How To Get Your Holiday Cards to Avoid the Trash

Here a couple of tips when sending your holiday cards.
1. Be Creative. Stand out from the other cards. With cards people will want to show, share and save. Add photos, be personal, be funny. Add QR codes to custom cards with videos of the family or just you saying hi to your customers and how much you appreciate them. Wish them a wondeful holiday. Do not solicit a sale.

2. Send your cards early. Don’t wait until the last minute!
What happens during the Holidays? Holiday parties! If your Christmas card is first, and it is fun and interesting, it will definitely go on display. When people come over for the Holiday party many more of them will see your card and have an opportunity to pick it up. If you send your card late there may not be any room left on the shelf for your card. Not only that, but your card may arrive after the Holiday parties are all done. By procrastinating and sending your cards late you may have missed an opportunity for free referrals.
Personally I send my Holiday cards around Thanksgiving so they arrive at the end of November or beginning of December. I want my clients to receive my card first. I want them to know I put extra special thought an attention in this. I don’t want them think I waited until the last minute. My clients “feel” like I care about them, because I do!

3. Send yourself a test card NOW.
Since we’re talking about custom card designs it is important to send yourself a test card now. Don’t wait until the last minute. That way you have an opportunity to proof it and make changes before you send it to your clients. There is nothing worse than sending out 300 cards to clients only to realize you had an obvious misspelling or that your photo was too close to the edge of the card and didn’t print correctly. You can also find problems that weren’t obvious when you designed the card. You may find that your photos were too dark or that the photos you used were too small and didn’t enlarge well. This gives you an opportunity to correct those mistakes before you send them out.

Try the service we use for our custom Holiday cards and send two complimentary cards to see how easy the system is to use: http://www.sendoutcards.com/18421

Did you like these Holiday Card tips? I’ve got 3 more tips to share with you over the coming weeks!
Got questions?

Subscribe to our weekly free webinars about how to gain referrals and create loyalty with the use of cards, postcards and gifts. www.40waystousecards.com/schedule

Contact me at: United We Send Cards helpwithsoc@gmail.com 954-667-9762

What Would You Say In Your Award Speech?

As I watched the Oscars last night it made me think. What would I say in my acceptance speech? If you won an award who would you thank? Would you thank the people most close to you? Would you thank those who helped you get where you are today? Would you  thank G-d, the one being, you put you here in the first place with all of your gifts and talents?

Now is the moment to thank and appreciate those who molded you, guided you and helped you acheive your goals. Don't wait to do a eulogy for them. That would be too late. Do it now! Act on a prompting today.

Remember sending cards will help re-connect with those you lost touch with, develop new relationships and maintain existing ones. Who do you know that does not like to receive a card?

Happy Card Sending,
Debbie and Kerry Your Referral Specialists
Send A Free Card
Storefront
954-667-9762
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Teaching Our Children Etiquette

I remember growing up my mom used to tell me to write Grandma and Grandpa and my Aunts and Uncles letters thanking them for my birthday and Hanukkah gifts. Boy, I didn't like that at all. Write?!

Well, as an adult I understand why and now have my children do the same. Some times it is a written note other times my oldest goes into his SendOutCards account and types up his thank you. Either way it is a sincere gesture of appreciation. It is acknowledging the gift and his grandparents and other family members are happy to receive it.

It is our job to teach our children proper etiquette so they grow up to be well mannered adults. I see children in restaurants under tables and the parents don't do anything. That is not proper. That is not respecting other people around you. Take them outside and discipline them. However, one may do that. They have to learn that is not proper behaviour in a restaurant and it is embarrassing. Please don't tell me "well, kids will be kids". There is no excuse. Hmm, maybe next time I should go under a restaurant table and have a temper tantrum.

We, as parents, are the first ones with our children from birth to 5 years old. That is 5 years of brain development and programming. Don't blame the teacher.

One day my 7 year old son asked a question to the lady at the bank, "Ma'am, may I have a lollipop, please?" Now of course the lady asked me if it was alright. But I was amazed he used "Ma'am" and "please" in one sentence. It made me feel proud.

Can you imagine sitting at a table with a man or woman you are dating eating with their mouth full? How about when they don't say  thank you when you hold a door open for them? I am sure it is not someone you would want to stay around with. That behaviour doesn't really show that they appreciate you or think about how you feel. How about a husband not doing his own laundry or cook for himself? Or a wife bickering and yelling in public at someone? This all comes from teaching and showing what is appropriate and what is not.

These are common etiquette rules that respect other people's space and lives.

It is never to late to implement etiquette and it can start by just writing thank you cards for the all holiday gift your child received.

Debbie
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Remember sending cards will help re-connect with those you lost touch with, develop new relationships and maintain existing ones. Who do you know that does not like to receive a card?
Happy Card Sending,
and
Your Referral Specialists
Send A Free Card
Storefront
954-667-9762 ***********************************************

SEO vs. YOU

Ok, So you have an amazing website/blog/facebook page. You have figured out all the ways to drive traffic to your site. You made sure your tags are the best for your business, optimal keywords and an amazing layout of text and images that will grab your readers attention. You hired analysts, social media gurus and read all of their blogs, ebooks and such. Your education paid off you make the first page on Google, Yahoo and MSN. Woo Hoo!! Let's grab a drink!

Now how do your customers and family see you in the REAL world. Your image on the Internet is filled with expertise, motivation and know how. Great!

You strived on driving traffic to your site, but have you strived on driving PEOPLE to YOU!

You are an ATTRACTION MAGNET. Remember  that- you attract people who are like you by the way you think, act and network. What you put out in the Universe is what you get back. This is repeated over and over in books, motivational cd's, business and life coaches. So what I am saying is not new. But a reminder.

The amount of time you put into your website, blog, facebook page. All the energy you put into making sure your TWEETS are on everyone's feed from sun up to sun down, you should be putting into your REAL LIFE relationships.

So who is an ATTRACTION MAGNET? And how does one become one?

A person who is an attraction magnet is one who gives his or her self with no intention of wanting things in return and doing this on a massive scale. There are many techniques on how to become one. One word that stands out to me it SELFLESSNESS. When you strive to be this way others will admire you. This is not coming from jealousy, this comes from a true admiration. People will want what you have. Things you want out of life will come to you. Charisma, patience, listening skills or any combination of many things are attributes others are looking to emulate. There is an art to be an Attraction Magnet. Giving of oneself is not hard to do. It just needs to be practiced on more often.

More and more people will come to you instead of you searching for them. When you give off a positive outlook more positive people will find it.

So as you create your Internet presence when searching for your ideal reader, customer, distributor. Remember to apply that same thought in your real life interactions. A thought turns non substance things into reality.


Happy Card Sending,
and
Your Referral Specialists
Send A Free Card and Biz Opp www.unitedwesendcards.net
Storefront- www.unitedwesendcards.com
954-667-9762

That's ok, I don't want your referral.

The person who needs to read this is the one who wonders why they don't receive referrals from clients and/or other business professionals. The other type of person who reads this, like myself and my partner, will probably laugh in agreement.

How many times have you found someone at a networking event you thought about referring too? It is a great experience. They are a person who will fit in your circle of contacts, help each other with referrals, a nice compliment to the services and/ or products you have. Whatever the reason, you hit it off (or so you thought) and poof they don't FOLLOW UP!

You know that there lies interest. It is obvious from the other party. You make that phone call which is basic in nature. "Hello, how are you? I would like to know about you and your business? Give me a call."

You don't hear back, so the next day you send an email and wait...still no response. You think- are they on vacation? Are they hurt? Now, this is not just a one way street you truly want to know about them and their business, so you can refer your clients to them. There isn't an automated e-mail response saying they are out of town, nor a message on their voicemail. So, do they want the business or not? You even think to yourself- do they even know how to network and follow up?

I ask myself, does this person really want my referral? How can I be an effective referral generator to someone who does not return my call or email in a timely manner. If this is how you treat me, then how will you treat my client?

One needs to think about how they may be perceived if not returning communications in a timely manner. Communication is very important.

We are living in a society where people want instant gratification. If you don't call them back in an hour (maybe for some people it is even less) they WILL call someone else. Just Google a business and thousands come up. Everyone is not only in competition with the store down the street, but the ones all over the country.

My best advice is to offer you this. Reflect on how quickly you return a call, answer an email and evaluate the way you communicate to your customers and networking friends. If you are not available at this time then let them know you will contact them as soon as you return.

Ask yourself this- do you ignore a phone call on your cell because you don't know the number? Instead TELL yourself this, "If I DO answer this call, then I may gain a new customer. Because if I don't they more than likely will call my competition." I am not saying to be up at all hours of the night and being interrupted during family dinners. I am just saying to communicate more effectively and you may have more business than you know what to do with.

Debbie

Retail Store:  http://www.unitedwesendcards.com/
Send A Free Card and Biz Op:  http://www.unitedwesendcards.net/

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Welcome

Welcome!

Thank you for landing on our blog. Kerry and I are looking forward to create a forum of our business and personal sides. One of the important lessons we want to educate others about is APPRECIATION MARKETING. This may be a new term, but it has been around for generations. Let's break it down.

APPRECIATION- to be grateful or thankful for: They appreciated his thoughtfulness.
2. to value or regard highly; place a high estimate on: to appreciate good wine.
3. to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect: to appreciate the dangers of a situation.
4. to raise in value.
–verb (used without object)
5. to increase in value: Property values appreciated yearly

MARKETING–noun

1. the act of buying or selling in a market.
2. the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.

We are not ever putting down other forms of traditional business tactics. There is a place for advertising, whether in print, TV or radio. But what does one do once they create and build a database of clients and prospects.

What do you do to show them you thank them for their business, their referral, their kind gesture? Do you send them a card? If the answer is yes, GREAT! What do you say in it?

If the answer is no, then why not? It costs more to find a new client than it does to retain one.

When you send a card does it Send Out to Give or Send Out to Get. Do you know the difference? We will discuss the right and wrong way of showing appreciation. Determining what you are doing will affect the return of your investment (ROI)- good or bad.

So stay tuned for a fun and informative way of learning the Art of Appreciation.

Retail Store:  http://www.unitedwesendcards.com/
Send A Free Card and Biz Op:  http://www.unitedwesendcards.net/

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