For the last 8 years someone has been following me around .. and a few months ago, they found me again. How? I do not know. But the person did. I received an ‘executive focus’ newsletter with a yellow post-it note attached and handwritten:

Michael, try this. It works! J

At the end of the article, the address and subscription to American Speaker is circled with a check mark.

The first couple times I received this (in 2002), I actually thought it was someone that knew me. Obviously, that is not the case. But, I admire their persistence. They keep at it after all these years.

It is a strategy I have used before, and one I will use in the future, but in a different way. I find a quick handwritten note is an effective communication tool and in today’s world of billions of daily email, mail is becoming a way to differentiate.