Laurie Delk's Blog

Do you send birthday cards to your clients?

Anniversary cards?

What about holiday cards????

Birthdays, anniversaries and holidays are master keys to client loyalty.

This is a simple concept. Your clients will demonstrate dramatically increased client loyalty to you, naturally, when you communicate that you value the importance of their personal and family celebrations.

Does this ring true for you?

With enough loyal clients, any business will exceed its financial goals.

Is there a magic bullet? Yes. Of course. It has been proven over and over again, for 600 years – send your best clients a greeting card.

Basic, but very, very effective.

Then, why is it so difficult to act on this truth?

Because it is a staffing nightmare to organize and execute. Remembering dates, buying cards, writing the message, stuffing, stamping, mailing!!!

It takes determination, but wait….

We have solved the problem.

In fact, this technology did not exist several years ago.

Never again address, stuff, stamp and mail another birthday card.

In less than 60 seconds, enter your client’s basic information online.

As easy as sending an email, except that your client receives a photographic quality greeting card in the mail.

The company prints, stuffs, stamps and mails the card.

Choose from over 15,000+ cards. Custom cards are easy to create.

Even upload your current database in mere minutes.

The online data manager never lets you forget a birthday or anniversary.

Send multiple cards as a follow-up campaign, automatically, whenever you say, even months from now.

Add your signature, even use your own handwriting font.

Add a picture or image from your computer – they print it next to your message.

Compassionate client follow-up the easy, effective way.

This works – beyond your expectations.

Contact me, or see more about the system we use to keep in touch with our clients – at www.ILoveCards.net

If you want to be good, do your job – like they tell you – like everyone else….
If you want to SUCCEED – do your job BETTER than they told you – BETTER than everybody else…..
Eventually your INCOME will surpass EVERYBODY else……

So many people SAY they want more money – I mean – who doesn’t???

But the thing is, what are you doing to GET MORE than everybody else? Like the saying goes – “if you keep doing, what you have always been doing, then you will keep getting what you have always been getting.”

What are you doing to stand out from the crowd?

You do not have to be bold, daring, arrogant, proud…..You can be successful – and still be truthful, honest, professional, humble….etc. Many people throughout life, I have heard think that people that “have it made” are very arrogant or rude…(and yes, I do beleive SOME are) but I beleive MOST are not. There IS a difference in being self-confident and egotistical.

You could own your own business, or you could work at a job somewhere – but in either case, you should go above and beyond all measures of what is expected of you. People who become millionaires, did not become millionaires because they sat around doing nothing – they became millionaires, because they wanted to live a different lifestyle, they did not want to “be like everybody else”

I am sure we have all mostly had a job where we knew someone at that job – that did what they were supposed to do, and even did it well. But that is ALL they did – JUST what they were asked. Which, in a way, is fine, I mean – they will keep their job, probably, and they will earn their salary. But – what about the ones that do that same exact job….but go ABOVE AND BEYOND what the boss asked them to – even though they would not get paid any different. Who do you think that boss is going to look towards, when they decide to promote someone?

Same thing in owning your own business:

If you are a carpet cleaner, and you clean carpets VERY well. That is great. But if say you are not available when I need it the next time, so I get someone else….and they do VERY well also – BUT they go ABOVE AND BEYOND what I asked and do a better cleaning, or a little extra spot – or extra time on a stain I did not even mention, or….who do you think I am going to call on next time?

If you are a car salesman, and you sell cars VERY well. That is great. But if say you are not available when I need to buy the next time, so I get someone else….and they do VERY well also – BUT they go ABOVE AND BEYOND what I asked and do a little extra, add a few perks, send out card to me after the sale to keep in touch with me, send out newsletters to me of neat ideas and events I might be interested in, call me every 6 months to just check in, or….who do you think I am going to call on next time?

If you are an insurance agent, and you sell your policy VERY well. That is great. But if you only send me a bill once every 6 months or a year, but I never hear from you any other time, or you might even send me a cheese *blanket* birthday card once a year….What do you think is going to happen when someone else starts approaching me to get my business…do you think I will take a look at what they are offering and compare it?
Do you think I would if you sent out a card every month or even every few months – just to keep in touch……or even had some sort of contact in between the yearly bills?

The thing is – anyone can do a JOB – it takes a GREAT person – to do a GREAT job – and stand out above the crowd. “People will do business, with people they know, like, and trust”. You might get a client once, on a “by chance” ad through the paper or something like that – but will they STAY with you?

The secret to KEEPING your clients – and getting your clients to give you ENDLESS REFERRALS without even asking – is to keep in touch with them, and be BETTER than everybody else – that is providing the same service that you do.

Today I was sitting here thinking about my business, and my clients business. I was talking to a client on the phone, and he was asking me about being able to KEEP his clients. I gave him some ideas, as usual, then got off the phone.

The more I sat and contemplated our phone conversation, the more I began to think. I thought about my anniversary, and comparing that to business….and I thought….you know – for my husband to KEEP my *business* in our marriage, he had to WORK at it over the last 16 years. He had to KEEP in TOUCH with me. Many businesses, they think that they can do the sale, take care of you whenever you call them for something, and that is it! And you will STAY FAITHFUL to being their client for 16 years! What do you think???? Do you think if my husband only took care of me when I called him for something or asked him for something – do you think I would have *stayed his client (wife)* for the past 16 years??? No! So WHY would you expect your CLIENTS to do the same???

 If you want to KEEP your clients for 16 years, you need to KEEP in TOUCH with them….you can do this many ways, via email, via telephone calls, via webinars, via greeting cards, etc – There are many ways that you can keep in touch with your clients, build rapore with them, as well as give them ideas to increase their business, and just remind them who you are and say hello to them!

 I heard it once, people do business with those who they know, like, and trust. Well it’s true! The thing is, after you GET your clients, you want to KEEP them don’t you? Just think about it. If you only send them your sales special once a year, and nothing else all year long, or their invoice once a year…How loyal do you think they are going to be to you? What reason would they have to stay with you – rather than go to the next person that comes along, that offers them a better deal, a better offer, a better sale, etc.

 One of the things I do, is help people to KEEP in touch with their clients – all for about $5 a year per client. I can help you set up with email autoresponders to keep in touch with your clients, as well as greeting cards – we can design CUSTOM cards for your business, as well as CUSTOM campaigns for your business – where you hit CLICK – and cards are sent to your client over the next 5 months, or even 5 years, all with one click from your end. I talk to you, find out about your business, what you want to do, as well as give you ideas that I have seen be proven with other people in their business that I have already helped them with.

So you CAN KEEP your clients and customers for 16 years…..and longer…..

See some greeting cards and post cards I have done for over 600 other clients – http://ILoveCards.net

Many people want business right – we all do! But we expect people to remember us 2 years after we have done business with them! Are they going to? Would you? If someone, for example, sold you a car…..They were a GREAT salesperson, did a GREAT job, you LOVED their service, and DEFINITELY would recommend them to anyone you knew. So, now 2 years down the road, your friend Sally mentions to you she is thinking about buying a new car. Do you remember the guys name that sold you the car to refer him business? Well, if he has NOT kept in touch with you AT ALL, you probably do not! But – if he sent you an email, called you, or sent you a greeting card in the mail, once a month, or even once every couple months, then he would be “TOP OF MIND” with you, and you would *probably* remember him, and you would be HAPPY to tell your friend Sally about your experience with him, and would tell her to call him. You would remember the name of the dealership as well as the saleman’s name!

Isn’t this how you want to run your business? Don’t you WANT your clients to remember you? Harvard’s Business School says we all know about 250 people in our *circle of influence*. Do you want to tap into those, or would you LIKE to tap into the 250 people that your 250 people know??? I like the latter idea much more! With that – same thing, if you KEEP IN TOUCH with the 250 people you know, by sending them emails, making phone calls, or even sending a greeting card once a month or once every few months – it would help you to stay “TOP OF MIND” with all your friends, family and clients….And when you do this, people are going to remember you, and if they think you do a good job in your business, they are going to refer you to their friends and family – without you even asking!

Isn’t that the point we would ALL LOVE our business to be? 100% based on referrals without ANY advertising?

That IS how I run my business, and have for years…..and if you stay tuned, I will teach you tips and tricks I have learned and used over the years to help me, that can also help you in your business.

~Laurie Delk