Serviced Based Business - Hand Writing Thankyou Notes - Feedback /Marketing Ideas

[ndevore4]

Thanks for the feedback David- I am working on a little pitch I hope to start using in the next day or two. I used to live in Cleveland when I was in college, I miss it.

Thanks for your thoughts Patrysha!

[Wozcreative]

As a small business I usually hand-deliver gifts during new years/christmas to my good clients. I prefer to hand write them myself. I'm very particular with the messages I send.. usually can take 20 minutes at a time.. but I am nit picky so I would rather do it myself.

[Business Attorney]

I have to agree with the others. I do think that handwritten notes can be effective in some situations but I don't think it is a sustainable business. The few people who would use the service would probably only use it for a small number of thank you notes. I don't see how you could possibly build a client base sufficiently large to justify the business.

[ndevore4]

Thanks for the replies Woz and David - I appreciate your thoughts.

[Barcode Parade]

Ndevore,

This might actually be a good idea! I honestly really really like it.

Look, there are companies that need to have this kind of more personal approach with their clients. I know for a fact that even large scale high end merchandise retailers such as Tiffany & Co. send hand written thank you notes to their more valued customers. Granted, Tiffany & Co. makes their sales professionals do this job themselves, but smaller companies might want to outsource this (especially those that don't have as many employees as Tiffany does). You might want to market this service to all kinds of fine merchandise and services businesses.

[Toby Milroy]

There are lots of folks in the business you're describing.
I've had MANY, MANY, MANY of my client use similar services for sending hand written notes.
These (seemingly) personal touches are MORE and MORE valuable as we get more and more inundated with "digital" messages.
A Hand written note cuts through the clutter.

We've used SendOutCards.com for MANY, MANY, MANY of my clients (ie. more than a thousand).
Their system basically allows you to upload your handwriting as a "font" then prints postcards and greeting cards in what looks like handwriting.
It's not "perfect"....but pretty good.
We've built integrations with Infusionsoft, SugarCRM, SalesForce and a few others so these cards get queued automatically when a prospect/customer is at a given stage in the sales or deliver funnel.

So it's a solution that business owner do want, and can really benefit from.....
I can't way anything about the viability of your proposed model.....but from a market viability standpoint, it's PROVEN territory.

Here is what I'd recommend.....
JV's with folks who "teach" marketing tactics to business owner, preferably in businesses that have a relatively high "customer value" (ie. Mortgage Borokers, Insurance Agents, Car Sales, Investments, etc..etc....etc) - folks who REALLY VALUE the customer, and want them to get a personal touch......this way, you're getting "in front of" hundreds of prospective business owners at once, who are focused on improving their marketing.

My $0.02

[Toby Milroy]

How do I delete a mistaken duplicate post???
Sorry.

[Toby Milroy]

Heh....In fact, I JUST logged into my SOC account, and I've spent - $7,925.67 this year so far on Personal "looking" greeting cards from SOC.
SOC.jpg

Heh...love this stuff.

[tmead57]

Kristine -

I agree with you. I was taight how to print and write by hand. The elementary school I went to taught cursive handwriting and I
did well in it, and I still write letters to be people by hand them tell me they like those letters and that I have great handwriting. They
tell me it is readable and looks nice as well. I have been thinking about starting a service like this myself.

[ndevore4]

Toby and Barcode - thanks so much for the feedback! I registered a website, and am working on writing copy etc. I've wanted to start a business for a long time, so even if this doesn't pan out I will learn a bunch either way. I had 'entrepreneurship' classes in college but they didn't really teach a whole lot.

Go for it tmead.