Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Greeting Card Trends are changing BIG TIME


Blockbuster versus Netflix….the Send Out Cards comparison

Blockbuster has stores and is talking about filing bankruptcy….their stock is currently about .40 cents a share

Netflix did a different approach by ordering DVD and Games online. In the last 5 months they added 1.5 million customers (38.30 a share)

Blockbuster started using the online approach only to get to the dance a little (maybe too) late.

American Greetings & Recycled Paper Greetings versus Send Out Cards.

American Greetings in the 4th quarter of 2008 lost 190 million, Recycled Paper Greetings filed bankruptcy in 2008 (people just don't go to the store as much as they thought paying $2.50 and up a card)

Send Out Cards (an online greeting card company) showed close to 100% growth from 2007 to 2008….at annual sales at 41 million in 2008 and started a printing out of Australia.

You may see a trend start appearing because it’s (easier) for people to jump online and send out a (real) greeting card from their PC for an economical price as well!


Hope this adds some value!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Send Out Cards for Business People


SENDOUTCARDS FOR BUSINESS PEOPLE:

Whether you are an executive, a Rainbow Vacuum Saleperson, a Dentist, a Public Speaker, a Loan Officer or a Hairdresser, SendOutCards can boost your revenues, customer loyalty, retention and provide you with endless referrals.

FACT: People are more likely to use you if they remember you. People are more likely to remember you if you remember them and you make them feel important.

FACT: E-mails get deleted. Cards with Photos in them get saved and displayed

FACT: Customers that know you appreciate them will pay more for your product or service AND they will remain loyal

FACT: Customers will refer people to you when your name is the 1st to come to mind when a Friend, Relative or Associate is looking for someone in your field.

FACT: A well maintained Network of only 100 people can lead to millions of dollars in business over time. Each person can connect you to over 250 people . . . that's 25,000 potential connections (if they like you and trust you,
you will get referrals)

FACT: You can completely differentiate yourself from your competition by following a simple inexpensive plan that takes less than 5 minutes per day.

Today, I needed an alarm person. If someone from an alarm company had been sending me 2 personal cards per year, I would have called them. . .
On Monday, I need a Jeep Service Repair Person . . . If someone from a shop had been sending me 2 personal cards per year, I would call them. . .

Do you get the picture? No one does this. Probably 1 out of 250 business people send cards expressing appreciation for their customers' business. Just by sending one thank you card, you put yourself in the top 250 in your field. Put your picture in it and you are now in the top 1/2 of 1% of all business people. There are obviously other things that impact who gets the business . . . but it takes more than just being good. There are lots of good service providers. You must be REMEMBERED and you must EXPRESS APPRECIATION on an ongoing basis . . . IN A PERSONAL WAY!

The Vision of SendOutCards


The Vision of SendOutCards
The vision of SendOutCards is simple. We are out to help millions of people become senders of cards. By doing so, we will help build relationships, express appreciation and touch peoples lives all over the world.

Making a difference is as simple as sending at least one unexpected card every day. By doing this we not only reach people when they need it, we also connect with something inside of ourselves. The simple habit of acting on promptings will guide a card sender to their true genius within. We believe we all have something unique to contribute to the world.

We believe that at certain times in life, there are people that only you can reach. It is during those times that you will receive promptings to reach those people and express yourself. SendOutCards not only gives you a daily mechanism to act on those promptings, it also creates an atmosphere that promotes the habit. We have conducted Treat em Right seminars all over the country. We will soon be crossing the border and conducting them in Canada. It is amazing to hear the card sending stories you all share. The Treat em Right event truly helps you to see the magic that is hidden in a card. It puts you in a room with like minded people who are positive, happy and simply want to make a difference.

We believe that we are a billion dollar greeting card enterprise. We believe that we will not only create card senders, we will create millionaires. We believe we have, bar none, the best opportunity in the world today. Why? Because the deepest emotional craving of all human beings is to feel appreciated. We have the system that can deliver the fix for that craving.

Our target audience is everyone from a 12 year old boy that sends a thank you card to his dad; to a 42 year old dad that sends a proud of you card to his son. It covers individuals of all ages that have personal experiences from sending cards who then see the vision of using it in their business. Every person in every type of business has a need for this service. Every family has a need to keep their connections alive and strong. Every friend has a need to stay in touch with those they care about.

We are part of a $7.5 Billion Dollar greeting card industry. That industry has been flat over the past 12 years. Consumers will buy, on average, 10 cards per year. Studies have shown those same consumers have a need for 70 or more cards. There are 3 reasons they don't buy 70 plus cards.
Its inconvenient
They forget
Cards are too expensive

We make it convenient, we never let you forget and you can send a card for less than $1.00, stamp included.

The biggest secret lies in our marketing strategy. The only way to get millions of people to send a printed greeting card from the internet is to personally coach them. It is one person sitting with another person, face to face or over the phone and helping them send their first card out. Through gift accounts, we can create a new card sender. Through seminars and training programs, we can inspire, uplift and encourage people to be the best card senders in the world. We can teach the power of a prompting; we can create a system of self improvement that will help people always send out their very best.

What this tells me is we have a way to truly get consumers to send an average of 70 or more cards per year. We have the ability to single handedly grow the entire greeting card industry.

Now, the interesting part of this is that we have yet to even discuss a compensation plan. We have a plan that rewards the behavior of personal coaching and attendance to seminars. We have a plan that pays personal and down line coaching activity on a weekly check. It also pays for personal and down line greeting card use on a monthly check. This is a plan that shares the wealth and creates unlimited opportunity for those who simply want to help others become senders of cards.

All of our greeting cards are print on demand. What this means is we do not keep any inventory of cards. We do not produce a card until it is paid for and ordered from a user. On a daily basis, we print the ordered cards of the day, stuff them, stamp them and mail them out. This means our overhead is low so we have more to work with to keep our card costs under the competition. It also allows us to create and maintain a lucrative compensation plan.

This also means we can expand into other countries for a fraction of the cost that other companies can. We do not export any product. We simply set up facilities on foreign soil, hire foreign employees, use foreign postal services and create a worldwide network of card sending. There will come a day when you can be in California, send a card to someone in Japan, the card will deliver in a couple of days with a Japanese stamp. We currently have people living in 3rd world countries that send cards to family in the U.S. Their cards deliver within a couple of days with a 0.37 cent stamp.

So there you have it. This is a vision of where we are and a vision of where we are going. Make no doubt about it. We are a billion dollar company in the making. We hope you all stay on for the ride because it's a big one.

Your Friend,
Kody Bateman
© Send Out Cards, LLC

Scary Stats to consider a Send Out Cards account


  • 79% of all leads generated at a trade show aren’t followed up

  • Only 3% of our mail is personal…how do you feel when you walk out to the mail box and see a personal card addressed to you? Your clients/prospects are no different.

  • Average company loses 50% of its customers every 5 years…Cost of replacing them can be 6-7 times more expensive

  • 5% increase in customer loyalty will yield 20%-80% to our bottom line profit…Much wiser to spend money on customer retention than acquisition.

  • For every month that we don’t contact or communicate with our client, we lose 10% of our influence

  • 82% of all homeowners can’t tell you the name of their Realtor if they bought their home more than two years ago

  • Just saying thank you to our clients…particularly new clients even with only a phone call to do nothing more than saying thank you…(do not try to sell on this call) it will increase your business by 17%.

  • 95% of our customers will purchase from a competitor even if you provide a great service on an impulse.