Posted by Leah at 2 May , 2012
Are you frequently traveling for your job? Life on the road can be tiring, and the last thing you want to do when you finally return home is work. We put together a list of our recommendations on how to use your time on the road to immediately follow up with existing or new customers so you are able to put the laptop away once you return from your trip.
• Print a stash of personalized stationery and thank you cards to keep with you on trips. Your card collection can be kept in your briefcase and immediately used on your way home from a client’s office. The sooner you can get a thank you card in the mail to a potential customer, the sooner you are likely to hear back from them.
• Keep an updated address list for every customer. Pull the addresses from business cards, company websites, or email signatures. Make sure you have access to this list even when flying or taking a shuttle.
• Keep a roll of stamps in your briefcase at all times. Try to mail a thank you card in you customer’s city before you go to the airport.
• Write any follow up emails to customers on the airplane home. If you do not have internet access on your flight, type your emails and save them to drafts. Send them out first thing the next morning.
• Use any additional time you have waiting at hotels or airports to plan for your next trip. Book flights, make dinner reservations, and prepare for upcoming meetings so you will be one step ahead at the next destination.
A traveling sales position can be difficult, but the more work you do on the road, the more time you will have to relax at home.
Tags: business greeting cards, Business Tips, sales
Posted in: Good Business Sense , Greeting Card Etiquette , Postage Stamps , Thank You Cards | No Comments »
Posted by Leah at 25 April , 2012
We asked our Facebook followers if they thought sending handwritten thank you notes is still an important practice today. According to their responses, the answer is overwhelmingly yes. After special events like weddings, showers, birthdays, and holidays, thank you notes continue to be expected and appreciated by gift givers. Handwritten notes are a way to confirm you received the gift, and they acknowledge the kindness of others. The act of writing thank you cards is not an outdated practice and remains an essential part of our community’s etiquette.
Thank you notes are important in your personal life as well as your professional life. While an email is easy to send after an interview or client meeting, thank you cards go a step above what is expected. Look up addresses ahead of time so you are able to instantly mail a card after the initial meeting. Even if you don’t get the job or land the account, a thank you note builds a bridge of communication that may be useful for the future.
Tags: Personal Thank You Notes, Professional Thank You Notes
Posted in: Thank You Cards | No Comments »
Posted by Leah at 18 April , 2012
April 22 – 28, 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of Administrative Professionals Week. This week is one of the largest workplace observances, honoring the support staff of offices around the world. While the official date for Administrative Professionals Day this year is April 25, 2012, some offices use the entire week to recognize and learn from their administrative teams.
History
Administrative Professionals Week was formerly called Professionals Secretaries Week up until the year 2000. The name change was done in order to keep up to date with changes in job titles and the growing responsibilities of the administrative staff. The week was put into place to bring recognition to the position as well as attract new people into the secretarial field.
How to Celebrate
Our tips for celebrating Administrative Professionals Week include:
• Recognize your administrative staff with a special event like a catered lunch or cake and punch. Make it a social event with your admins as the guests of honor.
• Give a small gift to show appreciation for hard work. We recommend personalized note cards because they are both thoughtful and useful.
• Encourage the entire company to send thank you notes to the administrative assistant that helps them on a daily basis. Make sure the admin is not copied in on the email!
• Assist in paying for the administrative professional to join a professional organization like the International Association of Administrative Professionals.
We’re looking forward to a great Administrative Professionals Week 2012! Please share how your office is participating by leaving a comment on our Facebook page.
Tags: Administrative Professionals Day, Secretary's Day, Thank You Cards
Posted in: Administrative Professionals Day , Note Cards , Personalized Stationery | No Comments »
Posted by Leah at 11 April , 2012
When you write greeting cards to customers or professional contacts, you stand out among the countless competitors who might be simultaneously trying to win their business. With a greeting card, you are more likely to get noticed than if you only send an email or leave a voicemail. When writing a note inside your card, use a friendly and informative tone. Tell the company you are interested in working with a little about yourself, but be sure they know how to contact you back. We recommend always including a business card in addition to a hand written note so they have an instant takeaway to add to their rolodex. Greeting cards can be a dynamic tool to add to your sales kit and are a great way to get your business card in potential client’s hands.
Tags: business greeting cards, Good Business Sense, Professional Greeting Cards, sales
Posted in: Good Business Sense , Greeting Card Etiquette , Greeting Cards | No Comments »
Posted by Leah at 4 April , 2012
CardsDirect made March 28, 2012 its first annual Sign In Day where our team collectively wrote cards to 1,600 of our valued customers in 8 hours. We were able to spend time together as a company as well as get in touch with many of our loyal customers.
Every card was hand signed, hand addressed, and hand stamped before we took them to the post office. Personalized greeting cards are opened and read more often than other forms of mail. We were proud to send so many personalized cards to our customers and hope to hold a similar event soon. During the day we faced a couple interruptions including a sudden fire drill and a few cramped hands, but most importantly we successfully finished our first Sign In day.
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Tags: CardsDirect Sign In Day, Corporate Appreciation Day
Posted in: Customer Appreciation Cards , Miscellaneous Fun | No Comments »
Posted by Leah at 22 March , 2012
The first day of spring is met with much anticipation. With the changing season comes the need for a bit of spring cleaning, even for your office. Here are our recommendations for clearing out your workspace and preparing for the new season.
1) Set up a day on everyone’s calendar as the official office cleaning day. Have shredders and recycling bins on hand to help with the disposal of paper products. Don’t forget about cleaning up digitally as well. Have your colleagues clear out their email boxes to free up some digital space.
2) Do you find yourself keeping a large file of old paperwork? Make a goal to scan and digitally file old contracts and bills so you can clear out the cabinets.
3) Keep a company bulletin board in the break room of your office where you display employee accomplishments and any greeting cards your company receives. Change it up bi-monthly to make sure it is up to date.
4) Freshen up your lobby area by putting out current magazines, restocking your bottled water, and adding a new plant. A quick update will help guests feel welcome in your space.
5) Take a look at your current greeting card supply. Are there cards in there you would never send to your customers? Recycle the old designs and place an order for fresh cards for every occasion. New designs will catch your employees’ and customers’ attention when they open the envelope. Your spring cleanup will positively reflect on your company’s image.
Happy spring cleaning!
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Tags: business greeting cards, Greeting Cards, Office Cleanup, Spring Cleaning
Posted in: Good Business Sense , Greeting Cards | No Comments »
Posted by Leah at 9 March , 2012
Although we continue to advise corporations to have their logos printed inside their custom greeting cards, we also recommend they be prepared for any situation. Assortment packs of cards can be kept on hand at your office to use for a variety of circumstances. There are many instances where having an assortment pack would be beneficial to your business:
• Birthday Card Variety- If you’re sending a batch of birthday cards to customers who work at the same office, you may consider using a birthday assortment pack that offers different card designs. The recipients will feel special when they receive an individual design chosen specifically for them.
• Unexpected Events- You may not want to purchase sympathy cards on a regular basis, but it is good to have a few on hand to pull from when you need one most. Cards can be comforting to colleagues, customers, and employees when they are faced with a challenge.
• Rapid Response Time- Do you travel for work to meet with clients? Keep an assortment pack with you on your trips so you can get cards in the mail before you even leave your hotel. Whether it’s a congratulations card for a new accomplishment or a thank you card for making time for a meeting, quick card turnaround indicates you are a hardworking and thoughtful colleague.
• In a Bind- Even when you have the best intentions to stay on top of your greeting card regimen, forgetting a birthday or anniversary happens to the best of us. Keep an assortment pack in your mail room so you can grab a last minute birthday card to give to a client or an anniversary card to slip on a longtime employee’s desk. No one will be the wiser!
• Tight Budget- You may want to keep a variety of high quality greeting cards on hand, but have little room in your budget. Assortment packs save you money, but still give your company a positive and professional reputation.
Whether you buy assortment packs for internal use around the office or send a variety of notes out to clients, having a stash of cards is a wise business decision.
Tags: Assortment Packs, business etiquette
Posted in: All Occasion Assortment Packs , Anniversary Cards , Assortment Packs , Birthday Assortment Packs , Birthday Cards | No Comments »
Posted by Leah at 7 March , 2012
Greeting cards do not have to be generic items you buy individually at the drugstore. They can be powerful business tools to keep in your office at all times to use as valuable marketing pieces. You can always order your greeting cards online and personalize them with your company logo. This instantly transforms a card into a powerful and thoughtful tool to reach employees and customers. CardsDirect recommends that you always print your logo inside your card to ensure your brand stays with the customer long after they read your message. Keep a high quality logo on file so you can upload it to your CardsDirect order at the time of purchase. We have a professional graphics team ready to check over your logo before printing. Your logo is important for your company, and it makes good business sense to print it on all your greeting cards.
Tags: business greeting cards, Greeting Cards, Logo Cards
Posted in: Good Business Sense , Greeting Cards | No Comments »
Posted by Leah at 23 February , 2012
Because 2012 is a Leap Year, we wanted to share 29 ways you can use cards to better connect with your customer base. Cards can be useful tools for your business, and you may find new ways to communicate with clients.
1. Ask for your customers’ birthdays when they sign up for your mailing list. Reach out to them with a card on their special day.
2. Keep a company birthday calendar to note when important customers’ birthdays are coming up.
3. Vow to send one card a week to one client. At the end of the year, you will have contacted 52 customers.
4. Keep a stack of thank you notes on your desk. When you hang up after a call with a customer, write him or her a quick thank you note while it’s fresh on your mind.
5. Personalize the inside of all your cards sent to customers with your company logo.
6. Hand write a personal message to potential clients inside your card using an approachable tone.
7. Make sure to use any detail you remember from your last meeting with your customer in your note. It shows you are a good listener.
8. Always place your business card inside any card you send. It will keep your contact information fresh in customers’ minds.
9. Keep a supply of personalized note cards with envelopes and stamps in your laptop bag. Write professional notes on the go.
10. Print a list of customers that have not ordered within the past 6 months. Send them an “I Miss You” card to let them know you have noticed their absence.
11. If a customer renews a contract with you for another year, send them an anniversary card. It will mark another year of a great partnership.
12. Always remember if a customer tells you he or she is getting married or was recently promoted. It sounds like a congratulations card is in order.
13. Does your company promote using word of mouth marketing efforts? Keep Thank You for Your Business Referral cards on hand to send to those who referred your office.
14. Sympathy cards are never fun, but can really help a customer dealing with a personal loss. It shows your company cares for their clients.
15. Have an open house for your local customers. Send them an invitation in the mail rather than an online invite.
16. Worried about selecting one style of card to use for the rest of the year? Purchase an assortment pack with a variety of design.
17. Connect with customers over the summer with a patriotic card on the 4th of July. There are not many holidays during the summer months so it will be an unexpected surprise!
18. Get your holiday card in early by sending a Thanksgiving card. It shows you are thankful for their business, and you are ready to help them during the holiday season.
19. Holiday cards are a timeless tradition and a great way to congratulate customers on a great end of year. Sometimes classic cards are the best way to show customers you care.
20. Instead of an advertising piece, place a coupon inside a card. Cards are more likely to be opened and read by customers. Customers will keep and use the discount you send.
21. Send your customers a calendar card so they can hang it above their desk and reference it throughout the year.
22. Order postcards with your logo on the front for quick customer memos and notes. They are less expensive to mail, but make a good impression.
23. When sending holiday cards, you may consider looking at designs to fit your specific industry. It may help a customer make the connection between your card and the services you offer.
24. Are you moving your business? Send customers professional moving announcements so they can update their contact information. You could even include a photo of your new office!
25. Once you’ve acquired a new customer into your business, send them a welcome card. The client will feel like they have made the correct choice in choosing to work with you.
26. If a client has to cancel a meeting because of a sick day, send them get well card as soon as possible wishing them a speedy recovery. They will appreciate that you took the time to send them a card in the mail and will be willing to reschedule the meeting sooner.
27. Do you have an announcement you would like to share with customers? Print it on the inside of a card instead of on a basic form letter. It is more likely to be opened, read, and remembered.
28. Never be afraid to send an apology in the form of a card. If you made a mistake on a customer’s order, consider sending a card acknowledging the miscommunication.
29. Send a card for fun occasions to celebrate unique holidays like Leap Day or special events like the summer Olympics. Cards that arrive unexpectedly are sometimes the best kind for customers.
Posted in: Anniversary Cards , Birthday Cards , Christmas Cards , Greeting Cards , Holiday Cards , Moving Announcements , Sympathy Cards , Thank You Cards | No Comments »
Posted by Leah at 15 February , 2012
How do you celebrate big achievements in your office? You would be surprised at how often major accomplishments become missed opportunities within your company. A handwritten congratulations card from senior management will improve employee morale and motivate the team to achieve company goals. The workday can breeze by with a flurry of emails, calendar invites, and conference calls, making it easy to miss important employee successes. We encourage you to celebrate success within your company with a card that simply says “Good Job!” Time to refresh your stock of congratulations cards and start recognizing individuals when they meet their sales goal or reach a career milestone. Cards can be used to show employees their value.
Tags: congratulations cards, employee appreciation
Posted in: Anniversary Cards , Congratulations Cards , Note Cards | No Comments »
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