Statistics say that only 3% of the mail we receive is personal; I know my mail box is overstuffed with junk mail and bills every single day.  Sure the occasional check shows up every now and then – but for the most part the mail we get is worthless and not very interesting and defiantly not personal.  I can tell you that I don’t even open some of the mail that screams “I am junk mail”.

Many marketing gurus have been on their soap boxes preaching the gospel of how important is it to put a personal touch in your marketing message that makes your business clients and prospects feel warm and fuzzy. Yet these so called guru’s are missing that mark when it comes to direct mail marketing by not realizing the power of a simple Greeting Card.

I find it amazing how popular Direct Mail Marketing is when the response rates are so poor.  The average response rate to a house list was 2.66 percent and a prospect list was even worse with a 1.01 percent response rate based on the 2010 Response Rate Trend Report published by The Direct Marketing Association (DMA).

Old School Marketing Days Are Gone!

Many years ago I too used to get 10,000 postcards printed up, splashed with my marketing message and sales pitch.  The results were less than satisfactory not even covering the cost of the mailing most of the time, yet I’d do it all over again the following quarter.  I didn’t really get it, but now I understand completely these postcards had no personality and the recipients knew that they were just another name on a junk mail list.

If you are like most, you scan through your daily mail searching for checks or something, anything that looks personal.  You push the junk mail to the side and either open it later or in most cases never.  A Greeting Card always gets opened; I guarantee it without question, without doubt if you saw a Greeting Card in your pile of mail it would be one of the first pieces of mail you would open. 

The next time you are planning a direct mail campaign, try sending out a personalized Greeting Card with no agenda.  You will make an impression with your clients and prospects that will make you and your business stand out from the crowd – appreciation wins over self promotion every single time.

Tim Somers
Send Out Cards

It has been twelve weeks since I joined TSA (Tribe Syndication Association) and I have to say I am blown away by all the attention my blog has been getting since joining this amazing tribe.  Before joining TSA my blog posts averaged one or two retweets, now I am averaging 32 retweets.

My daily traffic has jumped 1,000 percent – yes that is one thousand.  And the most exciting news is my first page Google listing for “Send Out Cards”. There are over 98 million competing pages and I am now showing up on the first page.  If you are questioning the power of tribes, these stats should put any and all doubt to rest.

The large boost my blog is getting didn’t really come free of charge. Don’t think it’s as simple as joining and poof – you will start seeing the results that I am now seeing.  You have to “put out”, if you will – to receive, it’s just that simple. I started out with very low expectations; I simply focused on helping my fellow tribe members.  And to my surprise, my fellow tribe members gave back.  On average I am spending two to three hours each week reading blog posts, watching videos and then syndicating to my network of followers.

The really interesting thing is that I have been learning a ton about marketing my own business all while I have been helping other tribe members syndicate their content, it’s a win win without question. 

I want to thank everyone that has syndicated my content and I must give special thanks to Dave and Dawn Cook, Gavin Mountford, Matthew Neer, and Edward Elliott without slighting any other members these individuals are the driving force that has made TSA the powerhouse tribe it is today.

Tim Somers
Send Out Cards

I have always struggled to keep in touch with clients and follow up with prospects on a regular basis.  My intentions were there, but time was always against me so I hardly ever sent Thank You Cards to my client’s.  About three years ago that all changed, I was introduced to an online Greeting Card Sending Service called Send Out Cards.  With over 15,000 stock cards I was able to send thank you cards and nice to meet you cards, even birthday greeting cards to my clients with a simple click of my mouse.

These were not ecards, or cards I printed myself, but high resolution cards printed on recycled stock, stuffed in an envelope, stamped with a real postage stamp, then mailed via the postal service for under a buck.  Send Out Cards also game me the option to upload my own pictures for a minimal additional charge – making the greeting cards more personalized.

The system also allowed me to set up multiple greeting card and postcard campaigns.  So I could keep in touch with clients and prospects throughout the year with several cards.  I simply set up a campaign and hit send and the cards are sent out on auto pilot for me, based on the distribution times I set up.

As a business owner it is easy to forget about the simple little things that really matter.  Using a Greeting Card Sending Service can make all the difference in keeping old clients and gaining new ones as well.  If you have employees you can also recognize their efforts by sending the occasional card of encouragement and you will never forget an employee’s birthday again with the automated reminder system that Send Out Cards provides.

If you send out cards of appreciation your business will grow, it has been provide over and over again.  Appreciation Marketing using Greeting Cards is a very effective tool for the success of any business.

If you would like to send out a couple of cards on me – contact me here.

To your success!

Tim Somers
Send Out Cards

I am not a fan of cutting grass by any means; in fact you could say I despise the entire two hour process.  However after every weeks two hour life loss, I feel a very brief sense of accomplishment.  After I have cleaned up the mess and put away all the lawn tools, I wipe my sweaty brow with my shirt sleeve and gaze at how amazing the yard looks, like a nice green carpet.  It’s only seconds later that I am over the amazement of my efforts only to hit the shower and never give the well groomed turf another thought…that is until next week…when the process starts all over again…ugh.

This is a picture of my yard back in May (2010).

I must say it looks pretty nice, and it is this time of the year when Mother Nature does most of the watering and nurturing for me.  Sure I installed the sod when we moved in 12 years ago, just like I network and plant seeds with business prospects.  I fertilize the lawn every month like clock work and water her every couple of days, just as I stay in contact and follow up with my customers each and every month…or do I ?

Here in Michigan we have had some great weather over the past few months, it has rained regularly so I didn’t even have to fire up the sprinkler system this year and here we are in mid-July.

This is a picture of my yard today (July 13, 2010).

WOW – I can’t understand what happened, it seems like only yesterday the kids, the dog and I were running around barefoot on a plush soft beautiful lawn (2 weeks ago to be exact).  As I scratched my head this morning it hit me…I NEGLECTED MY LAWN!  We have had somewhat of a heat wave the past week and a half, mid 90’s and it even hit 100 a couple of days in a row.  I think it only rained once in that time frame but only a minimal rain that dried up as fast as it hit the ground.

That burned neglected grass image haunted me all day, I started wondering what else have I been neglecting all while I thought everything was hunky dory -  Oh #$%@  it’s my clients.  Sure enough I let a couple slip through the cracks during last weeks rush of business.  I got on the phone this afternoon and dialed up the few neglected customers to let them know it was not my intention to neglect their requests last week.  I offered no excuses only to put there request on high priory this afternoon, two out of three understood.  The third…well lets just say with lots of water and time (cards and gifts) I hope they will come back to life within the next few months.

So I hope the image of my burnt grass will stay with you in regards to never neglecting your clients, keep in touch with them, follow up with them and you will never have to work extra hard to get them back.

To Your Success!

Tim Somers
Send Out Cards – Distributor

A well seasoned salesperson knows that building rapport with a prospect is a vital factor for developing and building business relationships that lead to sales.  Funny as it may sound you must consider every single facial expression, how you stand and the tone of your voice when communicating face to face with a prospect.  While these are important rapport building techniques you really need to focus on your human compassion when it comes to building business relationships.

If you are able to identify a prospects problem, current challenge or a goal they are trying to achieve you can then capitalize on what drives them on a daily basis. You must have a sincere desire to understand a prospect and what’s going on in his world, it is then and only then you can contribute to helping your prospect in one or more of these areas.  

You are going to have to ask questions, many questions to fully educate yourself on your prospects circumstances.  As hard as it may be you are NOT selling, your first order of business is to understand the how, what, why and when your prospect is facing.  Your prospect wants someone to listen to them and understand them, they will appreciation a salesperson that interacts with them on a personal level and is not in it for the quick sale.  Do this first and foremost and the sales and referrals with come in droves.

Here Are Some Other Relationship Building Strategies To Consider

Communicate Regularly. How often do you reach out to your customers and prospects? If you are only making contacts that focus on product offers and sales you are missing out on a relationship building opportunities.  It is very important to communicate regularly and vary the types of messages you send. Instead of a constant onslaught of promotions, send helpful tips using your newsletter or a simple greeting card. You should also consider a simple e-mail, phone contact or face-to-face communication that is not sales related at all.

Hold Special Events. Events like company-sponsored golf outings are very popular these days. Showing your appreciation to current customers and prospects via company-sponsored special events are great ways to build relationships on a more personal level.  It doesn’t have to be golf; it could be something family oriented like a BBQ at the local metro park.

Visit The Trenches. If your company sells products or services to other businesses through a team of salespeople it is very important for you the CEO of your company to get out and visit your clients.  There is no greater marketing tool to build a lasting relationship than a face to face meeting with your clients just to listen to their concerns.  Think about it, when was the last time you took the time to spend an hour with your most valuable asset – your paying customers.  Get out there and look your clients in the eye, shake their hand and listen to their concerns.  Then go one step further after you have listened, actually address their concerns as quickly as possible.  Then be sure to send them a Thank You Card for their business and for taking the time to meet with you.

Tim Somers
Send Out Cards Distributor

I attend several networking events, sometimes two or three a week.  I must admit there are times when I question why I am attending these events.  They are time consuming and at times exhausting.  But when I look back at how my promotional products business has grown over the past 21 years, I know that networking has been a huge part of my success.

In this post I want to share with you the follow up system that I use along with a success case study.  As the title of this post states, I will be covering follow up steps “after” a networking event – as I write this the wheels are spinning on a future post on what I do at these events that lead to this post – I know, I know…insert cart before the horse sarcasm here.

These steps are pretty simple; the hardest part will be actually taking the time to do them.  So let’s get to it – if the Networking Event has been successful you should have talked with no less then a dozen people, old acquaintances and most importantly new prospects.  You will have collected several business cards and put any conversation nuggets on the backs of them.  A conversation nugget is something that is important to the person you spoke with, i.e. their kids names, events, pets, hobbies etc. that you can use down the road to stimulate future conversation.

You first action should be to input the contact information for every card you collected into some type of contact manager (I use Send Out Cards).  Do NOT plug them into your auto-responder – let them opt-in on their own.  This happens to me all the time, for some reason when you met and converse with some people at a networking event they think you want to receive their information – so don’t add them unless they actually ask.

For the acquaintances you have met in the past – jump on Facebook or your preferred social media platform and drop them a quick note, nice to see you again, blah blah blah. While you are there search for each person you have collected a card from and drop them a friend request with a note stating it was great to meet you at the networking event, hope we can connect here and continue our networking efforts.

Next you will want to send them a “Nice to Meet” you greeting card.  Why? Well out of sight is out of mind in the business world so make sure you keep the memory of your meeting and discussion fresh in the minds of the new business contacts you’ve made.  I guarantee you that the recipient of your greeting card spoke to no less then 12 people at the event and will not remember any of them.  They will remember you for sending that simple little greeting card.

You can’t stop there…

Setting up a greeting card and postcard campaign is your next step – as little as 4 touches over the next year is vital to building TOMA (Top of Mind Awareness) with your new prospects.  These touches should not be sales pitches, they should be friendly, informative and motivating – nothing more.  Throughout this campaign you should set up a reminder to just call to say hey or how are you.  The prospect will be blown away that you called and didn’t try to sell them something.  Build a relationship first and the business will come – sometimes it will take time, but it will come.

A Personal Success Story

I just closed a deal that was two years in the making with a very brief one time face to face conversation at a networking event, 4 greeting cards and 2 post cards – That’s It!  I can’t say I took my own advice and called this person over the past two years – but the card campaign kept me in front of this person.  I met him at a Chamber of Commerce Networking Event two years ago and after we closed the order, I asked what was it that made you call me and give me your business.  He said and I quote, “Tim, you never pressured me or made me want to avoid you at the events we crossed paths at – but the really kicker was those cards you keep sending me – I still have that funny bathroom one on my desk”.

Simple yes, but very effective – put a follow up plan into action and your business will grow without question.

To you success!

Tim Somers
Send Out Cards – Distributor
Contact Me Here

So What Is Appreciation Marketing? Kody Bateman says that, “Appreciation wins out over self promotion every single time.” There are many different types of Marketing, Internet Marketing, Network Marketing, Relationship Marketing, Viral Marketing and Social Marketing to name a few. We live in a Google World of instant gratification were everything is done faster and faster and many are missing the boat on the basics – Appreciation Marketing.

We business owners can be compared to Indiana Jones, we have the passion, the drive and motivation to grow our businesses and Customer Loyalty is the Holy Grail for the success of every business large or small. Customers are loyal because we appreciate them…that’s it in a nut shell. I have lived in my current house for 12 years now and I will be calling my realtor the day I am ready to move. WHY? Because I bought two houses from her in the past and received a nice house warming gift each time. I get holiday cards, a calendar every year and from time to time a call just to say hi, how ya doing.

68% of customers who “leave”, do so because they didn’t feel appreciated.

If you want to grown your business with countless referrals and repeat business you need an Appreciation Marketing Plan that you are committed to. Saying thank you is not something that should be pushed off – you need to be a Champion of Thank You. Mary Kay Ash founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics built a billion dollar Cosmetics Empire based on Appreciation Marketing…being thankful – she taught her philosophy to all of her sales reps – Send out three hand written thank you notes each and every night before bed.

Joe Girard is a Champion of Being Thankful. What was his secret?
He built and maintained relationships. Joe used to send 13 cards to all his prospects and clients every year. One every month and one for Christmas, he created a place for himself in the brains of his prospects and clients by keeping in touch with them. He made sure that he was in peoples’ minds when they had to buy a car. And that is how he sold an average of 6 cars a day, everyday.

How Should You Say Thank You?

A face to face thank you should be your first choice, but if you are like me many clients are out of state and a face to face thank you just doesn’t always work. A phone call would be my second choice backed up with a simple Greeting Card. NEVER ever leave a thank you voice mail, send a thank you email or text a heartfelt thank you to your clients, take the time and effort to do it right.

Saying thank you in person or by sending a Greeting Card is great, but if you really want to go to the next level you should send a gift – it doesn’t have to be a Ferrari, a simple cup of coffee, some flowers, a gift card and ah the every reliable Box of Brownies will really get your message of appreciation across.

Thank someone today – think of somebody that you need to show your appreciation to and just do it – today, not tomorrow, not next week TODAY!

To Your Success!

Tim Somers
Send Out Cards Distributor
Contact Me Here

Tips For Home Businesses By Neil A. Lemons 

Like it or not, you have to go through the dreaded job hunt at one point in your life. For most people who were born in self-sufficient families, this is an obligatory task. The goal is to get a job that you can be happy with at the very end. To some, the whole process can be a painful as well as humiliating. They see their weaknesses, especially when the positions they vie for don’t go to them. Here’s how you can finally hit it big in the corporate world:

The first, and most important, strategy is to look online for any opportunity. The world is getting smaller, and for that, you no longer need to look into the confines of a regular office space to seek opportunities.

Build a social network. For the industry that you choose to get into, you need to know what the people are going into and what the current trends are. Always consider the allied industries into the equation because they can also extend their services to help you. Search and sign up with a variety of organizations related to the industry you want to get into. If there are gatherings in your locality, find out how you can get actively involved. Moreover, you can also attend online seminars and local conferences so that you can look deeply into your job search.

List down your goals and number them according to desire. Always look into what interests you and work your way from there. This way, you can do intensive research and really figure out where you can seek help. Only a very small percentage of available jobs actually get advertised, and this is where your network of friends comes in handy.

If networking doesn’t work, you can get a consultant to show you the ropes. These job experts will help you find the best means to get a job, even sometimes help you get a team of experts to work with you on special projects. The right group of consultants can offer you a form of structured referral systems and verification services. Thus, your search is made simpler and faster because you won’t need to go through the conventional means.

Concentrate on the work ahead. Look into sites that offer gigs for quick money-making schemes. If you focus on what you do, you can get through the tasks quickly. Who knows, you may even establish connections this way.

These job searches don’t have to be exhaustive or intimidating. If you just follow the tips written above, the whole process could be exciting and interesting. With enough hard-work, your chances of finding a job you like become higher. This could be just the start of something that could turn out to be extremely lucrative and big. And whichever strategy you choose, your experience can only be as interesting as you allow it to be. Take some time and put in a little bit of effort because the paybacks could be very good. Soon enough, you’ll definitely land that dream job.

A freelance business and management copywriter. With a vast experience in seo, he has helped over a thousand companies become more profitable. For more information about b2b marketplace, visit http://www.core24inc.com/index.php

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neil_A._Lemons

Tim Somers
Send Out Cards – Distributor
Contact Me

Building a successful Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) business will be determined by the leaders you align yourself with.  A good leader will be there for you, guiding you and helping you to a level of success you could not obtain by yourself.  Thousands of people join MLM business opportunities every single day and most will never make a dime for two simple reasons. 1. Bad Leadership and 2. Not Taking Action.  Those that have joined a team with strong leadership still fail more times than not, because they simply never do any work to build their business.  They never get that first follower…

Check Out This Leadership Lesson Video – Listen Closely.

A good MLM leader is one that teaches and motivates others how to become leaders themselves.  As a leader your downline must look up to and respect your teachings from a proven track record.  Many self claimed leaders do not practice what they teach and are quickly labeled as lousy leaders, therefore loosing their followers rather quickly.

In searching for a leader you should fire off some strong questions that will help you decide which person you want to sign up under.  You may find that very strong leaders with large downlines are unable to reach out to new business builders on their team, simply because their downline is just too large.  Working with a leader that has had success with a smaller downline often times works out for the best.

When talking with a leader you can get a good read on the sincerity they offer their downline within the first 10 minutes of a conversation.  Their truthfulness and honesty will be evident and will ensure you are making the right choice during that first conversation.

Leadership is the most importantly aspects for building a successful Multi-Level Marketing business, so you need to put a prospective leader to the test well before you sign up under them.  Go with your gut and do not second guess your decision.

To Your Success!

Tim Somers
SendCardsBlog.com
Contact Me Here

USA Today recently published a story on how Direct Sales Companies are finding growth in these economic times.  Companies like Avon, Mary Kay and Send Out Cards have found dramatic increases in representatives, i.e. business builders over the past year.

There are approximately 15 million direct sellers in the United States alone; these are independent contractors who sell goods or services primarily through parties, demonstrations in someone’s home and one-on-one interactions. In 2007, the most recent year available, the sales industry generated $30.8 billion in United States sales, according to the Direct Selling Association.

This is great news if you are looking to get involved with Send Out Cards or any other Multi-Level Marketing company.  Most offer a low investment to get started. Send Out Cards is no different, you can be up and running within 5 minutes for a minimal start up cost.  If you consider the time and money that would be involved in the research and development of starting your own business, getting involved in a Direct Selling Company is defiantly the way to go.

Click Here to read the entire article.

Tim Somers
Send Out Cards – Distributor
Contact Me Here