurance folder. A small gesture like that makes a huge impact.”
That story captures what no marketing automation tool can: sincerity. Gratitude doesn’t have to be grand to be powerful - it just has to be genuine, specific, and human.
Sincerity Always Wins
Here’s the catch: gratitude only works when it sounds like you mean it. A thank-you email means nothing if your service feels automated. But a phone call, a note, or a quiet gesture of appreciation? That’s memorable. And in a business built on trust, that “thank you” may be the best return on investment you’ll ever make.