DISQUS

jeff ogden · 2 months ago

I agree 100%, Max. Hand-written letters have always had a big impact, but with the advent of electronic and mass communication like e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook, the physical mailbox is essentially empty, except for junk mail. As a result, personalized direct mail works better than ever.

The resource-intensive nature of hand-written notes means they are impossible to mass produce, but there are ways to get some of the benefits, without the incredible resource nature of hand-writing. Here are a few examples:

1) A well-written business letter with a hand-written comment.
2) A highly-personalized one to one email -- carefully written and composed.
3) A piece of content that the reader would find of interest, like an article.
4) The use of creative media, such as a multi-media vignette in an email. (I use one in my email signature for jogden@findnewcustomers.net)

The key here is that there are several ways to reach out to prospects without bombarding them. At Find New Customers, we use these approaches.

My reseller in California spoke to a prospect that is becoming a new client of Find New Customers. I've never spoken to or met this company. But they told him that "Find New Customers walks on water." Why? They consume my remarkable content!

Jeff Ogden, President
Find New Customers
http://www.findnewcustomers.net
Author: How to Find New Customers
Co-Author: Prospect-Driven Marketing
(516) 284-4930 office/mobile

maxkalehoff · 2 months ago

Thanks, Jeff. Good points.

Sursan RoAne · 1 month ago

Three cheers for you, Max! Thank you for revealing the truth: Nothing will replace the handwritten note because it's personal, shows effort and for some reason, says, "I care." We teach our children to write them to their grandparents for birthday and holiday gifts and must remember to do so ourselves. When I taught school, I made sure the students knew how to write "business letters" and "friendly letters" (thank you notes). I included samples in my book The Secrets of Savvy Networking for the people that were absent the day their fifth grade teacher taught how to write them. Handwritten notes have a special place in our professional and personal lives. Disclaimer: I wrote Face to Face: How To Reclaim the PERSONAL TOUCH In a Digital Age. (Fireside Books). Thank you!

maxkalehoff · 1 month ago

Thanks. Did you write anything useful on handwriting? That's my
weakmess in executing handwritten notes.

RiverwoodWriter · 1 month ago

Fantastic post, Max. I feel so passionately about this topic that I started a Facebook Group (yes, the irony did not escape me) called Revive the art of personal note writing! http://bit.ly/rJq9h. I'd love to have you and your readers join us to simply see what others say or to join in the commentary.

maxkalehoff · 1 month ago

I'll check it out.

Peter Hopkins · 1 month ago

Thank you Max; I have a certain bias along these lines and can honestly say: I couldn't have said it better!

maxkalehoff · 1 month ago

Thanks Peter.

letters · 1 month ago

Resurrection of The Handwritten Letter would be very welcome in the business world following its almost extinction by the many digital forms of communication. The new media once seen as all encompassing has sadly become somewhat devalued through its very popularity and its misuse albeit by a small minority of people/organizations. We have seen an increasing interest in the subject of handwritten letters and their uses in business life, so much so we are now considering including a business page on our website handwrittenletters.com

maxkalehoff · 1 month ago

Thanks, I'll check it out.

glennbever · 2 weeks ago

I want to use handwritten letters and notes and invites for my financial adovate business. do you work with someone like me that wants to get thru the mass mail of everything looks the same and touch someone that really needs help with their retirement plan or who can help us with our taxes and wealth mess... do you? I love the hand written note, it says I took out time for this, will you give me some of your time to read...
thankyouverymuch,
glenn W. Bever