A Handwritten Note
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011My wife and I don’t check our mailbox nearly enough. We get most of our bills online, so it’s normally full of junk mail and catalogs. Nothing we care to read. December is always the exception. Every day is exciting because we look forward to getting Christmas cards from family and friends.
We all love to get cards. According to the Greeting Card Association, Christmas is the most popular card-sending holiday of the year, accounting for more than 60 percent of all individual season cards sold. Valentine’s Day is second. Americans purchase nearly 7 billion greeting cards every year, which is great news for the 3,000 greeting card publishers in America.
Quite frankly, I’m surprised Americans purchase billions of greeting cards every year. Technology has made it so easy to send a quick e-mail. It’s cheaper, and we can cover an entire database with the click of a button. There certainly is nothing wrong with using technology to reach out to those around us, but it simply cannot replace the feeling we get when we open the mailbox and see a hand-addressed card.
Too often we only buy and send cards when we feel we are required. I think we need to send more “just because” cards. Anyone who chooses to take the time to send a personal card will stand out in a unique way these days. So here’s the challenge. Go out and buy a stack of cards and keep them on your desk (before you can ever begin to make sending cards a habit, you must have a supply). Commit to sending just one card a week. Not just birthdays and other “required” holidays. Send them “just because.”
In a world of sameness, you will have found a way to stand out from the crowd.
tagged under: clint swindall.culture.employee disengagement.employee engagement.engaged leadership.leadership.verbalocity
3 Responses to A Handwritten Note
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- Ben Ornelas :
Good Morning Clint. I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed y ... - Chris Simmons :
Clint, Just curious - any chance you could have some of your material ... - Chris Simmons :
Clint, Thankyou for the great reminders and inspiration ... - Carol Anne Mabson :
"Not to do list"....Brilliant! ... - Tommy Jameson :
Interesting blog & idea to avoid time wasters. This idea came out ...
I too am a big fan of sending out handwritten Christmas cards. Everyone is so busy and we don’t get to socialize with our friends like we used to so this year I made a point of putting an updated family photo in each card. This may seem strange but before opening the card I study the handwriting and try to guess who the card is from before opening it. I guess the holidays bring out the “little kid” in all of us at some point.
You hit it! On the head! While technology will dazzle us faster than we can keep up with it, we’ve lost the art of human touch. Receiving a card in the mail to me means “someone thought about me today”, “I’m at my lowest point of that day, and they’ve recharged my battery”, and many others. I’ve learned over time that when someone pops into my mind, I’m to send them a card or a phone call. Right then and there. Sometimes I put it off thereby forgetting and I’m always sorry. So glad you brought this up…
Right on! We are so passionate we have decided to make this our life mission. In Real Estate we have been able to get so much favor and loyalty, simply by remembering people and showing them value with a note handwritten. It’s quite a small investment for all of it’s brownie points! Thanks for sharing this, I look forward to reading your books!