Does Direct Mail Work? Yes!
Many times we send out marketing material and wonder if it ever gets kept or if it is tossed in the recycling bin with the flyers for pizza, window cleaning, duct cleaning, etc. I had an experience last week made me aware that marketing is not done in vain.
I had a call from a lady who had a flyer I sent about 1-1/2 years ago. She needed to have her receipts entered into a spreadsheet for her accountant. I met with her this morning and after looking at what she had, we determined that a bookkeeper would be a much better service for her than hiring me. We discussed her business and we saw a fit for working together in other ways, but bookkeeping wasn’t one of them.
It’s funny because I was starting to wonder if direct mail is a waste of time and money. The call from that very nice potential client affirmed that direct addressed mail is not a waste of time.
If you need help with putting together a mailing list and getting a mail merge completed and mailed, give me a call. I’d love to help!
How to make someone feel good for less than $2.00
What does it cost to make someone’s day?
- Roses – $30 a dozen – sure, but it’s $30
- Chocolate Truffles – $6.00 plus – sure but it’s $6.00 or more – and let’s not talk about the calories
- A new car, $20,000 plus – okay, now we’re getting crazy
An unexpected card arriving in the mail can always make some one’s day. Cards are an affordable way to do something nice for someone. I’d like to share a couple of stories with you.
I belong to a web forum for pet owners – poodles mainly. We exchange Christmas cards every year. Last spring I decided to send a Happy Spring Card to them – people don’t expect to get those cards. I created a card online with photos of my dogs and in side the message read, “Spring is Nature’s way of saying, let’s party”, a quote from Robin Williams. The other side of the card said “Jet and Bella wholeheartedly agree! Happy Spring”. Many of the people who received the card posted saying that they really enjoyed getting the card, but one that brought a tear said, “you don’t know how much I needed the smile that card gave me on that day”. Her mother had just been diagnosed with cancer.
Later in the year I was in a store and the cashier was talking to the guy about her son (they obviously knew each other). Her son was sick (cancer, third time) and her upbeat, optimistic, cheerful attitude really made an impression on me. When I got home, I called the store and asked for her last name and sent her a card letting her know what an impact she made on me. I saw her again a couple of months later and asked her if she had received a card in the mail? She said, “was that you – that absolutely made my day – I keep it on the mantle and point it out when the kids don’t appreciate me”. Then she hugged me.
All it took to make an impression was a simple card that cost less than $2.00 to produce and mail. If you’d like to send a heartfelt greeting to someone you know, or even don’t know, but they affected you in some way, click here to send a card for free. You’ll be glad you did.
Why a consultant and not an assistant?
Many in my industry call themselves Virtual Assistants. So why do I call myself a Consultant you may ask? People have said, “but don’t you just type and file and stuff?”
Well, the short answer is “yes and no”. Yes, I type, transcribe tape, prepare spreadsheets and all that kind of work, BUT I can also act as a consultant. A brain storming partner if you will. I take the time to get to know my clients’ businesses so I can help them much more efficiently.I advise on social media strategies and in the admin area, sometimes come up with ideas for projects that the client may not have thought of.
For example:
Chris Greaves (chrisgreaves.com) contacted me several months ago. He responded to a letter I had recently sent to him. He was kind of skeptical – he wasn’t sure I could help him. He had several Microsoft Word macros / add ins he needed help with testing to ensure they would work. He took a chance and sent me a cheque for five hours of my time. I was able to test his programs and give some input on how they worked, made suggestions to add to documentation and he was sold.
One program in particular, a one-click index program is able to save the user HOURS of time creating an index in Microsoft Word. I spread the word amongst the virtual assistant industry and several were interested. I also took the liberty of sending an e-mail to the Board of Directors of Microsoft in Seattle as well as a Canadian ex-senior Microsoft Executive (and yes, we got replies). I also drafted a press release for him and provided him with sources to submit the press release to.
So, as you can see, some Virtual Assistants do more than just type. When I was in the corporate world, I had one manager in particular who would occasionally call me in to chat to ask my opinion on some issues. If you are a consultant and you had a really outstanding assistant when you were in the corporate world and miss having that person to bounce ideas off of, consider Prime Admin Solutions.
Let Prime Admin Solutions be your extra set of eyes, extra pair of hands and most importantly, another set of ears.
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook