The Power of Postcards

Tessa Stowe, www.salesconversation.com

“Once you’ve met someone, you want to build a relationship with them,” advises Tessa Stowe, an expert on how to sell by building relationships. “Most fall into the trap of relying totally on the virtual world to build relationships, with their main tool being e-mails. To check how effective e-mails are for being remembered, look in your own e-mail folders. How many ‘nice to meet you’ or ‘happy birthday’ e-mails have you kept? Or did you delete them and forget about them as soon as they came in?” Stowe adds,

If you are serious about building relationships, then “get real.” Connect with potential prospects in the real world with something tangible. A great way to do this is to send postcards in the mail. Cards to say “let’s keep in touch,” holiday cards, birthday cards. If you make the focus of the cards about them, versus trying to make a sale, people will start to know, like, and trust you.

If you really want your cards to make an impact, put a photo of them in the card. You will find people will keep these cards (and your contact details) for weeks, months, and sometimes even years. And they will contact you when they are ready to buy.

Sending postcards like this is easier and quicker than you think. You can do it all over the Internet so there is no need to go to a store, a printer, or the post office. The online system I use enables you to send a personalized postcard to an individual or to everyone on your list in the same amount of time.

Consider implementing a postcard-based relationship building strategy. You’ll then discover they are not only powerful in building relationships, but also your sales.