Despite all of the opportunities we have these days to communicate with others, it seems like we are moving steadily away from sharing good old fashioned, truly thoughtful words we use to be able to exchange. Younger folks today rely on text messages and emails and more efficient ways to fire words to one another. Cell phones are almost surgically attached to most of our ears, even as we drive to our next appointment or soccer game.
What happened to the good old fashioned, personalized, sincere, greetings card? Most of us have even reduced, or eliminated altogether, sending Christmas cards or holiday greetings to our friends, families or customers, replacing them instead with a high-tech on-line, mass mailing animated graphics display.
According to an American Greetings study the average American sends 10 greeting cards a year but has the need for 70.
We send far fewer greeting cards today than we use to for a number of perfectly logical reasons.
1. A traditional greetings card cost a lot of money - maybe $3.00 with tax at the local Wal-Mart or Hallmark store.
2. We have to get in the car and drive to the store, spend time choosing just the right card, and finding just the right message.
3. We get home and have to find the time to sit down and write the words, then put the card in the envelope.
4. Now we have to find the stamp and address the envelope. (Where did I put that address?)
5. Finally we go to the mailbox or post office to send the card.
Who has time to do all of the above? Not me.
How many of us, almost daily, think of someone we haven't spoken to or seen for a long time and get an urge to contact them? How many of us hear of an illness or accident and get an urge to call or email that person to wish them a speedy recovery? Then we get busy and don't act on these urges - or as some call them "promptings." We neglect to act because we are busy and for the reasons I've just listed above.
The truth is that most of us really get a kick out of
receiving a sincerely written note in a greeting card. In amongst the bills and the junk mail, that personal card gets opened first - every time. Although I appreciate getting an email greeting, that message gets deleted along with my other email pretty soon. I keep birthday or anniversary, sympathy or thank you cards displayed in a prominent place for quite a while. Many of them get put into a file or folder for memory sake. The same American Greetings survey found that
9 out of 10 people say they look forward to receiving personal greeting cards.
Another truth is that most of us really get a kick out of
sending a sincerely written note in a greeting card. We just don't do it enough.
With an understanding of the principles of the universal "Law of Attraction" small business owners have found out that paying attention to their customers and prospects by sending out thanks, congratulations, and other sincere messages result in significant increases in customer retention and business growth.
Sincere appreciation wins out over self-promotion every time. An old Japanese proverb says, "A kind word can melt three months of winter."
Life is, after all, about relationships. When a positive thought about someone comes into our minds it is important that we share it, that we respond immediately. By saying "I care about you," "I'm thinking about you," or simply "thank you," spontaneously and sincerely, we tell others that they are appreciated. These expressions of appreciation can have a profoundly positiveeffect on people.
A few months ago my wife and I discovered a service that makes it easy to act on our 'promptings.' We can sit down at our computer, create a totally personal greeting card, or postcard, select from 13,000 designs, or put our own image on the front if we prefer, insert our own words in our own handwriting and apply our own signatures. The cost is about 1/3 of a store-bought card. With the click of a mouse, the card will be printed, stuffed in an envelope, addressed and stamped for us and mailed the next day. It is delivered by the US Postal Service and appears as though it has been addressed by us, with a real stamp on the front and our return address at the top. We can send a greeting card for as little as 62 cents plus postage. Should I mention how much we are looking forward to sending out Christmas cards this year?
We have, in short, become senders of cards. In our own small way we are changing all-too-common patterns of negative thinking into positive action. If anyone reading this wants to know more you can go to
http://sendoutcards.com/joemcdaniel or contact us through YourHub.com.