Thank You Cards

Writing letters and thank you cards is a lost art. It’s one that I’d like to see revived.

I attended a business networking meeting the other day and met a young saleslady with Aflac Accident Insurance. A day after meeting her at the business breakfast, I recieved a handwritten card from her.

Now that’s the way to do business in my book. Not a thank you e-mail or phone call. I received a thank you card with a handwritten message and a real stamp on the envelope, not one of those generic business-metered stamps. I’ve already contacted her to schedule a time to talk, partly based on receiving the card.

Here’s the lesson to learn- send people cards. I mean everyone. Make them all handwritten and handstamp each one. Don’t use computer labels either. Handwrite the addresses. Send them for thank you’s, congratulations, and just to say hello. Send postcards too, just for extra fun. Send them to clients and prospective clients. Send them to family and friends. Send them to people who may not even remember who you are.

It’s an art that needs to be revived in this technologically-addicted, socially-inept age. Part of my 5-year-old son’s homeschool curriculum is to write a letter to someone each week. He writes all kinds of letters to say hello or thank you, each one illustrated with stickperson drawings, to family and acquaintances. I enjoy it. He does too. It’s fun and it teaches him a valuable skill for the future. Maybe you should try the same. Begin by writing just one letter a week.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. The young lady at Aflac is Florence Lemley. You can reach her at 843-750-0496 or florence_lemley@us.aflac.com. Give her a call if you’d like to get some accident insurance for yourself or your employees. I bet she’ll send you a card after you talk.

Retail Marketing Andy Griffith Style

There was an interesting article in the October 26, 2009 Business Week (The Hard Sell by Jena McGregor, www.businessweek.com).

Here’s a few tidbits.

60% of Americans wear their clothes several times between washings to save money. I’ve been doing this most of my life. Jeans are great for it. Just wash them when they have obvious stains or stink too bad. And it does save money. Time as well.

72% of people haggle before they buy items. My wife loves this. She has even haggled purchases at Wal-Mart.

“…it could be 10 to 15 years before pre-bubble abundance returns.” I don’t think it will return. As it has been said over and over, this new economy could be the new norm.

“They’re looking at a new era,” says Allen Questrom, former CEO of J.C. Penney, Barneys, and Neiman Marcus. What if this new era was a return to an older one? Watch a few old Andy Griffith reruns and imagine how that lifestyle would be with the addition of technology. Wouldn’t it be cool?

“Instead of just slashing stock levels, slowing expansion, and discounting deeply, they’re getting creative…” Imagine that, CREATIVITY. I think it’s time we get back to that. It’s been sorely missed for a while.

“The recession is forcing us to experiment,” said Neiman CFO James E. Skinner.

The article also mentions how Gap is offering premium jeans to customers for $60, customers who are used to buying them for up to $250 at upscale stores. Here’s a tip. Buy used. I may not be able to get by with used clothing and off-the-rack suits once I’m President, but I love it now.

I went to Plato’s Closet, a teen fashion thrift store, last week and bought two pairs of jeans for $15 each. The labels- Gap and Brooks Brothers. Both pair were virtually new. (www.platoscloset.com corporate, www.platosclosetmyrtlebeach.com my local store). About creativity, the sales gal even offered an extra stamp on my frequent buyer card if I didn’t take a shopping bag for my purchases. Save money on the bags and help the environment. I love it!

I think stores like Plato’s Closet are the hallmark of the new economy or perhaps the return to an old economy, however you choose to see it. My only request is this, find a way to participate in this new economy. Stopping your spending will only prolong the bad times. Just be smart, be frugal, haggle if you need to.

Oops, Guess Mom & Dad Were Right

I sometimes get better info from the Editor’s page of many magazines as I do in the main content of the articles.

In this month’s USAA Magazine (www.usaa.com), the USAA President & CEO Retired Army Major General Joe Robles Jr. said, “Strange how this recession has brought back our parent’s lessons on managing money. That’s probably a good thing in that we’ve been forced to put our financial houses in order. Now let’s try to keep it that way.”

It’s proof that I’m not the only person that sees the world returning to the Andy Griffith days, the boomtime of the United States.

I hate that it took a recession to cause it, but I love the return. I’ll be talking about this more in the future and providing more examples of how the world is changing back into a place that Andy and Barney would be proud of.

As a side note, I receive the USAA Magazine because I’m a member. If you qualify, I highly recommend checking it out. Great banking. Excellent auto insurance. Most of all, respect for America and her warriors in all the branches of the armed services.