A new Web-to-print-to-mail service enables users to show appreciation, enhance relationships – and build business.

By George Linkletter, OutputLinks

The U.S. Postal Service is awash in dismal headlines. Hardly a day goes by without reports of declining volumes, shrinking services, rising costs, and the resulting endless sea of red ink. 

But if you look beyond the headlines, you can see some encouraging signs. 

One such example centers on a new messaging service that marries the unmatched attributes of the USPS -- universal service, fast nationwide delivery, and cut-through-the-clutter impact upon arrival -- with an easy-to-use and fully automated user interface.

The new service is called SendPerfectCards.com.  It is a desktop-to-mail solution that makes it easy (and inexpensive) for business managers and others to stay in touch with key associates by ‘showing appreciation’ via the mail.  Consider it the equivalent of an automated personal assistant that is also expert in etiquette.

“Just about every business book ever published emphasizes the importance of showing appreciation to clients and associates via personal notes,” explains Karen Kanefsky, a marketing manager who was an early user of the service and is now a distributor. 

Too Busy?

“But with the increasing pace of business, and the massive shift of messaging to digital form, personal contact – meaningful personal contact – is all too often just overlooked today.”

“The handwriting of personal notes of appreciation is now something of a lost art,” she continues, citing the time required to pen the notes as well as the need to buy or maintain an appropriate supply of note cards, letterhead or other suitable materials.

Messages sent electronically also miss the mark largely because they suffer from overload. “When dozens, or even hundreds, of email, text and IM messages are received each and every day, it is just about impossible for any one of them to really stand out from the crowd,” she says.  As a result, the impact of even a thoughtful message of appreciation is diminished and easily lost amid the digital clutter.

What is a needed, she says, is a two-part solution that emphasizes both impact and ease: first, the use of the U.S. mail to make the printed personal message ‘stand out’ from the crowd; and second, an easy, automated way to select, personalize and send the greeting cards or notes. SendPerfectCards.com brings both together.  Here’s how it works.

SPC maintains an array of more than 15,000 stock cards online, which are arranged in a number of categories, such as expressions, holidays, keeping in touch, and business, with hundreds of different graphic looks. A user accesses the array via a personal computer and selects one to send. The cards are blank on the inside or come with a suggested generic message. The front and inside of the card can be fully customized. 

Users can also select from a wide range of fonts and sizes to make the message in each card look unique. Users can even upload samples of their own handwriting, so the message will appear handwritten and above their own signature. To further personalize the message, users can upload and print digital images directly onto the card.  Gift cards and small gifts can also be included.

Attention-getting Impact

“The first card that I received was a ‘thank you note’ from an audience member who had attended a presentation I made to a business group,” continues Kanefsky. “I was stunned that someone had taken the time to write and thank me for my presentation.  But they had also taken a photograph of me as I was giving the presentation and included it in the card.”

“I immediately signed-up and started to use the service in my own business,” she continues. “I found it so useful that I decided to focus on it exclusively and became a distributor.”

Kanefsky is quick to emphasize that the automated messaging tool is best utilized to build relationships over time and not make fast sales. “To be successful, we stress the need to show appreciation to customers or clients, and to build and make the relationship strong,” she says. “Sales come afterwards.”

While every business and relationship is different, Kanefsky recommends first-time users consider starting with a program of two to three greeting cards/notes per client per year.  One can be a birthday greeting, one a seasonal holiday message and one related to a joint business activity of some sort. 

The Proof

“One of the best examples of how SendPerfectCards.com can help enhance a relationship involved a catering service,” she explains. “One long-time client of the caterer, who used to hire the caterer regularly, simply stopped calling.” 

The caterer selected and mailed a reminder note, just trying to stay in touch with the client and ‘hoping that all is well.’ “As it turns out, the client had shuffled its catering vendors, hoping to bring some new ones into the mix, and had forgotten about the caterer – but was glad to be reminded. And a catering job worth more than $5,000 resulted.”

The results of the vast majority of mailings are not nearly as dramatic. After all, the point of the effort is to show appreciation for and enhance and grow a business relationship over time. So a card that expresses gratitude for a recent sale, or extends birthday or holiday wishes, is not timed to capture a current sales opportunity. But it is intended to foster a favorable impression when the possibility of a future sale inevitably rolls around.

A few other features make SendPerfectCards.com distinctive. One is the use of postage stamps on the envelopes, rather than indicia from postage meters, to make the cards look hand-assembled. Another is an automated address verification service to assure cards are sent to an accurate address. The service can also easily access contact data from software programs to speed and personalize its use even more. And users can see exactly how the card will look upon arrival. 

Production of the cards in the U.S. is handled at a facility in Utah. A second print-and-mail site is located in Australia to serve the Far East. All cards are printed and mailed next business day to achieve fast delivery.

The cost is reasonable as well. After an initial sign-up fee that includes a minimum of 100 cards, each subsequent card costs approximately $1, including postage. As for ease of use, it can’t be beat. Users can access the service from virtually anywhere via a computer and Internet connection. So it is easy to send a follow-up or thank you note immediately after a business meeting or presentation. 

Both men and women are users of SendPerfectCards.com, with men outnumbering women by a ratio of about 60/40, largely due to the convenience of the service, according to Kanefsky. Most industries are represented as well, with general sales and marketing, financial services, allied health care, real estate and business services among the heaviest users.

As for the ROI, it is hard to argue with an annual cost of just $3 to $4 per year per client for assured, fast and high-impact contact – along with the benefit of no overhead expense and no fussing with paper, envelopes, or stamps.

SendPerfectCards.com won’t reverse the volume declines of the USPS.  But it shows how innovation can leverage the strengths of the USPS. And it will present brief, positive messages to business associates easily, quickly and in a high-impact, attention-getting format.

For information contact: Karen Kanefsky at Karen@sendperfectcards.com. To comment on this column, contact georgelinkletter@charter.net.