Wednesday, September 28, 2005

The Power of Print

Let’s face it … Computers and the World Wide Web are taking over almost every aspect of business. Millions and millions and millions of emails are generated every single day. I’m willing to be that the average work at home mom generates hundreds of emails a week herself. Speed is essential. Customers want their orders placed, paid for and notifications sent immediately. As this is by far a huge benefit … let’s not forget the importance of the printed word.

When was the last time you sent a thank you card? No, I don’t mean an eCard. I mean an actual card you can hold in your hands. While everyone else is relying on emails you should stand out and send something via old fashioned “snail mail”.

Thanks for your order…
Make your business stand out and send postcards to customers after they’ve placed an order. Post cards are perfect! This gives your customers something “real” to actually hold. Have them printed with your business logo on them. Do you know how many hands your postcards will go through before reaching your customer? There’s a double plus all by itself! Thank your customer and receive additional promotion! Post cards are small enough they can be held onto for future orders … and trust me … they will be! Don’t forget … postcards are cheaper to mail too!

Look what’s new…
Post cards can also be used to send out updates of new products, specials etc. Again, how many people are going to actually see this before it reaches your customer? Keep your customers (and anyone else who sees them in the meantime) “in the know”.

I know what you’re thinking right now …
It’s cheaper to send emails. It’s more convenient. It’s quicker. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking emails in anyway because they are huge time saver and money saver. I’m just saying it never hurts to stand out a bit. Small businesses and work at home moms have the opportunity to keep customer service alive.

It doesn’t need to be expensive or time consuming either. First of all as mentioned above, the postage is cheaper when you send a postcard versus a letter. Places like Vista Print http://www.mommyshelperonline.com/vista-print.html and Stamps.com make it this much quicker and easier. For example, at Vista Print you can receive 100 full color postcards for only $24.99. You can have them customized with your business logo on them and even have a printed message on the reverse side. All you have to do is sign your name! At Stamps.com you don’t even have to run to the Post Office. For only $14.99 a month you can print your own postage right from home. This has been a huge time saver for me!

For a free trial of Stamps.com go to http://www.stamps.com/freepostage and enter promo code C-5TR8-DB4 during registration to receive $25 in free postage, free digital scale, free supplies kit and a free 4 week trial. Give it a try for free for a month. You have nothing to loose.

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About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms, and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. Learn how you can be successful in your company by visiting: www.DirectSalesHelpers.com
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Note to authors: The above article may be reprinted in your publication as long as the bio is kept intact and links are not altered. Please send a courtesty copy to mommyshelperonline@yahoo.com

Welcome to Direct Sales Industry News

Hi and welcome to The Direct Sales Industry News (aka DSIN).

Kara Kelso and Anita DeFrank, authors of The Direct Sales Success Kit, specialize in coaching direct sales representatives to reach their goal of becoming successful in their field now brings to you DSIN.

We will keep you up to date with the latest news happening in the Direct Sales Industry. Each month we'll feature a new "Successful Consultant of the Month". Plus DSIN will also help you become the successful business person you really are with weekly articles written by successful people for succssful people.

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To Success!
Kara & Anita