Handwritten notes are becoming a thing of the past, but sometimes they’re the best way to convey your message.
Today’s selling environment is extremely crowded and competitive, but most disturbing is that it is becoming much less personal. While we all agree that technology has allowed us to be in touch 24/7, it has also taken away one of the greatest and strongest parts of the selling process…the “Personalized Touch.” Without personalization we simply become a commodity much like the product we represent. In the world of commodity selling you can’t win, only price will win and that is not selling.
If you are like me when you go to the mailbox and actually see an envelope with your address handwritten it makes you smile. You can’t wait to open the envelope! When you do and it is a handwritten note, the smile gets even bigger. Your clients are no different. They receive tons of e-mails, and many are from your competitors. Studies show that about a third of all e-mails will be opened and if they know you that open rate doubles. A handwritten note/letter sent through the mail has an open rate of 100%. Now I am no math genius but those numbers speak for themselves.
I suggest you (or better yet your office) set aside an hour a week just to write handwritten notes telling a client you are thinking about them, following up on something you both have in common or simply to just say hello. Make it fun as a team and bring in smoothies or a bottle of wine. I urge you to add this to your sales strategy moving forward and see how your response rate with a client or prospect increases. In other words…”Make it Personal.”
We’ll take that holiday tip one step further by suggesting three of our favorite printers. Many online printing services can give you very low rates on holiday greeting cards. Most run valuable seasonal discounts that are open to just about everyone. Consider these “paper people” for great buys on holiday hellos!
- Vistaprint.com – Good quality, quick service, and very low rates. You don’t go to Vistaprint if you want the absolute best options in styles and stationary quality – but if you are on a budget, this is a super place to get great deals, and their customer service is excellent, with drag and drop options for design.
- Moo.com – Top notch customer service combined with the highest quality paper products around makes Moo.com one of our favorite online printers. This is luxury printing at its very best.
- Overnightprints.com – If you’ve fallen behind in holiday planning, Overnightprints.com will come to your rescue by offering last minute production and shipping solutions. The quality is good and these folks meet the deadlines you pay for. Period.