Handwritten Notes -- The *New* Marketing Rage?

[maxreferrals]

I keep reading and seeing everyone talking about
handwritten notes and cards -- sending them to
clients, prospects, CPAs -- you name it.

Tools like Notegram, VLetter, Send Out Cards.

But aren't these cute gimmicks to the real issue --
getting our slack rears in gear and actually spending
2 minutes to write someone a note!?

It amazes me how many people still DO NOT do this
weekly.

Have we become that lazy?

 

[LaffAgent]

Sombebody (I don't know who) once said, "It was a lazy man who invented the wheelbarrow."

I've considerred a note service myself, but then I ask myself why I would do it? If I continue to do a few "real" notes every week but supplement that with some from the service, I'm leveraging my time. That's a being a productive salesman.

However, if I'm just paying somebody else to do it because I'd rather be playing solitaire on my desk top, I'm being a lazy bum.

I still haven't figured out which one I am so I haven't used a service yet.

 

[STIBROKER]

man I got one last week from a marketing firm that was hand written.....I just had to call and ask if these were truly hand written....

 

[James]

Were they?

 

[J.R.]

http://www.fontifier.com/template.html

 

[STIBROKER]

Were they?

yes............

 

[Frank Stastny]

Max,

When you say, "It amazes me how many people still DO NOT do this
weekly". You aren't doing this for all your clients and/or "hot" prospects are you weekly are you? Who are you sending weekly notes to? Are you actually hand writing the notes you send out?

The programs you listed still print your note as opposed to it actually being hand written. They are also pretty proud of their software. Notegram is $249 for the program and if you have them send the note it appears to cost an additional $1.49 each. Vletter's program is 149.95.

I send my clients three, sometimes four personalized letters each year. Although I like the concept of a hand written note, I'm not sure printing it in my actual handwriting would be the best choice. I do want them to actually be able to read it.

All of my correspondence is personalized and sent out on nice stationary. My stationary is a 25% cotton, light gray laid finish paper with matching envelopes. I use to hand address all of my birthday letters but I have found that using clear labels on the envelopes greatly improves the appearance. The labels can be printed in script.

I guess I feel that sending a letter on nice stationary and not just plain, every day paper is a huge improvement over sending nothing at all. Don't you agree that the most important part of the concept is just to send something, even if it is written on a Big Chief tablet with a sharp crayon.

I know agents who never send anything to a client.

 

[djs]

I use sendoutcards. It's a nice blend of 'personalized', inexpensive, simple, and not looking to 'mass-produced'. I get a lot of appreciation for taking the time to send a real card. I'm not near as religous about this as I should be, but sending anything that doesn't look like a mass produced form letter helps your image with the clients.

With sendoutcards, on my P&C business, if I have the opportunity, after I write a home, I'll take a picture of their house, and put it on the front of the card. It doesn't get much more personalized than that Actually, I wrote an 'antique' car once, and I had a picture of the insured standing in front of his car. I put this on the front of the card and sent it to him.

I don't know that it is so much what you do, it's that you take a moment and do something. It's puts you far above 95% of the agents out there.

Dan

 

[Insuranceman]

I just got a hand written note from Visa telling me what a great deal their credit card is at 24.9% interest. I'm sure there there is enough fools out there to take them up on their offer. I just no one of them.

 

[midwestbroker]

Work the senior market if you do not want to do hand written notes, unless you want send each one to CMS first for approval.