Classy Communication
Do you remember how great it was to receive mail in the mailbox – say, an unexpected card or letter – personalized, just for you? You saw your name on the envelope with a stamp in the upper right-hand corner – then you opened it excitedly, wondering what’s inside.
You appreciated the time the sender took to select the card, sit down and write their thoughts, then pen your name on the envelope.
Yet, we have gotten away from cards and handwritten notes, mailing them “snail mail.” Why is that?
Cards are expensive. And time consuming. I always loved to go to Hallmark! I would stand there in the aisle, reading cards for 15 minutes or so – laughing out loud. And sometimes I would find just what I wanted on the outside of the card, but the message inside wasn’t quite what I desired to say. So I’d keep looking. Sometimes I would settle for the message by marking through the words.
At the cash register, a couple of cards would cost $8.00 with tax. So, not everyone got a Hallmark card.
We seldom had the time to visit the mall, or to the store for a good selection of cards. So, many of our best impulses went fleeting away. When on vacation, we’d buy a handful of postcards, go back to our hotel room to hand write our messages and look up the addresses. Afterwards, there was trying to find the local post office.
In our insurance business, we always sent out Thanksgiving cards. We’d order the cards from a catalog (again, we may like the front, but not the message). After receiving a box of 300, I’d make labels for our clients and friends, then put the labels on the cards. Later, we would busily sign every card, sometimes add a message, then stuff, stamp, and seal envelopes. Lots of work!
About four years ago, that all ended! In Gary’s networking he met a very successful man who introduced him to the best tool on the market for classy communication. Not only was it classy, but it was economical. It felt like having a personal assistant!
Immediately, we implemented it for our personal lives as well as our business. The tool is Send Out Cards (SOC). SOC was started by Cody Bateman, who believed that most people think of others and want to send them a card, but distractions cause those simple promptings and intentions to fall through the cracks. When moving from Utah to New York, he wanted to pause and say goodbye to his nearby brother, but time constraints urged him to leave. Then his brother died suddenly in an industrial accident. Cody never forgot the incident. Years later he designed SOC, starting in his garage.
SOC is all on the internet. There is no software to download to your computer. You can go anywhere in the world, sign on, and send a card using the internet. However, once a card is created, the actual card itself is NOT electronic, but a real high quality card you created.
It is printed, stuffed into an envelope with the names printed on the envelope in a classy style, then STAMPED with a REAL USA postage stamp. Then SOC mails it within 24 hours of your creation of the card. SOC is now the largest customer of the US Postal Service.
Send Out Cards has thousands of stock cards to choose from – all categorized for easy search. Don’t like the message? Overwrite it. Don’t want a stock card; create your own with pictures. SOC also has all kinds of creative gadgets (frames, sticky notes, flowers, etc.) to add to your card. Fonts, colors work just like a word document. You can honestly say you made it! It’s fun. You may even upload your signatures.
How much does it cost? At wholesale (larger volume), we’ve been paying $.61 for a stock card. When we add a photo (and you can add up to 9 photos all for $.31 more), we pay $.92. Then the postage is added to the cost of the card. Tri-fold and oversized cards are also available for greater impact.
We have used Send Out Cards for our contact database as well. Every day, the database automatically, pulls up the birthdays, anniversaries, or other events we want to remember for the coming month. You can upload previous databases you have already saved on your computer.
Also, SOC has a great future to cue cards (up to a year) for upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, etc. You can make a card to go to a number of people. They have greeting size cards, postcards, oversized cards, calendars, etc.
Since we’ve been in Ecuador, we’ve taken our photos and made cards showing the beautiful views of Cuenca. We are able to stay in touch with friends and family back in the USA like we always have – but the beauty of it is that the cards are mailed from the USA. So there’s no high cost of sending them from Ecuador or the chance of taking 3 weeks to get there.
Send Out Cards also has gifts you can send along with cards. Send prepaid gift cards, cookies, kids’ treats, seasonal gifts. The price? Less than a card from the store.
Now, you are motivated to send more cards. Quickly act on your promptings to send them out. You don’t have to wait to go to the store, find stamps, etc. – it’s all right there on your account. In about the time of composing an email, a real custom old fashioned card will fly to your loved ones!
For a short video, please go to this link and find out more. We sure think it’s great and we’d like for you to see what it could do for you. And after watching the video, there’s a link for you to send out a free card on us! When you do, you can also upload your favorite picture (use several!) from Cuenca, the USA, or your favorite people. Make your own special card for someone or use a stock card.
We also have samples of these high quality cards. The cards are made with recycled paper and biodegradable ink. Your family or friends will appreciate the card’s quality.
Use the link below for the video and to send one free card. You can choose for Cody Bateman to lead you through the process. It’s the best thing since magicJack!
Gary & Sue
