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A True Story About the Power of Personalized Cards

A Canadian auctioneer by the name of Theresa Taylor found a new marketing tool that has proved extremely effective in her small company: personalized cards! She uses them as reminders, holiday greetings and to say thank you. According to her, the cards – which feature a caricature of her on the front – have clearly generated business.

The cards have helped her pick up two auctions and several referrals, and have generated lots of email responses. Theresa, who holds monthly consignment and antique auctions, was thrilled to see a much higher crowd attendance at the auction following her first mailing.

The personalized cards are one of the effective and inexpensive marketing strategies she uses on a limited budget. Hers is a small business – she has no full-time employees; only 10 part-timers who help with cataloging, moving products and setting up sales.

She initially started with standard thank you cards, but then decided to make them more visual and more personalized. So, before Valentine’s Day, Theresa asked a graphic artist to draw a caricature of her from a photograph. Then they developed the text and look for her Valentine card, using the phrase “My bid’s on you” on the front, with “You’re the heart of my business” below it. She further personalized the cards by handwriting words of thanks.

Theresa developed three other personalized cards – two for general use and one for Thanksgiving. Take a look: http://www.theresataylor.com/auctioneer-mag2004-240a.jpg.

Theresa gives this advice: “You gotta go that extra mile to keep clients. I used to use blank or embossed cards, but now I only use personalized cards.”

The Importance of Greeting Cards in Your Follow Up Strategy

Following up can be an innate or an acquired skill. It comes naturally to some people, while others need time to develop it over the course of their careers. The importance of follow up in your business is enormous because this is where the application of your ability and skill to deliver services or products becomes evident.

The two best ways to retain clients, beyond providing exceptional service and knowing their needs, are:

1. Adding a personal touch to your business relationship
2. Staying in touch

You can achieve both by sending greeting cards and thank you notes to your clients. Bob Burg, the author of Endless Referrals, has this to say about the impact of sending notes to customers: “People who send notes are remembered. They stand out from the competition.”

Here’s Why:

• Greeting cards or thank you notes are opened and read immediately. Frequently, they are displayed on the recipient’s desk.

• Cards and notes convey non-intrusive messages of appreciation.

• Your personal signature demonstrates that you value your client’s business and that you care.

Entrepreneur Magazine says: “Cards are not interpreted as a hard sell or an interruption, but they do let prospects know that you’re available when they are ready to do business.”

With the ever-increasing use of computer-generated communications, emails, faxes, text messaging and voice mail, adding a personal touch to your business relationships is not just a good idea – it’s imperative in a world that has become so impersonal. Today, even putting a face to a name is rare!

The Basics of Writing Thank You Note Cards

If you use thank you note cards in your business, you can show appreciation to employees and clients – and earn loyalty from both. However, there are certain basic thank you note card rules to follow. Unlike writing thank you notes for gifts, business thank you note cards must be professional, with an appreciative, personalized tone. Here are some tips.

It’s Not Always About Sales

• Of course it’s essential to thank customers who have raised your sales numbers, but it’s just as important to thank those who recommended your business, even if it didn’t result in a sale. If you acknowledge the efforts of others who promote you, they will continue to do so.

What and Why

• Business thank you note cards should mention why you are appreciative, and for what. This is particularly important when thanking employees.

Build Morale and Performance

• Corporate thank you note cards can help improve employee performance and build morale. You can thank teams or individuals.

Formal Business Thank You Note Cards

• These are recommended for high-end clients or superiors. They look and sound much more professional than a thank you scribbled on a sticky note, or a verbal one.

Informal Business Thank You Note Cards

• Not all business transactions have to end with formal thank you cards. Sending regular clients or employees informal cards enables you to say thanks without making it look like a big production.

CAUTION: When using thank you note cards to boost employee morale, don’t send a card every time someone does something well – they’ll become expected and will eventually have no impact. Save them for exceptional performance!

Choose a Contact Manager That Works for Your Business

At some point, every business will find itself looking for an affordable and effective contact manager. In addition to contact management features, any software should also include sales force automation, customer relationship management (CRM) functions and lead tracking.

Most businesses start with simple contact manager software, or they use email programs like Outlook to manage their contacts. When the time comes to move on to something more advanced, the decision is usually determined by issues facing the business at that moment in time. For example, the existing contact manager may not have the ability to track referrals and leads.

Although it might be tempting to choose the first solution that comes along, or the most popular one, it pays in the long run to choose a lead management solution carefully, because you’re likely to use it for many years to come. How do you choose the right contact manager software? First, you must define your company’s unique issues. Here are some of the most common issues:

• Identifying the best marketing programs
• Identifying your best customers
• Lack of access
• Security
• Losing track of leads
• Customer product preferences
• Inaccessible client information
• Dispersal of client information (spreadsheets, Outlook, etc.)

When you have identified your issues, you’ll know exactly what you want your contact manager to do. There are so many companies out there selling contact management software or offering contact management solutions. Researching them all can be overwhelming. Therefore, it’s better to start with a few companies that enjoy good reputations in this field. Compare features and prices.

Internet Network Marketing – Two Keys to Success

In the last several years, Internet network marketing has exploded, and a phenomenal number of network marketers are using the Internet to grow their businesses. The trouble is that many people who venture into this arena don’t know how to succeed. There are essential tools and keys that must be understood and implemented in order to attract people into your Internet network marketing strategy.

Establish Trust and Give Value

All too often, people see the Internet as a magical place where you can make thousands of dollars in days. This will not happen. If you have not established trust with prospects, they won’t join you. If you have established trust and have something of value to offer, people will eventually join.

Give Something Free to Pique Their Interest

It’s true in real life, and it’s true on the Internet: people are always searching for bargains. If you’ve got something similar to what they’re looking for, you’ll spark some interest in what you’re doing. A great way to get into Internet network marketing is to offer free information.

The “Right People” Are Integral to Customer Relationship Management

A challenge facing all businesses is the development of a successful CRM (Customer Relationship Management) program to optimize client satisfaction. Yet, according to the February 2012 American Customer Satisfaction Index (http://www.theacsi.org/), customer satisfaction across the nation has shown a less-than-favorable improvement of just 0.1%.

The experts say that the key to an effective customer relationship management program is having the “right people.”

When hiring employers to provide customer service, companies often focus more on technical competence, knowledge and functional expertise than on interpersonal skills. The lack of the right attitude can dramatically affect customer satisfaction levels. In fact, research has shown that attitude is the single most important requirement – functional expertise can be taught.

When selecting the right people:

• Critical job requirements must be defined
• Multiple team members should be involved in the hiring process
• Scenario-based interviews to screen and select candidates should be developed
• Ensure that evaluation is objective, not subjective

Developing, Managing and Motivating

Once you’ve got the right people, their key communication skills need to be defined, and they need to be oriented into the company’s customer relationship culture. Often, in technical support departments or call centers, there’s a tendency to rely solely on functional/technical skills, overlooking the development of interpersonal skills. This results in customers receiving acceptable material service but unacceptable personal service. That’s the competitive differentiator in customer relationship management.

Therefore, it is critical to:

Deliver outstanding personal service by providing training in key areas

• Reinforce these skills through ongoing training and feedback
• Monitor current performance levels
• Acknowledge excellent performance with a combination of non-monetary and monetary rewards.

Choose a Contact Manager that works for your Business

At some point, every business will find itself looking for an affordable and effective contact manager. In addition to contact management features, any software should also include sales force automation, customer relationship management (CRM) functions and lead tracking.

Most businesses start with simple contact manager software, or they use email programs like Outlook to manage their contacts. When the time comes to move on to something more advanced, the decision is usually determined by issues facing the business at that moment in time. For example, the existing contact manager may not have the ability to track referrals and leads.

Although it might be tempting to choose the first solution that comes along, or the most popular one, it pays in the long run to choose a lead management solution carefully, because you’re likely to use it for many years to come. How do you choose the right contact manager software? First, you must define your company’s unique issues. Here are some of the most common issues:

• Identifying the best marketing programs
• Identifying your best customers
• Lack of access
• Security
• Losing track of leads
• Customer product preferences
• Inaccessible client information
• Dispersal of client information (spreadsheets, Outlook, etc.)

When you have identified your issues, you’ll know exactly what you want your contact manager to do. There are so many companies out there selling contact management software or offering contact management solutions. Researching them all can be overwhelming. Therefore, it’s better to start with a few companies that enjoy good reputations in this field. Compare features and prices.

Client Management: What to Do When Things Go Wrong

Have you ever released a program that had problems, worked on a project that was behind schedule or failed to deliver to a client as promised – with the result that there was a strained relationship between you and the client? This article will summarize some important lessons about client management, in order to help you rebuild customer confidence and alleviate strained relations.

Call the Customer

If things go wrong and the customer knows it, call. Emails do not always transmit feelings or circumstances well, because there’s no voice inflection. Clients usually place a lot more value on a personal phone call. Discuss the problem and have a solution ready. Ensure that you can implement the solution and resolve the problem within a realistic timeframe. If you can deliver on this, the client’s confidence will likely be restored.

Keep the Customer Informed

If things go wrong and the customer does not know, it’s still advisable to tell him or her. More often than not, it resolves issues because you are showing integrity. And, in most instances, the customer will find out about the problem anyway.

Offer a Solution

As already mentioned, this is essential when things have gone wrong. Don’t wait for the customer to tell you what to do.

Watch Your Promises

Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. In client management strategies, they say that it’s always advisable to under-promise and over-deliver. When setting a realistic timeline, add some padding – that way, you can be 100% certain that you’re going to deliver what you have promised.

Invitation for Sales Training Conference Call on January 3rd

Would you like to 2012 to be a great year?

I have good news…  You can, simply by improving your sales skills!

Join me for a special conference call on Tuesday, January 3rd with Sales Expert Eric Lofholm.

On the call, you will learn:

* The keys to goal setting success

* A step by step process for closing the sale

* My most effective closing techniques

* And many more sales training golden nuggets

Sales Training Conference Call Featuring Eric Lofholm

Tuesday, January 3rd

4:30pm Pacific / 6:30pm Central / 7:30pm Eastern

Here’s the phone number and code to join the call:

Phone: 1-559-546-1401

Code:  233091#

About Our Special Guest:

Eric Lofholm is a Master Sales Trainer who has trained tens of thousands of sales professionals and business owners nationwide.

For the last 12 years Eric has been teaching his proven sales systems to his clients all over the world.

He has helped thousands of business professionals increase their sales results and generate more income.

Don’t miss out on this call!  Eric has a lot of great ideas to share with you.

It’s possible that you may experience a breakthrough on the call.  Are you ready for that breakthrough for your business?

See you on the call!

5 Keys to Getting Tons of Referrals

Have you ever laid out how you get your referrals? Which systems work and which ones do not? Here are 5 keys and action steps to take. Track them to see your progress.

#1 – Create a large network that knows you and knows what you do.

Action Step: Work on meeting one new person a day and putting them into your database system and follow-up

#2 CONSISTENTLY follow-up with your clients to let them know you care and are there to help

Action Step: Create a system for following up with people on a consistent basis. My recommendation and the system I personally use: http://bit.ly/oFcIkN It’s like magic!

#3 Build yourself a cost effective long term running campaign

Action Step: Create your follow-up system and use low cost ideas such as, greeting cards, postcards, video cards, etc.

#4 Automate your follow-up and relationship building efforts – Like I said in #2 – the system I use does this and “It’s like magic”!

Action Step: Leverage your “Automated” tools for your follow-up

#5 Separate yourself from your competitors and their marketing messages. Customize your own in seconds

Action Step: Use your personal branding and “follow-ups” that people remember. Be Different! Think outside the box!

I would like to introduce you to the system I use. Let me help you with your NEW 2012 follow-up and referral system.