Learning to Vacation

Okay, I will admit that I have never really allowed myself to travel much, cause I was always afraid that "all H_LL would break loose when I was away. (Historically, it as a true concern.) I have had a couple of trip lately, where life at home hasn't deteriorated into trouble. I recently when to Kill Devil Hills in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was GREAT FUN as we sat in the sun, when to the site of "Man's First Flight" and checked out some great local cuisine! We were gone for SEVEN DAYS, and I only remember one other vacation that I took for that long. It was a cruise just after Cody got home from his mission, nearly 10 years ago. I am convinced, however, that I can travel that long in the future as I can now work from whereever I am. I even sent cards and gifts from the beach!

It's all in the "but"

Have you ever heard the statement that when you tell someone you love them and appreciate them, praise them and build them up, then you put in the small word "but", everything you said before that word is a lie.
Think about it. Here are some examples of what I mean.
"I love you honey, but, I wish you would put the toilet seat down."
"You did a great job weeding the garden, but, there is still some grass under the rose bushes."
"Dinner was great and the movie was wonderful, but, I have my sodoku to relax with before going to bed."

This same principal works when sharing appreciation to your clients. How often have you sent a postcard that says:
"Thank you for your business. We really appreciate working with you. We want to be your complete source for your "fill in the blank" so be sure to call us when you need more (fill in the blank)."
What you just said was,
"We love your business, but it wasn't enough. We need more of your money."
Sharing appreciation with your customers, clients, prospect, referral sources, etc., should always stop at the "but" pause.
Thank you for the referral. Avoid the temptation to ad, "We are always looking for more referrals.
It has been a pleasure to work with such a professional staff. Avoid the addendum "If there is anything else we can do to assist your business."
Leave the appreciation at the appreciation level. People will follow up on their own when you tell them you love them. You don't want that message lost behind the "butt"!

Sharing is easier

I was visiting with a friend of mine, Frank, about how Send Out Cards can work to touch another's life. He related a personal story. I told him I wanted to share it with the world.
Frank served his church in a leadership capacity with two other men. This leadership team worked for nearly five years together. As the group was reorganized one of the three was released from the leadership team. Frank remained as one of the leaders. He told me he could tell the one individual was feeling down about the release. Frank sent him a card from SOC and told him how he appreciated his support, the work behind the scenes that no one had seen, and told him of his feelings of gratitude for the service of his friend.
Frank related that he felt good about sending the card. However, he said that the recipient has since treated him with extra graciousness and kindness. Frank could tell that the card made a difference in both of their lives.\
That's what I call the real root of the success of Send Out Cards. Both the sender and recipient are made to feel better because of the act of giving.
Feel free to test the system. www.sendoutcards.com/15914 will allow you to send two free cards.
Go ahead, feel better!

Grow Your Business With Appreciation

I attended a networking meeting in Murray, Utah today that ended in a slight "love fest" for my product Send Out Cards. Many testimonials were given as to the effectiveness of sending a thank you card or other spur of the moment card to a friend, customer, or new acquaintance. It was almost embarrassing to me as many of my friends, who are also clients, shared their successes with using the Send Out Card system. Their appreciation made me realize that the crusade of Send Out Cards is to allow people to build the lives of others by showing appreciation. For example, following the meeting, I was able to jump right onto my computer and send three cards to individuals who helped to promote my business. They'll get the cards in a couple of days and I am sure what they thought was "nothing" will be recognized as "something" to me.
That is the purpose of this system. Showing appreciation isn't as hard as you would think!

Introduction

I, like so many others, have been encouraged to start a blog in an effort to get my message out that building relationships through showing appreciation. I have a system called Send Out Cards. It is an online greeting card system. To take a free walk-through, go to www.sendoutcards.com/socsystems.
I will be posting stories of inspiration and success.
For instance, a friend of mine, John, used my system to send two cards to fellow church members. After attending church he sent a card to one speaker, asking for a copy of his text. He received the text via email along with a thank you for the card. The second speaker, a woman, gave John a great big BEAR HUG the following week at church and said his card "made her day!" That is what the product/service is all about.