Today I want to share with you a very personal story that not only will give you an instant, easy to implement tool for increasing sales and referrals but also add a whole new level of depth to your business.
Last week I walked out to my mailbox, opened it and start going through the mail. Like you, I started sorting my mail over the waste basket – throwing away junk mail. (There wasn’t even any good direct response “junk mail” to keep and learn from.)
Then I come across blue envelope – a greeting card envelope to be exact. It is hand-addressed to me and there is a real stamp on the envelope.
Of course, I stop to see who this is from and see from the return address, (one of those small foil type stickers) it is from my sister, Sue.
I wonder, why is she sending me a greeting card? It’s not my birthday. It’s not a holiday. Intrigued, I open it up.
Inside is a Hallmark card. Sue likes birds, so there is a picture of a bird looking out from the tree. The copy on the front of the card reads, “Just looking in on you…” When you open the card the message continues “…to see how you’re doing.”
Also inside is the following handwritten note from Sue. “I have been thinking about you and please remember don’t work too hard, have fun, relax and enjoy a treat or two. – Love Sue.”
And to top it off, she enclosed a Dunkin’ Donuts gift card.
Wow. This deeply touched me. In fact, it blew me away.
There are many, many lessons in contained in this short email. (One of which is I have the sweetest sister on the planet.)
Think about who your best customers, clients and patients are, go buy some greeting cards and gift cards and follow the model I laid out for you in this newsletter.
By the way, don’t include any type of “sales pitch.” You are not going for direct sales here. You are showing appreciation in a very real way. The rewards from doing this simple act will be enormous – on many levels.
Have a great weekend,
Kick butt, make mucho DEE-nero!
~Dave Dee
P.S. I would love to hear what you think! Please post your comments below.
Leave A Reply (6 comments So Far)
Sukie Baxter
230 days ago
Hey Dave, this is a GREAT tip and exactly how I built my bodywork practice from a base of 6 clients to a database of 200 loyal customers during “the worst recession since the Great Depression.” I even raised my rates by $30 and charged more than almost every other practitioner in my field in my city.
Debora
230 days ago
Dave — What a super sister you have! And what a great example she gave of truly caring for those in our lives … family as well as customers and clients. Her note and the gift-card surprise were just the right touches. Great stuff!! Thank you for sharing … I’m off to pay it forward
Bonny
225 days ago
That’s a really powerful method. I wonder how my customers would feel when they got such personalized card or mail! I have a feeling that they’d think there’s something fishy about it, since no one else has ever sent them anything personal… Just personal opinion.
Jr
218 days ago
Its nice to know that you can still get a card in the mail and it touches your heart unexpectedly. I know it works because I try to send one a day since 2007 I myself enjoy sending out a card sometimes with a gift to business people, friends, family, sometimes someone at a store or restaurant that i’ve been helped and just felt that they took good care of me. You can do the same from your computer, just take a peak at the system and how it works, I don’t want to sell you anything, just try the system for yourself and you decide what works for you.
Dave Dee
216 days ago
Although SendOutCards is better than not doing it, it is an inferior substitute to what I outlined in my post. HANDWRITTEN and really personal is the key to max impact.
Chuck Rylant
216 days ago
What a great blog post. A lot of little marketing lessons baked into that interesting story. Well done.