Expressing gratitude is a small gesture with a big meaning. This action is memorable and brings benefits to both parties. Acknowledging the contribution that one person has made to the success of another is microconfirmation with great impact.
Sending thank you messages
Expressing gratitude for taking the time to give advice or a recommendation is an important but underrated action. Most people prefer to receive a text or email with a short "thank you" instead of sending a thank you card. In addition to faster and more convenient, this way spare nature.
In mentoring relationships
Steve Dalton, the author of the book The 2-Hour Job Search, discovers the good and bad practices of mentoring couples.
The mentors, who received feedback from their mentees that their advice was useful and helped the favorable development of a given situation, rated highly the relationships in the mentor couple. Those who received thanks and were convinced that with their time and advice they contributed to the success of their mentees were the most satisfied.
Bad experiences were those mentees who asked for feedback but never received it. The mentors, who suddenly lost contact and stopped responding to emails and messages also contributed to the unpleasant experience of communication. It's just as bad when mentors give advice about a specific situation, but mentees don't act on it or share about how events unfold.
A unique gesture
To maintain a relationship with the person who gave the good advice or recommendation, a good approach is to send a short email every 4 to 6 weeks thanking them for the specific advice. The recipient will then be pleased to hear what impact it had on the person and how it helped her/him. Last but not least, to keep the dialogue open, to be asked for more advice, and after a few weeks the cycle repeats itself.