| It was the 1970's. While I was a graduate student in | | | | Facebook. It was all manual labor. Go to the store and |
| Kansas City I landed a prime time job as a morning | | | | buy the greeting cards, go the Post Office and buy the |
| drive disk jockey on a well know radio station. I was | | | | stamps, write the notes (by hand), stamp the envelope, |
| doing very well adjusting to my new found fame as a | | | | address the envelope, go to the mailbox, deposit the |
| local celebrity. It was lots of fun and I was enjoying life. | | | | card. |
| One day I went into the General Manager's office and | | | | But my efforts paid off. The next time I'd walk into a |
| asked for a raise. We had just bought our first house | | | | clients store or business it was like I was a long lost |
| and also had a lot of medical bills from our firstborn | | | | friend. "Hi Dave!" was the enthusiastic welcome I got |
| son who had cerebral palsy. Surely he could see how | | | | most often. It gave me a huge edge over the |
| valuable I was to the station's image. Didn't I deserve a | | | | competition. There were times when my competitor |
| raise? | | | | would leave an advertising proposal and my clients |
| He proceeded to tell me that it wasn't in the budget. | | | | would ask me to review it and give my opinion! Imagine |
| However, he explained that if I would take myself off | | | | that... |
| the air and go into the sales department I could give | | | | The trust and friendship I earned came as a result of |
| myself a raise. In fact, an unlimited raise based on my | | | | 1. showing up on time for appointments, |
| performance. Now that sounded intriguing. But I was | | | | 2. always doing what I said I would do, and |
| scared. It was an intimidating idea. Well, up to that point | | | | 3. always being grateful for the business. |
| my sales experience included selling flower seeds and | | | | A greeting card was the cement on the relationship. |
| greeting cards door to door when I was about 12 | | | | And not just one thank you card. I'd learn their spouse's |
| years old. My pay came in the form of prizes that I | | | | name, their children's names, their dog's name. And I'd |
| could select out of a cool color catalog. Or was it | | | | find out when their birthday was. So there were |
| black and white? Things like a camera, binoculars, or a | | | | multiple reasons to keep in touch. Tom Hopkins tells the |
| telescope. Stuff little boys love. | | | | story of building a multi-million dollar real estate business |
| Oh yeah, I did have a paper route as a teenager and | | | | from sending cards. Relationships can't be bought. |
| had to be sure to collect the money from all the | | | | Relationships can't be faked. You are either genuine |
| subscribers so I could get paid. I figured out a little | | | | and sincere or not. |
| collections trick to reduce my workload. I clipped a mail | | | | Now comes the problem. Or should I say challenge? |
| order form from the back of a comic book and | | | | Sending a thank you card is a lost art form. We either |
| ordered a return address stamp. If I placed a | | | | don't have the time or don't take the time. Many are |
| pre-addressed envelope in the newspaper once a | | | | victims of the "fast sale" mentality. Get them to sign on |
| month I could get a large percentage of my customers | | | | the dotted line and move on to the next sale. Statistics |
| to just mail me their check. So I only had to collect in | | | | show it is far easier to get repeat sales from satisfied |
| person from the remaining few. Worked like a charm. | | | | customers than it is to generate new clients. Here is |
| Then there was the job at my high school friend's | | | | the exciting news. Are you sitting down? Are you |
| parents' business, a swimming pool company right | | | | ready for this? About two years ago my business |
| down the street from my house. I ran the pool supply | | | | consultant introduced me to an online greeting card |
| store and sold in ground and above ground pools. | | | | program. No, I don't mean e-cards. I'm talking about a |
| Unfortunately, I was fired from that job for using some | | | | real physical thank you card or birthday card that you |
| inappropriate common vernacular slang in earshot of | | | | can send from your desktop or laptop or even your |
| the boss. | | | | Blackberry. |
| I can't remember if that was before or after I was | | | | The company I discovered offers a selection of over |
| fired from the local IGA grocery store. The manager | | | | 13,000 cards of every category imaginable. Hundreds |
| called me in to his office one day to inform me that I | | | | of business owners, managers and sales people are |
| just wasn't cut out for the grocery store business. I | | | | flocking to this business tool like crazy. It is so simple |
| din't think a 15 year old was looking for a long term | | | | and fast that I have personal sent out over 1200 cards |
| career stocking shelves. Now I never did find out if I | | | | just over the past year! I select a card, type in my |
| was fired for blowing up cans of pork and beans in | | | | message, auto-fill the address from a built in contact |
| the incinerator in the stock room, (Before pollution | | | | manager and click SEND. The card is printed, stuffed in |
| controls and global warming), or whether they didn't like | | | | a real envelope, stamped with a real stamp and mailed |
| me riding the back of grocery carts out to the little old | | | | by noon the next day. |
| lady's cars to help them load up. So you can see my | | | | If that weren't enough, it does it all in my actual |
| sales experience and training was on the slim side | | | | handwriting AND my real signature. Not only that, but I |
| when I approached the GM at the radio station. | | | | can tell the software to add a gift card like Starbucks |
| Right about that time a retired preacher gave me an | | | | or American Express. Oh there's so much more but |
| old book called, The Success System That Never | | | | you'll have to check it out for yourself. Now, based on |
| Fails by W. Clement Stone, the Chicago insurance | | | | what I just described, I suppose you are thinking that |
| millionaire. Clem Stone had been the manager of | | | | this must be pretty expensive. Yes, it is very elaborate |
| Napoleon Hill, author of Think And Grow Rich. Between | | | | software. Well here's another surprise. I can send out a |
| each chapter there was a clever saying under the title, | | | | real classy looking glossy card for 61 cents! Plus |
| "Little Hinges That Swing Big Doors." That book gave | | | | postage. So with a 44 cent stamp we're talking $1.06. |
| me the courage to prepare a detailed presentation to | | | | A card like this from Walmart would easily cost $3.50. |
| my General Manager outlining exactly how I would go | | | | Once you sign up, you get a free website and in |
| about selling radio advertising and reach specific goals. | | | | addition to greeting cards you can send postcards and |
| He said it was the best presentation he had ever | | | | newsletter size cards the same way. I've used it to |
| seen. Quite honestly, I don't know how many other | | | | promote events, like my Chamber of Commerce |
| presentations he had reviewed. | | | | ribbon cutting. I sent out 212 postcard invitations and |
| He gave me the green light to move into the sales | | | | had over 80 people show up! That's over a 30% |
| office and occupy my own desk. My new sales job | | | | response rate. Fantastic! Concerned about cost? This |
| also launched me on a lifetime of sales, marketing and | | | | company allows you to have resale rights through |
| advertising as well as introducing me to the greatest | | | | what they call their "Entrepreneur Package," and will |
| sales trainers in the world via live seminars and books. | | | | send you a check for $120 for every referral that gets |
| Lots and lots of books. A few years ago I was | | | | a wholesale package. See the website for details. |
| honored to have my picture taken with Mark Victor | | | | You can probably tell that I'm pretty excited about this. |
| Hansen, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul. Mark | | | | So let me wrap things up by saying you can try it for |
| presented me with an advertising award for a | | | | free by sending a card for yourself at Thirty Second |
| television commercial I had created. One of the results | | | | Cards. Be sure to turn up your speakers because the |
| of accepting the sales job was that I won several | | | | owner of the company will walk you through the entire |
| sales awards at that radio station and still have a | | | | process in less than 5 minutes. If you're experience is |
| specially designed award certificate hanging on the | | | | anything like mine, I'll bet you send me a thank you |
| wall of my office after 30 years! | | | | card. |
| One of the very first things I learned way back when | | | | My experience has been very positive in building great |
| was to hand write a Thank You note to each of my | | | | relationships with my clients (and family and friends). |
| advertising customers. Back then there was no | | | | And I've gotten plenty of referrals as a result. I will be |
| internet, no personal computers, no email, no Twitter or | | | | sending out cards for the rest of my life. |