Personalized note cards with your name and/or company already printed on them are great for establishing a consistent brand or image.

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When you visit a client or make a sales call, always follow-up the visit with a handwritten note. Not typed, not emailed, - handwritten. The personal touch is nice and it shows the client that you care.

I always make it a practice to send out hand-written thank you notes. I like hand-written notes, because they’re a physical manifestation of your company (and your brand) to that potential client, strategic partner or referral source. A hand-written note sets the tone for your company, and also differentiates you from most other businesses.

Quite simply, hand-written correspondence is a wonderful way to build your business. When I say build your business, I am not just referring to acquiring new customers. I am also referring to keeping the customers you have!

Another great advantage in sending a personal note….people tend to keep these. Whenever I receive a nice note from someone, I display it on my desk for awhile. Every time I see the card, I am warmly reminded of that person or business.

So, when should you send a hand-written card to someone? Here are a few suggestions:

- Every time you meet someone new and get their contact information (ex. a networking function, a business meeting, a training session, a social party)

- When a customer makes a major purchase from you or sends a referral your way.

- When you embark upon a joint venture with a new company.

- A birthday greeting to your clients and associates.

- A congratulatory note when you hear about something great that customer or business associate did. For example, one of my customers published a new book, so I sent her a congratulatory note.

- An encouraging note to members of your staff or team.

Remember, every note is a "ping". It is likely that your message will echo back to you in some way soon!

Writing a hand-written note does not have to be a difficult exercise... when networking, make it a practice to take notes about the people you meet on the back of their business cards, so you have something to reference when you correspond with them.

Hand-written notes should only be 3-5 sentences in length. In other words, be short and to the point. If it is your first correspondence with this person, remind them where you met and what you do for a living. Thank them for taking the time to speak with you and perhaps suggest another meeting. Make sure to enclose another business card.

For remembering customer’s birthdays, I have created an Excel spreadsheet with my customers’ names, addresses and birthdays. Once a week, I refer to this sheet to remind myself of the birthday notes I need to send out for that week.

Don’t get me wrong - emails, instant messages, phone calls and the like are all wonderful communication tools... However, taking the time to write a hand-written note really sends the message that you care and you have taken the time to think about your relationship or potential relationship with that person. Those 3-5 sentences can make a mighty impact!

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It depends entirely on your industry and the situation.

If you are a graphic designer who takes on custom projects a hand written letter along with well designed stationary would defiantly set you apart.

If you're an accountant who prepares tax returns and choose to communicate with the client using hand written letters this would likely be perceived as inefficient and out of date.

I regularly send thank-you gifts to clients. My wife enjoys making cards and I use them in combination with hand written notes to convey the personal touch and care that I put into these thank-you gifts. If your hand written notes are in this vein then I can tell you from first hand experience that it is a very effective way to interact with clients.

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I find the very thought of handwritten business letters these days ... strange. The transition away from handwriting happened when we were still using typewriters instead of word processors.

If you want to personalize it, hand write the thank you and hand write a postscript for the letter. Anything else will seem very odd.

I may be in the minority, but I would consider a handwritten letter to be classy and indicative that you took the time to compose something like that. It takes no time at all to shoot off an e-mail or type something in Word and then print it off.

It's also a very effective way to get your correspondence noticed and have those people remember you in the future. This is why if you actually want someone to read what you have to say, you do it in a handwritten letter on stationery.

This is not pretentious at all--it's classy and memorable. I have my own personal stationary and I do send folks notes from time to time.

For example, if I'm ever invited to a conference to give a keynote I send a basket after with a little note (handwritten or laser printed and signed) thanking the conference organizers for hosting me.

When I've hosted events in the past I've sent bottles of wine, chocolate and other assorted goodies to folks a month after they spoke. Again, just a little thank you but soooo memorable for folks.

Also, giving thank to people who help you makes you happier... "gratitude letters" are actually something Martin Seligman has promoted as a way to reaching "authentic happiness."

You should really read his book if you haven't. It's amazing.
http://books.google.com/books?id=_JaY2K2dhC0C
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/seligman.aspx

My opinion is hand written is always a touch of class. It gives that personal touch and in this day of digital data it can be a unique way to send a message. I say go for it!

It is difficult to know, it depends on the point of view of the interviewer.

I have been selecting people for a job (computer related), for me it is much more important the personal interview itself.

I would recommend you one thing: think like the people that are going to select you, what are your values? does the handwritten presentation help you?

You can send out all of the handwritten letters that you want. People may even open them first. But we will read the printed stuff first.

A follow-up letter may be handwritten or hard typed. Email is really not acceptable in this situation. Many business persons will think that your taking time to sit down with pen in hand is something above and beyond the required call of duty. Anyone can peck out a typed letter and affix the stamped signature. A personal letter is not pretentious unless the reason you are sending it is trivial. People really thrive on recognition, and if that is your real reason for sending the letter, then go for it.

I always type letters, just to make sure they are legible. If I want it seem seem more personal, I will add a handwritten note at the end

As the world runs toward 140 character or less communication, don't worry about being pretentious - be personal, start a trend!

It depends. If the recipient of the letter has an appreciation for small details and creativity, I'm sure it would be a big hit. However, if the recipient is very strict, staunch and professional, it could be looked upon as juvenile.

It's not at all pretentious. It's disrespectful and informal. I'd boggle at such a thing and promptly file it in the circular filing cabinet on the floor.

Hand-writing is for friends and family members. Professional and business correspondence requires typed letters.