According to the Guinness book of World Records the Greatest Salesman of all time was Joe Girard. During his fifteen year selling career, he sold 13,001 cars an amazing feat. What was his secret? Greeting Cards! Every month, every person who had ever bought a car from him got a greeting card. It didnt matter if it was Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, or the persons birthday ... Joe was a card sending machine!
By sending cards Joe was able to keep his name in front of his customers to the point where it entered their subconscious. In the minds of his customers Joe had become part of the family; in fact he sent them more cards then their real family did!. When they (or somebody they knew) needed a new car the first person they thought of was Joe!
Last year my wife and I each bought a new Jeep a Grand Cherokee for myself and a Jeep Liberty for her. After the guy sold me my Grand Cherokee I never heard from him again. It was quite a different story with the person who sold us my wifes Jeep Liberty. If you would ask me right now who sold me the Grand Cherokee I couldnt tell you. If you asked me who sold us the Jeep Liberty well thats easy Its Martha of course!
A few months after we bought the Liberty it was my birthday I got a birthday card in the mail from Martha. The next month was my wifes birthday and she got a card too! Martha sent us a nice holiday card as well. Last month was the one year anniversary of us buying the car ... would you believe she sent us an anniversary card? So heres the million dollar question ... Who am I going to buy my next car from? Martha of course!
A friend of mine is an attorney and he built his business by sending birthday cards to the children of his clients. He would often get a call from the parents thanking him for the card and recommending a friend or family member who needed an attorney!
Who else can use this technique? Realtors, Mortgage Brokers, Sales People, Insurance Agents, Dentists, Doctors, Chiropractors, Printers, Network Marketers, Small Business Owners, Consultants, Business Coaches etc. In fact I have a hard time thinking of anybody who cant use Greeting cards to build their business
Power Card Sending Techniques
1 - Send Birthday Cards To Your Clients
Whenever you get a new client ask them for their Birthday and send them a birthday card. You may be the only one doing it! This will cement your image in their mind and when they need you services they will think of you instead of your competitors
2 - Send Birthday Cards To Your Clients Children
This is a Killer Technique which was first introduced to me by my friend the attorney. What do you think is going to happen when the child receives the card? Do you think he may go to his parents and ask Mommy who is this John Smith, CPA guy who sent me a birthday card? Out of the mouths of babes Relationship marketing at its best!
3 - Send Cards At Unusual Times
Starting right after Thanksgiving until right before Christmas more cards are sent then any other time of the year. Companies feel obligated to send a holiday card once a year. The problem is people are getting so many cards yours will be lost in the shuffle
Now you have to Send a Holiday Card but there are other cards you can send throughout the year. Why not Send a Happy Groundhog DayCard? How about a Happy First Day of Spring Card? These cards will stand out a lot more then simply sending a once a year Christmas card
4 - Put Your Picture On The Card
Remember the purpose of sending card is to build a relationship with you client and keep your name in their mind. Theres no better way to do that then sending your picture in the card. Studies have been shown that people will not throw out a business card with a persons photo on it ... well the same goes for Greeting cards
5 Enclose A Gift
Want to really impress a client? Enclose a gift in the card! If you can find a store that your client likes send them a gift certificate for that store. If not, enclose a gift card for a popular store like Waldenbooks or Starbucks.
6 Design A Custom Card
There are places you can go to get a custom greeting card designed with your logo, your personal photo or anything else you want. This is an incredible way of branding yourself and your business
7 Send Unexpected Cards to Future Clients
Is there anybody you would like to meet but cant get past the gate keeper? This technique works like a charm. Get their address from their website and send them a greeting card you will be amazed with the results. I have used this technique to my advantage many times It Works!
With the new technology its not necessary to spend your time in the card store. There are online card sending services where you can send REAL physical greeting cards from your computer. The one I use is http://www.SendCardsFast.com They have a ton of features and are very inexpensive (under $1 a card).
One time I wanted to get in touch with a well known Internet Marketer and author. I tried emailing him with no response. I went to his website got his Physical address and sent him a card. I got an email from him 3 days letter with his home phone number!
I have since repeated the process numerous times with great results. One technique that I have used is to go to their website, download their picture and upload it to the Greeting card. When they open the card they are starting at a picture of themselves. needless to say this grabs their attention a bit!
So whether you are looking to build relationships with current customers or gain new ones Success is In the Cards!
Copyright Jack Bastide All rights Reserved
