How many times you’ve been out shopping and as you walk back through your door you recall that you should have bought some greeting cards?  Have you ever suddenly remembered that it’s your best friend’s Anniversary in a week’s time and you have not mailed her a greeting card, or even purchased it yet?  How many times have you thought of sending your clients a “thank you” card but the thought of writing 20, 30 or 50 cards is so daunting you never get started?

I know this happens because it used to happen to me.  I’ve also had people tell me in March that they have unwritten cards they should have sent out in November or December of the previous year but it was such an overwhelming task that it got started but was not completed.

Send Out Cards is a unique greeting card system with a complete online service that allows you to send a physical, glossy greeting card from your computer that’s delivered through the US Mail.  It is cost-effective as each card with postage costs less than the average price of a regular greeting card.

The greeting card system allows you to leverage your time.  Once your contacts are entered in the system, you can type the message once and select all of your contacts, who will receive a card with their individual name in the salutation. An actual postage stamp is on the envelope, not a metered stamp.

Send Out Cards offers a selection of over 13,000 cards in various categories to suit business and personal needs.  Further, with this system you will never forget any of your customers or friends and family special days as once you fill in the information, the system will remind you in advance of any upcoming dates.

Would you like to see how this system works by sending a greeting card from your computer?  Go to http://cardsuccesscircle.com and click on “Send a Free Card.”  After you send your card, I’ll be happy to send you a copy of my report “One Dozen Reasons to Send a Follow-Up Card.”

One of the things I’ve had on the wall in my home office for several years is a poem that I found a long time ago.  Every now and again I need to remind myself of why I need to focus on  goals that I’ve set in various aspects of my life and the poem reminds me.  I’d like to share it as you may find that it encourages you as well.  Unfortunately I’ve never been able to find who the author is but if you’ve seen it before and know, please share.

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE DREAMERS WITH GOALS

Your dreams are you vision of where you’ll be after the battle,
your prize at the end of your journey to success.
Your goals are the steps you take to finally attain your prize.

Unless you’re willing to work hard and establish some discipline in your life,
all of your dreams will be pipe dreams,
little mental fantasy trips that will never materialize.

Make concrete steps toward fulfilling your ultimate dream,
and start with solid objectives and goals.

Your dreams are where you want to go,
your goals are how you get there.

The indispensable first step
to getting the things you want out of life is this:
Decide what you want.

Don’t be afraid to think big and dare to be great.
Dreamers are not content with mediocrity.
They never dream of going halfway.
People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.

Are you a dreamer or a goal-setter?  Dream big, but set the goal to achieve the dream!

Customer follow-up is an area that is important in any business, but is critical to anyone in any type of sales.

1.The Invisible Sign - Mary Kay Ash taught that she imagined that everyone wore an invisible sign around their neck that says “Make Me Feel Important.”  Isn’t this really true about ourselves even if we don’t readily admit it?  We know it has value because when we are made to feel special by someone else, and especially at a place where we spend our money, we remember it.

Business owners – entrepreneurs must promote ideas and implement strategies to ensure that each customer is made to feel special.  Ultimately each business owner has to determine which ideas would be best for his or her area of business, but tried and true strategies abound.

For online businesses e-mail marketing is one way to follow-up with customers.  Some internet marketers have gone a step further.  Two marketers immediately come to mind.  In opting-in for a report they both asked for physical address and I felt that was an over-kill but I gave it anyway.  About two weeks later I found out why.  One of their strategies is to not only communicate with their market online, but they also send physical cards like the ones found at http://cardsuccesscircle.com

Some basic suggestions that work for most businesses would be:

Gifts with Purchase
Add-on Service
Customer Appreciation Days
Thank You Cards
Follow-up Calls and/or Surveys
Special Day Cards
Thinking of You
“I Value Your Opinion” – Referral Cards

By making your customers and clients feel special, you are building strong, long-lasting relationships.

2. Referrals and Testimonials – Customers who know you care are happy to give you their business and they will also be happy to refer their friends and family to you.

It is said that ‘word of mouth’ is the best form of advertisement and this is even more important in our current economy. People have become more conscious of good customer service; it’s no longer a matter of purchasing sales and services from just any provider or supplier. They want to know they are doing business with a person or company that has an excellent reputation for providing great service after the sale.

The result of happy customers should be unsolicited testimonials. When customers give these verbally ask them to put their testimonials on paper and if you have not started doing this, start today. A simple system would be to use a 3-ring binder with sheet protectors and every time you receive a written testimonial you add it to your binder.

Another option is to have them send their testimonials by e-mail, and include their name and address for verification.

Referrals and testimonials create added value for your business as savvy customers are more inclined to make their decisions based on referrals or recommendations from their peers.

A clump is a knot or tight cluster of people or things.  It’s a natural tendency in humans to want to stay in groups with   whom they feel comfortable – either people you already know or those with whom you share similar interests.

There are times when staying within your clumps or tight cluster may not be a good idea.  Business events like large training groups, business functions and local networking events usually create opportunities for exposure, networking, building connections and, of course, taking advantage of learning opportunities from others.

If you congregate with just your known circle, you are not allowing yourself to make meaningful connections. You may also have the  type of product or service someone else at the event needs.  You could unknowingly prevent others from  getting to know you.

Breaking out of your clumps or clusters may be challenging especially if you are shy,  but it can be done. When planning to attend any event, try to develop the mindset of a host who has to circulate among everyone in the room just to be sure they are comfortable.

This could mean asking yourself, Who can I help to establish new contacts? Which two people can I introduce to each other, or whose business would likely benefit by being connected to another? Or even, Which speaker impacted me that I can give a sincere compliment to? People enjoy feeling they are important and when you make the effort to do this you will also be building meaningful relationships that can have an impact on your offline and online business.

You may be nervous, but force yourself not to talk too much. Make brief comments then ask questions that will elicit positive responses. In so doing you take the pressure off yourself and the person to whom you’re speaking will be thrilled at your level of interest in what he or she has to say.

People have been known offline to make a big fuss about huge ‘Giveaways’ that turn out to be very disappointing for many customers because the item that was given was of poor quality or of very little value.

What about those of us who work online?  What should we give away, and how can giving away valuable products help to attract more visitors and ultimately business to our website?

The most important thing to keep in mind is that whatever we give away, whether it’s a free report, an e-book, e-course, teleseminar, etc. should be of good quality and value.  Someone may reason that it does not make sense to give away a report which you could probably sell for $17 or even $27.  On the surface it may not seem to be a good business decision, but it could be one of the best business decisions that you make.

For one thing, if you do not have a huge list to market to, selling a $17 or $27 report is not going to bring you much money.  Another thing is that when your readers see the valuable content that you’ve given away, they will not only thank you, but they will more readily be attracted to any future products you may market to them.

In order to benefit from the valuable content that you give to your visitors, you must be able to capture their basic information, usually their name and e-mail address on an opt-in form on your blog, or an opt-in or squeeze page.

Many online marketers then send these persons to a download page link.  What I’ve found that works better is to send them to an autoresponder message where you thank them for requesting the product and send the download link in that first e-mail.  In this was you immediately start to build a relationship with your visitor and you would have verified that there are no errors in the e-mail address.  You also want to assure your visitors that their information will not be shared with anyone else.

As more people subscribe and take advantage of your valuable free giveaway you will be building your list and will have more people to market to in the future.

The main concern and goal for everyone who markets a business online is to get traffic or people visiting their website.  In most cases that website will be  a blog, but your online business may also promote an e-Commerce website

To keep your visitors coming back to your site so they can get to know you, they need to feel that you are an expert on your topic, or at least that you have a good grasp of your niche and can provide good content and advice.

One place you have the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and lead them back to your website in at Yahoo! Answers (http://answers.yahoo.com).  Questions on various topics are asked and answers are given.  People are genuinely looking for help from experts on topics that they need more information on.

When you are able to provide solid answers to questions in your niche or within your scope of knowledge and expertise, you build your credibility and gain exposure.  Because you can post a link to your website, you are also likely to receive traffic from Yahoo! Answers to your website.

It’s quite easy to find questions you can give answers to by searching under various topics or use keywords to find questions under “Recent” or “Popular”.

If you already have a Yahoo! Account, your Username and Password can be used to access Yahoo! Answers.

Have you had success with driving traffic to your website using Yahoo! Answers? Please share.

Working from home is the ideal work environment for many; it’s a necessity for some; while others are unwilling work-from-home women or men, having been forced to create their own businesses because of a variety of factors.

Regardless of your reasons for working from home it’s important to recognize that there are elements that can rob you of your energy, cause mental and physical fatigue, and how to avoid them:

1.            Not enough sleep: Experts recommend at least 6-8 hours sleep every night for you to function at your peak performance each day.  Studies indicate that the average American gets only about 4 hours sleep.

2.            Lack of exercise: Exercise is an energy booster because it stimulates the free flow of blood and oxygen through the body while it also firms and tones the body so you look better and feel better about yourself.

3.            Eat healthy foods: Eating balanced meals and keeping healthy snacks on hand is a great way to keep you energized.  Avoid foods that may satisfy a ‘sweet tooth’ craving but leaves your body crashing down from a sugar high.

4.            Drink Plenty of Water:  Research indicates that failure to drink adequate amounts of water not only causes your body to become dehydrated, but it saps your energy.  You body needs water to function properly, and you should make it a habit to drink  enough water for your personal needs.

5.            Take Some Time for Yourself: This may be as simple as creating a spa-like atmosphere in your bathroom by running a bath and surrounding yourself with scented candles and soothing music, or it may entail getting a professional massage.  Being relaxed will help you to feel less stressed and create a positive flow of energy through your body.

How do you keep yourself energized as you work from home? Please share.

In my previous post I revealed 7 principles that I got from a review of Chapters 1-5 of The Mary Kay Way: Timeless Principles From America’s Greatest Woman entrepreneur.”  Today my review continues with timeless principles that can benefit small business owners, leaders in direct sales, entrepreneurs who outsource tasks, and every thought-leader who works with people; all from Chapters 6-12.

1.  Giving criticism: Criticism will most likely be made at some point but Mary Kay felt that a good manager should direct criticism to what’s wrong; not who’s wrong.

Managers must be strong and speak in a straightforward way, but should sandwich that criticism between praise – before and after.  Doing so lessens anger on the part of the recipient.  When people recognize that the good they do is appreciated, it makes them more willing to put effort in their work. Criticism should never be given in front of others as it’s cruel, but is also self-defeating.

2.  “People will support that which they help to create.” When you invite people to contribute to an idea and offer solutions they have a vested interest and feel responsible to ensure its success.  On the other hand, when you dictate even the most thoughtful and logical concept to someone they view it as a command and may or may not choose to cooperate enthusiastically.

3.  Follow-through: This requires discipline and planning.  Schedule time to return phone calls, reply to correspondence – regular mail or e-mails.  If you need to forward to a third party, make sure to follow-up to ensure that the matter has been handled.

4. Enthusiasm:  A good leader is enthusiastic and arouses enthusiasm.  It’s easy to be enthusiastic when everything is going smoothly but the challenge is to maintain enthusiasm under adverse conditions.  What you think about you bring about, so act enthusiastic and you will become enthusiastic.

5.  Lead by Example:  Mary Kay taught that the ’speed of the leader is the speed of the gang.’  A good leader must present a good appearance as well as demonstrate good work habits. People often copy a leader’s work habits and self-discipline, for better or worse.  A good leader operates from experience not from theory.

6.  Help Other People Get What They Want: The goal  for being in business should be to service others and fulfill a need.  Some of the people served may be part of the organization, but in helping them to get what they want, you will also get what you want.

Which of these principles appeal to you most?

In 2003 Mary Kay Ash was awarded the title of Greatest Female Entrepreneur in American History, and a Wharton/PBS Study named her one of the 25 greatest business leaders of our time.

It therefore follows that the principles outlined in the book, “The Mary Kay Way:Timeless Principles  From America’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur“  can be applied to anyone –male or female– who has to deal with people and is aspiring to build a successful business.

1.  Embrace the philosophy of the Golden Rule as a daily guide for business interactions with fellow employees and personalized customer service.  The result is a commitment to excellence and the foundation for every leadership decision.  Based on Matthew 7:12.

2.  Good leaders should never have dollar signs in their eyes, regarding people merely as profit.  Rather, the concern should be how you can help each person to reach their full potential and feel better about himself or herself.

3.  A good leader will confront problems that involve people with sensitivity and seek the best solutions, but solutions cannot compromise the leader’s responsibility to her company or to other people within the organization.

4.  A company is only as good as its people.  People are what makes a great business enterprise excel. Be willing to pay top-dollar for top talent (goes for outsourcing as well), you will have a team of hard-working, efficient employees.

5.  In greeting someone, regardless of their status and how tired you are, look each person squarely in their eyes and do not allow anything to distract you.  Whenever possible try to give a personal compliment.

6.  Every person is special and it’s important to make them feel that way.  Mary Kay said that whenever she met someone she imagined him or her wearing an invisible sign that says, “Make me feel important.”  She strongly recommended that no matter how busy you are, you  take time to make the other person feel important.  Good leaders can bring the seeds of greatness planted in everyone to fruition.

Let people know that you appreciate them and value them.  Show respect for them by listening to them.  You may learn something in the process.

7.  Praise people to success.  The power of positive motivation is what inspires people to maximize their true potential.  Recognition is the most powerful of all motivating techniques.

A very simple but effective and powerful source of praise is giving applause.  When was the last time you applauded someone for doing something good, or when was the last time you were applauded?

A leader must recognize that everyone needs praise, but it should be given with sincerity.

Which of these principles appeal to you the most?

Stay tuned for a review of principles found in Chapters 6 – 12.