Keeping in Touch

Do You Need a Reason?

There is an old saying that in order to have friends, we need to be one. In order to build a relationship it’s important to stay in touch. This applies in our personal lives as well as business.

Just like you nurture a relationship with a new friend you want to nurture your relationship with prospects so they can become your new friend. And I believe we need to nurture our relationships with our clients, but that’s a topic for another blog.

Frequent contact is necessary. It just doesn't have to be a direct in-your-face phone call. What's important is the contact and the value that contact brings the prospect.

Expand the ways you make contact. You might include: post cards, letters, greeting cards, emails, audios, videos, etc. Then mix up the forms of contact creating interest and anticipation.

Although you may have a lot of information of interest about your business, it is important in building a relationship that we take into consideration the interest of our prospect. By notating their interests and following up with them with information shows that you do truly care about building the relationship.

Sending a heartfelt card for a particular holiday or occasion of interest to your prospects is a way to show your attention to the mutual relationship. Obvious occasions are their birthday, anniversary, etc. Other times could be for congratulations on a promotion or other note worthy event, for an obscure holiday, like Groundhog Day, etc. Or perhaps if they have a favorite cause, send a card when there is a national observation. For instance World Kiwanis Week is the third week of January. Who do you know in Kiwanis? Valentine's Day is a great occasion to let our clients know how much we appreciate them for continued and loyal support.

Thought I would start something new this year and post the upcoming holidays for the month. Perhaps this will spark a reason to stay in touch with someone.

For those who know me well, know that I grew up in the Elvis era and I still like his music. His birthday is coming up, but it holds more of a significance to me than just the ‘King’s’ birthday. It is the day I met my late husband on a blind date 31 years ago on a cold rainy January day. If you look down my blog list, you can read the story in ‘Today should be declared a National Holiday!’ Just a little trivia about me.

A good resource for Holidays, National Observations, as well as Holidays Around the World is The Earth Calendar http://www.earthcalendar.net

January-1 New Year's Day
January-4 Trivia Day
January-5 Twelfth Night
January-6 Epiphany
January-8 Jackson Day
January-8 The King's Birthday (ELVIS)
January-9 Balloon Ascension Day
January-12 National Pharmacist Day
January-12 Stephen Foster Memorial Day
January-14 Ratification Day
January-16 Prohibition Remembrance Day
January-16 Religious Freedom Day
January-18 Maintenance Day
January-19 Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
January-20 Inauguration Day
January-27 National Activity Professionals Day

January Events
Unless otherwise stated, these are generally observed in the US only.

Month Observances
Occasion

March of Dimes Birth Defects Prevention Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
Prevent Blindness America
Eye Care Month Optic Foundation of America
Hot Tea Month Tea Council of the USA
Human Resource Month Personnel Journal of America
Oatmeal Month Quaker Oats Company of America
Prune Breakfast Month California Dried Plum Board
Retail Bakers Month Retail Bakers of America
Soup Month Campbell Soup Company of America
Thyroid Disease Awareness Month American Assoc. of Clinical Endocrinologists
Volunteer Blood Donor Month American Assoc. of Blood Banks
Tuberous Sclerosis Awareness Month Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance
National Radon Action Month Environmental Protection Agency
Adopt a Rescued Bird Month American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Cervical Health Month National Cervical Cancer Coalition
National Physiotherapy Month Canadian Physiotherapy Association
National Birth Defects Prevention Month March of Dimes


Third Week
Occasion
International Printing Week International Association of Printing House Craftsmen
World Kiwanis Week Kiwanis International


Fourth Week
Occasion
National Handwriting Analysis Week American Handwriting Analysis Foundation


More Trivia:

- Only 3% of mail is personal
- 83% of people would rather receive a paper greeting card than an electronic greeting card
- People are 11 times more likely to open a greeting card that any other piece of mail

Who needs to hear from you today? Send them a REAL greeting card with my compliments. Register for a gift account at Painted Lady Greeting Cards.


Keep in Touch!

In gratitude,
Annette

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