Business to Business Communication - The Art of Sending a Card

When it comes to communicating with an existing or prospective customer, there's nothing like the handwritten note. Many sales people these days forget this form of expression and tend to call in or email a short appreciative piece. This is better than nothing; however, the gesture of the personal touch sets you apart from the teeming flock of salespeople who all call on the same decision maker. If only it weren't so time consuming. It doesn't have to be. What if it were easier? Would you do it?

Picture a flock of seagulls - not the 80s rock band - a real flock of seagulls all converging on the same one fish on the shore's edge. Poor fish. Literally. At times, the business decision maker must feel just like that picked over, mauled aquatic creature. Who wants to be one of those flocking gulls with so little chance of getting to that big fish? It's positively Hitchcockian. The only thing missing is the blood.

So let's turn away from the madding crowd for a moment and review the present options. There are many brick and mortar greeting card stores featuring some wonderful styles. So all you have to do is get in the car, drive to the store, park, look through the hundreds of cards, pick one and then stand in line and make your purchase. You can be reserved, funny, use sound or just go blank and write your own message. Some of the more interesting stores even feature cards a tad on the "blue" side for the manager you assume you know really well. We all know what assume means, don't we. Moving on.

Now that you have that specially intended missive, you need to hoof it to the post office to stand in that line to mail it. You may be lucky and already have stamps (that are the current price) that you only have to affix to your note and drop in the nearest box, thus saving you from the trip inside. Make sure you note the pickup times or you could be late in your delivery, even though technically now it's their delivery. It's still not optimum when all is said and done, really.

So let's go electronic. There are a variety of online services which enable you to pick a message, a background, a theme song, animation and more. These are usually delivered without fail with the click of a button to your designated recipient. These head you in the right direction of getting the note to the person on time. But in the end, it's still an electronic note, not personally signed and only able to be displayed or held by them if they print it on their own. There's also some wonderful graphics programs which help you design cards to print from your computer. At least you're sending them something tangible, but you still have to go to the post office in most cases. See above description.

But there is another way. I was recently introduced to this concept when a friend of ours dropped by for a chat (codeword for wine). This opportunity combines all the aspects of the above options without ever leaving the comfort of your ergonomically correct chair.

SendOutCards combines the best of what you need, without the worst of traditional methods. SendOutCards offers you a card sent to a person on a timely basis, signed by you, and sent directly from your computer with just a click. Your customers, your friends, your family, receive your creation or a carefully picked design without you ever going through the above described movements.

So, how does this work? SendOutCards has a catalog of over 13,000 greeting cards. You can opt to have your own signature stored to go on your card. All your contacts can be stored in the database. You can even send gifts with your cards. You can use your own pictures. You can custom create cards and postcards. For the doctors who recall their patients, this is a system anyone in the office can use to complete this necessary task.

Once the card is designed, all you do is click on the send button and your card is professionally printed and sent first class anywhere in the world in 24 hours. Your cards are linked to a points system and a postal account which you fill when you want and use for all your charges. And one of the best features: you can pick what level package you wish to purchase. There are different levels; so you can be as involved or as uninvolved as you wish but still have the benefits of easy, time saving card giving.

So to review: you can create a design or pick out something already in the system. You can write your own message or pick a prewritten text. You can opt to have your signature in the database to autograph your cards. You can pick a gift to go with your card. You can send the hard copy card directly from you computer. What you don't have to do is go to the store, drive to the post office, or stand in any lines. With this, you can delete the procrastination of card giving and insert the gratification of a task done on time, and done well. The only thing you may want to do: make sure you get to the gym regularly. With this software, you may never want to leave your chair again.

My name is Jacquie Galvin from Tampa, FL. I am currently a medical device marketer but have a bachelor's degree in journalism from The Ohio State University. I have worked in and out of marketing and editorial services for 20 years and have had articles and short pieces published. I have also been a newsletter editor for the City of Columbus and former editor of the home services division of CompuServe Inc. I have written articles for various small publications for over 20 years. The first book of my Tucker and Reggie mystery series, A Tease of Murder, is in submission for publication and the second one is under construction.