A Little Touch of KindnessBeing kind is important in business networking as well as in life. Build customer loyalty with wholesale greeting cards from Send Out Cards

I don’t think there is any other time of the year when we feel more like giving than right now, in the month of December. We’re making our lists of customers, clients, neighbors friends and family. All those people whom we want to remember and show our appreciation to. Even though times are  tough we still want to show that we think of those who mean something to us.

It’s the holidays. Forgotten is the doom and gloom of November and the struggles we had all year long. Our hearts are open. We’re happy. We’re smiling….And then realitiy sets in. Oh dear! Looking at our list of people we realize there’s way to many to send cards to. We start sorting and scratching off people even before we headed to the store. Then standing there in front of endless racks of cards that don’t say what we really want to say, we get frustrated because we can’t find the right card.  And gosh, look at these prices!

That was me until a year ago. Sounds familiar? Then I found SendOutCards. Watch the video below and find out how I solved my Long-Christmas-Card-List problem.

Then visit my website at www.SendThemASmile.com and send out a couple of FREE Greeting Cards (on me) to experience this incredible system first hand for yourself.

Happy Holidays!

I know it has happened to me in the past. Maybe it has happened to you at some point as well? In our busy fast-paced world it is easy to loose track of our customers, clients, well even friends and family members for that matter. We have every intention to keep in contact and want to give the best customer service, but we just get so wrapped up in the happenings of every-day life. We may be thinking of getting in touch with a customer one moment and in the next get interupted by a phone call or email and the ‘prompting’ is lost forever… or at least until we think about that person again sometime down the road.

When I found SendOutCards my life became much easier. SendOutCards makes staying in touch with my customers as easy as sending an e-mail, but as personal as sending a handwritten card. I can choose from 15,000 cards to find just the right one for the occasion, or I can make my own using SendOutCards Picture Plus feature. (I used this feature here to make a very special thank-you note for one of my customers.) No more running to the store and picking out a card. No more searching through drawers for the right postage stamp. No more walking out to the mailbox in bad weather to mail it. SendOutCards does it all for me. I pick the perfect card from the Card Catalog, type my personal message and click send. The elfes at SendOutCards print the card in my own handwriting and with my own signature. Stuff it into an envelope. Lick the stamp and put it in the mailbox.

That “Personal Touch” is so important, especially in this time and age where impersonal e-mails seem to have become the norm and the quick way of staying in touch. Just think how your customers or clients will feel if you remembered their birthday. They walk to their mailbox and there among all of the bills and advertisements is that handwritten card from you. (Btw. you can even include a gift with your card.)  Whom do you think they will remember the next time they’ll need your kind of products or service? SendOutCards’ Contact Manager makes it easy to keep in touch with customers, clients, friends and family. Never again forget a birthday or anniversary or that special occasion.

Try it out for yourself. Just visit my website. Click on the red banner that says “Click to Send a FREE Card.” Select the greeting card you want to send from the card catalog, type your message, upload an image and click “Send Card.” Tada! You’ve just sent your very first card. (Here is a video you can watch beforehand that will show you how to send a card.)

Pretty simple, huh? And fun! And pretty easy on the budget as well. You can send a greeting card for as low as 62 cents plus postage. That’s very reasonable considering that the average greeting card costs between $2 and $4 according to the Greeting Card Association. You can also send a postcard for as little as 31 cents (plus postage.)

Well, enjoy sending out your FREE greeting card, and please don’t forget to leave me your comments below.

Say “Thank You” with Style
How to Write a Thank-You Note

Think about it. Everyone likes to hear the words “thank you” once in a while. But in our fast-paced, super-connected world handwritten notes of thanks are in danger of becoming a thing of the past. So don’t let your busy lifestyle get in the way of good manners. Thank-you notes don’t have to be a burden. They can be fun, sometimes for the whole family. Thank-you notes are an age-old way of keeping communication between friends and family open and healthy. Here are some tips on how to thanks quickly and creatively:

1. Do it yourself. Forgo the pre-inscribed cards with “Thank You” printed inside. Choose some nice, plain notecards or paper to show genuine gratitude.
2. Set aside enough time to write. You don’t want to rush through a thank-you note, as ti’s meant to be an expression from the heart.
3. Get personal. In your note, be sure to use the name of the person who gave you the gift or helped you out.
4. Mention something you liked about the gift or gesture or tell the person how you plan to use it or how it helped you.
5. Include the kids. Encourage children to draw a thank-you picture or sign their own cards. It’s never too early to set a good example.

Source: “Success From Home” magazine October 2009 issue

This story landed in my inbox a couple of days ago and I just had to write about it today. It seems, although we all are so very busy with our lives and don’t seem to care, customer appreciation is still very much alive. Especially in our small towns.

Read this heart-warming story…

The Richest Man in Town

CHAPTER ONE
The Handshake

It’s amazing what can happen just by paying attention. Besides, I never thought I would have a life-changing experience at Wal-Mart.

I don’t remember the exact date I met Marty for the first time. Up to that moment, nothing that day seemed particularly important – certainly not what brought me to the store in the first place. Like a lot of people who want to get through a checkout line, my thoughts were on speed, nothing more. The line I was standing in wasn’t moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier.

There stood and affable-looking man in his seventies. Slightly stooped and of average build, he wore glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he’s an old guy and it probably takes him a little longer to get the chores done.

For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before he began scanning the items they were purchasing. Sure, his words were the usual, “How’s it going?”  But he did something different – he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.

I thought it was odd, but I guess I had grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of a robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don’t give any thought to the question and just mumble something back. I could say, “I just found out I have six months to live,” and someone would reply, “Have a great day!”

This old cashier had my attention. He seemed genuine about wanting to know how people were feeling. Meanwhile, the high-tech cash register rang up their purchases and he announced what they owed. Customers handed money to him, he punched the appropriate keys, the cash drawer popped open, and he counted out their change.

Then magic happened.

He placed the change in his left hand, walked around the counter to the customer, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship.

As their hands met, the old cashier looked the customers in the eyes. “I sure want to thank you for shopping here today,” he told them. “You have a great day. Bye-bye.”

The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some sheepish grins. All had been touched by this simple gesture – and in a place they never expected.

Some customers would walk away, pause for a moment, and look back at the old cashier, now busy with the next customer. It was obvious they couldn’t quite comprehend what had just happened.  They would gather their things and walk out the door, smiling.

Now it was my turn. As I expected, he asked me how I was doing. I told him I was having a good day.

“That’s good,” he said. “I’m having a good day, too.” I glanced down at the name tag on his red vest, the kind experienced Wal-Mart cashiers wore. It read, “Marty.”

I said, “It looks like you enjoy your job, Marty. “He replied, “I love my job.” Marty told me how much I owed and I handed him some money. The next thing I knew he was standing beside me, offering his right hand and holding my change in his left hand. His kind eyes locked onto mine. Smiling, and with a firm handshake, he said, “I sure want to thank you for shopping here today. Have a great day. Bye-bye.”

At that moment I wanted to take him home and feed him cookies. It was as if Sam Walton had come back from the dead and invaded this old guy’s body.

I left the store, walked through the parking lot and got into my car. On the drive home I couldn’t shake what had just happened. I had been in that store a hundred times and had never walked away feeling like that.

Who was that guy?

He did something different – he actually listened to people.

Click here to watch the 3 minute DVD movie: “The Richest Man in Town”

And if you liked the story, please share it with your friends and leave me your comments

A little touch of kindness goes a long ways. So does a nice gesture. A piece of chocolate. A brownie or cookies.  Have you ever noticed the dish of candy in some professional offices? It’s not for the employees (although they might enjoy it too).  It’s for the clients. There’s something about chocolate that gets us into a good mood. I’ve never seen a person eating chocolate and being crumpy at the same time.  Maybe before, but not after putting that delicious treat in their mouth. And when we are in a good mood we are more likely to buy something, agree with or do business with someone.

Gail was a freelance graphic designer with the typical self-employed person’s problems:
lots of work, but little money coming in. Although her business was brisk and her billings
were high, her clients simply weren’t paying their bills. “My money seemed stuck in their
bank accounts, ” says Gail. Gail tried a number of tactics to convince her creditors to
pay – from letters that said “Please pay soon” festooned with smiley faces to diplomatic
phone calls – but nothing worked.  Desperate, she stumbled on what turned out to be a
brilliantly effective idea: bribing them with baked goods. “I would send out reminders
of past-due invoices with the enticement that if paid by a specified date, I would reward
the client with fresh baked cookies, brownies, cake – whatever they wanted. And it worked.

From The Power of Nice…Let ‘Em Eat Cake, by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval, pp 31

They say, “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Or in this case with cookies and brownies.

Another example, my husband, who’s in the mortgage industry needed a loan closed before the holidays last December.  As we all know, things move very, very  slow right before the holidays. To expedite the loan, he send a box of cookies to the underwriter and what normally would have taken 2 – 3 weeks was done in just a few days.

Sweeten the deal!!

My mother-in-law who is going to be 85 this month lives in a small town, 17,000,  in Oklahoma.  After several heart attacks, she is very frail.  She still lives by herself and manages quite well. This morning when she was feeding her lab, Isabelle, she noticed a large tick on her eyelid.  Knowing that she couldn’t remove the tick by herself, she loaded Isabelle in the car and drove about 12 miles to the vet in the next town.  Mind you, it has been extremely hot in Oklahoma so even mornings are quite warm.

It took 3 people to hold Isabelle down to remove the tick.  When my mother-in-law asked what she owed for the service she was told, “Nothing.” The staff asked if she drove herself and when they found out that indeed she had, they offered to drive her home.  Two staff members went out of their way to drive her back home in her own car, which meant one was following to take the driver back to the vet clinic.  Free care and being chaffeured.  Now that is customer service!

Of course my mother-in-law will be sending a nice “Thank You” note.  Most people would stop there.  However, she is taking it even a step  further.  She is going to send a letter to the Editor of the local newspaper to have this great news story  about this extraordinary customer care published.  This is a win-win situation for everyone. My mother-in-law and Isabelle got back home safely…and the vet clinic will get great publicity.

The vet clinic did this out of the goodness of their hearts.  Whenever you give from the heart to someone without expecting anything in return, that is “true” giving.   Whether you receive your reward on earth or not, that is not important.  The simple act of giving is contagious and will make the world a better place for all.

I challenge you to give from your heart today without expecting anything in return.  Let’s spread goodness and joy in our world.

What is it? What’s the sweetest sound in your customer’s ears? It’s not the words “free” or “special” or “save.” It is his or her own name.

Admit it, you like to hear the sound of your name, right? Well, your customer is not any different. Everyone loves to hear the sound of their name. It has something familiar to it. It has something that resembles trust. If your customer hears you say his or her name, there’s an immediate connection. He or she will immediately bond with you and will listen more intensively and pay attention to what you have to say, because you are addressing THEM directly.

So make sure you are greeting your customers by their name (if possible) and that you use their name often throughout the conversation. As a result you will have a very attentive audience.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” _Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare

These eye-opening statistics below only confirm why it makes good business sense to use SendOutCards to keep in touch with employees, customers and prospects.

1. Most businesses lose 10-17% of their business every year.
2. 62% of your clients aren’t taking advantage of all your products or services.
3. 91% of our customers say they would give us a referral.
4. 80% haven’t been encouraged to do so!
5. You lose 10% of your influence for every month that you don’t have contact with your client.
6. A 5% increase in customer loyalty could yield 20-80% to your bottom line.
7. Studies show that an average prospect won’t do business with you until they’ve seen or heard from you or your message at least 7 times.
8. 79% of all trade show leads aren’t followed up.
9. 66% of your business within the next year will come from your sphere of influence.
10. Only 3% of the mail we receive is personal.

Of course you won’t know what this system can do for you until you try it out for yourself. So go ahead…send a free greeting card to anyone you chose today. See how easy it is. SendOutCards not only saves you money (at just 0.62 cents a card) it also saves you a lot of time.

• No running to the card store to pick the perfect card.
• No stuffing envelopes
• No rummaging through drawers to find a stamp.
• No running to the mailbox or post office to mail it.
• Send one or a hundred with the click of a button.

Let your customers know you care by remembering their birthdays. Send them a special “Thank You.” Remember them on holidays. Let them know of any upcoming promotions or specials. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness and reward you with their business and bring  you referrals.

I’ve long made it a habit to write “Thank You” notes to all of my customers every time they placed an order with me. However, I’ve never received a phone call to thank me for a card I sent until just recently.

Grace is one of my Equine customers. She had placed her first order 3 or 4 years ago and in the meantime has become a loyal customer and a very dear friend. She has several horses who are on Tahitian Noni’s Equine Essentials and doing quite well. Actually, one of her horses has moved up from being laughed at to become the 3rd-fasted race horse in Colorado.

After Grace’s last order, I wanted to send her a very special “Thank You” note, because she really is a very special person. I happened to have a great shot of her 3 year-old horse on the day of his very first win. So I picked one of the Equine thank you notes I had made with the “Picture Plus” feature  in SendOutCards and on the left inside, I put a full-bleed picture of her horse. On the right side I wrote a heartfelt “Thank You” for her order. (SendOutCards printed the card in my own handwriting and with my own signature, stuffed it in an evelope, put a stamp on it and mailed it for me….all with the click of the “Send” button.)

Two days later, I get a phone call from Grace that went like this: Read the rest of this entry »

I heard this story about a year or so ago and it truly touched my heart. Oftentimes we think we are too insignificant or unimportant to make a difference. But it really takes so little to brighten someone else’s day. It really only takes a thought, some kindness and follow through.

Learn how a young grocery bagger with Down’s Syndrome, named Johnny, made his customers feel so special, that they came back to his store every day for more. Not only that, Johnny’s ‘little touch of kindness’ transformed the whole store.

Great service comes from the heart. I’m sure this true, very inspiring story will touch your heart just as it did mine. Is there a Johnny in you?

Watch the 3 minute movie about “Johnny the Grocery Store Bagger.”