New Gratitude Challenge Participants

My heart is sooo happy? Guess who is doing the Gratitude Challenge? Yep - our boys! The big boys pooled their money together and are sharing the 30 days to send cards to their teachers, coaches and friends. They are loving it and while I know how I feel and have read your messages, to see my children participate is unmatched.  Take a peek as they show you how easy it is to be part of the challenge by clicking here!

Make someone's day.... What do you have to lose..? That is right - absolutely nothing. Hugs, Danielle

30 Day Gratitude Challenge - Are You Doing It?

Who do you appreciate? Have you told them? Are you are over-due in sharing your gratitude? Take a peek at the 30-Day Gratitude Challenge that many in our SendOutCards family are participating in for a month. Now look at our CardsAndMohr team and customers who jonied us.... we are in awe of you!

As I mention in the video, we want to hear from YOU! Please message us via email or Facebook. Connect w/ us for a $31/mo account so you pay 62 cents a card - add the stamp and you have just made someone's day... month... year for about $1.

BIG HUGS,
Danielle

Fundraising Ideas

Do you do any type of fundraising - for school, church, non-profit or other? Do you have a way to stay in touch with your donors year after year? Do you have a quick, convenient, and inexpensive way to send a "thank you card?"  If not, take a peek at this video.

You can be a card sender... in your individual, business and service relationships. I would love the opportunity to share how easy our SendOutCards system is for managing all your contacts (database), dates, cards and campaigns to be sent at a later time.

You have a chance to make a difference in your fundraising efforts. Make sure you take a moment to appreciate those who donated to your efforts so they will want to donate again next year.  Try the system out - send a card at by clicking here!

All my best,

Danielle

Thank You for MY Card

As THE card sender, I was floored today to receive a SendOutCards "big card" in the mail. WOW - I'm speechless.  Take a peek at my Thank You video.

I am blessed!
xoxo, Danielle

The Fortune is in the THANK YOU!

We have our stories of new second-level customer referrals due to a thank yous to people swtiching companines because of simple appreciation to realtors and the commission of a $50 gift card. Take a minute to read this story from SOC mentor, Laurie Delk - too good not to share.

Don't overlook the power of a thank you!

  

Are you setting yourself apart from your competition? Here is a story that shows WHY SendOutCards is a TOOL EVERY BUSINESS PERSON needs.

  

The Vice President of a major national bank gave a... presentation to the owner of a business pitching for a $100,000 business loan. The VP knew she was at least 1 of 3, maybe 4, banks who had made presentations to this business owner in the past 2 weeks.

Immediately after returning to her office from the presentation she created a personalized “Thank You” card using SendOutCards. She knew she had to further separate herself & her bank from the competition... and wanted to make a lasting, professional impression.

The following week she received a phone call from the owner of the business telling her she had earned all his business: the $100,000 business loan plus the business' banking account and the owner’s personal banking accounts as well!

The owner told the VP of the bank that she was the only person who sent him a “Thank You” to express her appreciation for the opportunity & for meeting him. Professional and sincere treatment like this made him feel confident that she and her bank will provide him with the service his business needs.

Writing a Thank You Note 101

Grandma might not say anything to you, but she is probably disappointed how people today have lost their manners. I'm not here to step on a soapbox, but I do want to draw your attention to showing appreciation - to your family, friends and business acquaintances. I just found out that many adults are dropping the thank you notes... WHAT?!? And an email just won't do it!

Did you know that when you send a thank you note, that the gesture improves the frequency and quality of the gifts you receive. J People like being appreciated, and if they feel you actually notice the nice things they do for you, they’re more likely to give an encore performance. Wouldn’t you want a client/customer returning for service or product… or better yet, referring you to another client/customer? Of course!

Writing thank you notes are easier than you remember. Get yourself some stationary, note cards or a selection of postcards... or try sending notes with our card-sending tool, SendOutCards and add photos of the gift, event or person for a special touch.

I'm just a mom trying to keep the art of thank you notes alive for our children. I am not Miss Manners, but do belive in sending heartfelt cards... for thank yous and lots of other occasions.

Need help writing, just include these six steps:

 

1. Greet the Giver

2. Express Your Gratitude
3. Discuss Use of Item or Time You Had at Event
4. Mention the Past, Allude to the Future
5. Grace (say thanks again – it’s not overkill)
6. Regards

Sounds easy enough, right?!? Now get it in the mail. And remember, if trying to get to the store or post-office is your excuse for not sending thank you note, go to our site. You have no more excuses using SendOutCards and by sending notes of appreciation and kindness, we’ll help you change a life… one card at a time.

As always, thank you for following my blog and our Facebook page. We appreciate you! --Danielle

VOLUNTEERS

Valued for every hour you share,
Open to giving your generous care,
Lending a hand as well as your heart,
Ultra-dedicated in doing your part,
Noted for going abouve andbeyond,
Taking the time to smile and to bond,
Extraordinary in how you brighten days,
Eager to help in so many ways
Reliable in all that we request of you,
Someone who's loyal, dedicated, and true!



Thought the poem was great and wanted to share. To those of you who give your time & talents to another person or cause, THANK YOU!

My Gratitude Journal - shared entries

Do you have a Gratitude Journal? If not, I encourage you to get one. You can see details in an earlier blog post, but it doesn't have to be fancy.  Just get a notebook and give yourself 5 minutes when you start your day to reflect on all your blessings... big or small.  Click here to see my journal as I read some entries, but you can create a list or write in a narrative. In these simple five minutes, watch how your day will change... your outlook... the way you appreciate what you have.  There is nothing fancy to my journal (seen here or on the video), but a place for me to write my thought & appreciate all that we have.

Thinking of you. I am GRATEFUL for you - your friendship, your following and your support!  Thank you for you!  Hugs, Danielle

A Compliment from a SOC User (Link)

Hi Friends,

Today's blog entry is pretty easy. I just had the highest compliment made to our business as a friend took time to write about SendOutCards, us and how she has become a card sender.

Please check out Paige's Blog, "Always So Random" which has this testimonial and lots of other fun stuff.  Depending on when you are reading my blog, her entry is dated Aug 11, 2011.

Enjoy!  And if we can help you become 'that girl' too, please let us know. 
Hugs, Danielle

Are You Thanking Your Employees & Downlnes?

No matter your business, you as the owner or manager are similar to that of a Coach.  Your employees, sales reps, downlines and others within your company are part of your team and you are the Coach.  And just like any team, the performance of each individual player affects the performance and image of the entire team.

Now-a-days, you see a turn-over within a business as employees look for other options.  Not always do employees leave for bigger & better things, some employees leave because they did not feel appreciated.  You will find yourself in a cycle of training employees who leave, thus costing you time and money.

Do you send them a thank you card, a gift or even say "Hey, you did a great job!"  Have you ever thought what a difference your note of appreciation or gratitude for their efforts, performance or success would have on the employee?!?  We all have an innate desire to be appreciated... what if it were so simple as sharing your thoughts in written words.

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." -Wm Authur Ward.  Allow us to show you how easy it is to use a system for personal & business needs - for customers, employees and downlines. Take a couple minutes and show someone you care... you appreciate them.

We are making a difference for many and will be there to help you make a difference too.

Stay Connected with Others

We are all busy with our schedules and often forget about enriching other people's lives. Making time to reach out to loved ones and strengthen connections is good for all of us. Connecting with friends & family is a simple gesture that has the most impact when it comes to showing someone how much you care.

One of those simple gestures is sending a greeting card to remind people someone is thinking about them.  A recent survey by the Greeting Card Association found that almost 9 out of 10 Americans believe they are as close or closer to their friends and family than they were one year ago.  Sometimes one person connecting with another will set off a boomerang effect of reaching out!

Did you know that 62% of people feel inspired to send someone a card if they receive one from that person?

How do you stay connected and in touch with family & friends?  (1) Set some time each day to reach out to others. Reaching out doesn't take a lot of time, but it can be very meaningful to those we touch. A simple phone call, e-mail or card reminds our loved ones how much we care. (2) Take time to reflect on what is important and of value in your life. See my blog entry about my gratitude journal. (3) Do it now!  Don't wait for a reason to connect. Send a "thinking of you" or "just because" card can be one of the best ways to show someone you care – and we believe in celebrating people and milestones NOW and not in their eulogy.

Hold on to these connections through memories. One of the best ways to keep our connections top of mind is by holding on to a physical memento or keepsake. Reflecting on old letters and cards helps us to remember our most special connections… and your card – with your words, photos and handwriting will be cherished. Promise.

I know we appreciate you – as our friend, follower and fan.

Wishing you Mohr memories and success. -Danielle

Pay It Forward Day

Did you know today is “Pay It Forward Day?”  Wikipedia states the expression "pay it forward" is used to describe the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead.  And for most of us, we also think of the movie with the same title and philosophy. In 2000, PAY IT FORWARD (the movie) was about a boy who had to create a way to help the world. His idea was to repay good deeds by doing a good deed for three new people and thus would spider-web out to help many others.

There is no measurement or size of the good deed. It may be as simple as buying the person’s coffee behind you in line, giving up your seat on the subway or waiting room, or donating food, etc.  And I’d recommend getting your kids involved in these deeds.  Speaking of donating food and getting kids involved, our preschool just donated 811 pounds of food to our local pantry in March.  Many people donate food during the holidays, but few think of donating at other times.  Consider donating during other ‘non-prime’ periods

When it comes to unconditional acts of generosity, Pay it Forward Day, founded by Australian Blake Beattie, inspires others to pass on good deeds. Blake states ‘One good deed might not seem like much, but if everyone did something good for someone else, then the cycle of generosity and kindness can inspire us to become better people. Imagine if everyone paid kindness forward every day – what a difference that would make!”

How can one ordinary person -- you or me -- make a positive difference in this world? One way is the practice "paying it forward." While the steps might be simple, the outcome could change the world.   And the idea of how to “change the world” is a great toss back to yesterday’s “ARK” blog and to our tag line that we and Send Out Cards are “changing lives… one card at a time…” when appreciation, kindness, sympathy, empathy, and so many emotions are sent out celebrating and remembering another person.

If you did anything today, we’d love to hear from you.  Drop us a note and share what you did today to pay it forward.  Our gift today – free greeting card for each of you. Send any themed card (Mother’s Day, birthday, graduation, etc) on us and make a difference in someone’s day.  Cheering you on - Danielle

Build Your Own ARK

One of our favorite movies currently is EVAN ALMIGHTY. Although it was made in 2007, we did not stumble upon it until last month thanks to great friends.  WOW!  We would have missed a lot if we hadn’t added that movie to our Netflix queue

In Evan Almighty (the sequel to Bruce Almighty), Evan Baxter wins a congressional seat then moves his wife, Joan and three sons to Washington. One night Joan prays for them to become closer as a family, and Evan prays to figure out a way to “change the world,” which was his campaign slogan. God appears and tasks Evan into building an ark.

As Evan begins his journey of faith, we find that he is not living with his beliefs: his agenda is all about appearance and power, climbing the corporate ladder at the expense of his family. People who want to “change the world” typically don’t know where to begin, often overlooking the obvious in starting where they are… starting at home… starting with oneself.

The back & forth resistance Evan and Evan’s conversation with God, not realizing that the answer to his prayers may not be the kind of answers he had in mind.  A great lesson and reminder to all of us - God’s plans are not always a part of our plans!  For example praying for love or patience may result in God giving us opportunities to love or to be patient. 

Boy, did I learn as a religious education teacher at our church.  I prayed for patience & knowledge for this set of second graders and God’s answers to my prayers (opportunities) were a class of 14 boys and 4 girls – and that was improved from the 16:2 ratio that was on my initial roster and a co-teacher who was older than me, has years of experience, lived in Calcutta, India as a teen and met Mother Theresa.  These were the best answered prayers and I have had an amazing year!!!  

Sorry for the tangent, back to the movie - Evan’s journey of faith not only tests his faith, but also the love of his family.  By having Evan build the ark, things change with his political position and due to circumstances (they think he’s having a mid-life crisis), he is suspended… however, that suspension allowed him more time with his family… it was God’s answer to Joan’s original prayer to be closer as a family.

My favorite part of the movie (I don’t want to tell the entire story, but highly recommend you and your family watch it) is at the end when God and Evan talk about their mission to change the world and by building an ark he was able to do so.  And we all can build our own ark to change the world… How? By building our own A-R-K… Act [of] Random Kindness.  Wow! This was so powerful and speaks volumes to me as a gratitude girl and one who always finds a way to start the pay-it-forward motion. 

The ARK is wht I feel we demonstrate with our family, friends and strangers as we returned to sending real cards... real mail to celebrate all the milestones... A card for losing a first tooth, TAKS test anxiety, cutting hair for Locks of Love, turning 16, turning 40, birthdays, holidays, and so many things in between. We are blessed to have so many friends in so many places after moving twelve years with the Navy.  You, our friends are like extended family and we want you to feel appreciated as much as we know in our heart.  And as happy the receiver may feel when the card arrives, I need to tell you that we feel the same warmth as the sender of the card.

I hope you’ll get a chance to watch this movie and feel the same calling to “change the world” and build your own A-R-K... no matter what your ARK is or who it is for. The movement starts with one person and one action...  And have no fear - I believe in you!  --Danielle

Business & Spring is Blooming

I hope you had a great Easter weekend, and if you didn't celebrate the holiday, then join me in celebrating the Spring. I love Spring… I love Easter… I love the new start!

How did or do you celebrate? Growing up, holidays were and still are big events. My mom’s family consists of eight siblings and each of my aunts/uncles had an average of three kids each. I have great memories of going to church Easter morning in our new Easter outfits followed by a home-cooked meal/pot-luck lunch and egg hunts.  I also remember flying kites – and one year hooking the kite string to the reel of a fishing pole. (Now there is an idea I need to patten.) Boy, flying a kite was never so easy.  J

This year, we will celebrated Easter quietly, but that is ok.  Sometimes I like the quiet time to reflect with the kids. All our family is out of state; however, we have two things that bring us close together.  First, the boys have Easter cards on the mantle from grandparents. To say the boys LOVE getting greeting cards from their grandparents is an understatement.  My parents are the best because they celebrate the little things with the boys… and they celebrate the big things.  They use the Send Out Cards system to create & send these cards and yes, they do make an impact!  How much of an impact? Well, the boys keep all these personal cards because they have photos of them & the grandparents/family in them from past events.  The boys carry them around the house and look at them often.  I’m looking at a Halloween card as I type.

The second thing that brings us together is Skype. Yeah for Skype! Skype is such a blessing for so many families for so many reasons. There are so many uses, for example: connecting with military overseas, parents on business trip chatting with a child, separate families at holidays and so much more.

Now imagine combining online technology with offline (aka: real) greeting cards.  Imagine no more.  As we conclude our beta test period, SOC plans to open up the use of video cards – still delivered via USPS by the end of May. Use your smart phone & snap the QR code or type in the URL for a You-Tube video.  This technology is amazing!  This business is amazing – whether you are User or a Distributor… make SOC work for you. 

Do you want to send a thank you card? Imagine the impact now when you add the video of the kids opening the gift. Do you want to send your save the date wedding cards? Add a video of the proposal for those who missed it.  Do you want to showcase a new home for sale, you want to give how-to steps/tips, or other needs for your business? You can add that too!

I think one of the reasons I love Spring is because it is a new start.  Everyone comes out of hiding from the winter weather, the kids are back to playing outside and running to & from friends’ homes, and flowers are in bloom.  This is why I love empowering others – perhaps we are sponsoring a new distributor or we’ve just rekindled the passion of someone who has done the business for a year, but now they are motivated to make a difference. 

May your business bloom this spring and the entire year. Cheering you on - Danielle

Appreciation Wins Over Self-Promotion… Everytime!

Simple question to get you thinking… Do you appreciate your clients and customers? If not, you’ll lose them in about four years. It is easier to keep your current clients and customers than go out and find others to replace them.  In my business, it is all about the relationships.  Although you may think your business is (insert type of company), you are really in the relationship business too. 

Approximately 70% of people will leave a business or a person (insert your title here) because they don’t feel appreciated.  Telling your client or customer is important; however, taking the time to send a card with a meaningful message is priceless.  Statistics show that if you are not "in front of your client" monthly or every other month, you will lose 10% of your clients - in ten months, you are out of clients from that original set.

Sending these cards to GIVE and not GET will make a difference in your business – in sales, referrals and so much more.  And while you’re sending cards, don’t forget those who work with you or beside you as a synergy partner and such.  Be genuine in your note and have no other motive or attempt to pitch a product or sale; the card should be about your client/customer.

With the ease of the internet and in the click of a button, send one card… send 1,000s of cards – I can show you how. You will see your customers appreciate that you care and will see your retention rates remain steady while these current customers help build your business with new referrals.  People choose to do business with those they trust – and a recommendation from a friend weighs more than an Yellow Page Ad, Facebook Page, or coupon.

Think about these three questions posed by “The Amazing Service Guy,” Kevin Stirtz:

1. I understand my customers have made a choice to be here…
2. I understand without my customers, I would not have a job or a paycheck…
3. Therefore I need to show my appreciation to every customer every time I work with them.

Allow us to show you how easy, convenient and affordable this appreciation concept is with a quick phone call or walk-thru.  May your business continue to bloom this season --Danielle