The Power of Relationships

I have a tax appointment with H&R Block this afternoon. I’ve thought about using the do-it-yourself tax software, and we really don’t have anything too complicated to report, but I continue to go to the H&R Block office year after year. Why?

My relationship with H&R Block. More specifically, my relationship with Tom Stubbs.

Four years ago when my wife and I first went to H&R Block’s Kirkland office, our taxes were prepared by Tom Stubbs. He’s a retired teacher who loves helping people, and it shows. He connected with us, and made a great impression that first year.

Each January since then, my wife and I receive a hand-written card from Tom. The card simply thanks us for our business the previous year, and offers his help again this upcoming tax season.

That card takes time to write and send, but is one of the reasons we keep going back. We don’t go back to H&R Block, we go back to Tom Stubbs.

This short story tells me two things:

1) Something as simple and powerful as a hand-written note can go a very long way.
2) We often do business and choose our loyalties based on people, not offices or brands.

The power of personal relationships is alive and well, and arguably more important in an electronic world.