Having written about the value of writing business thank-you notes, I was intrigued when I found out that there is a company filling that niche. Do they cut muster?
I was able to connect my interest in business networking with business writing when I reviewed Truth or Delusion? (2006 Ivan Misner, Nelson Books). Networking is an excellent way to build the word of mouth referrals that a freelance business writer depends upon, so books about this idea are of particular interest to me.
Towards the end of this book, the authors talk about the value of business thank-you notes in building referral business. One new piece of information I gained while reading the chapter was that the company SendOutCards.com will create a handwritten note and send it out on your behalf, alleviating the obligation without sacrificing the advantage. According to Truth or Delusion:
You can choose a handwriting font, even "sign" it using your own signature. Then you simply hit "Send." The note, which appears handwritten and signed by you, is then printed out off site and mailed in a stamped envelope.
But how good a job they do will depend upon my indepenent review.
Desire for Referrals Thwarts Reviewer
Of course I wanted a sample or three of Send Out Cards' products to review. I immediately contacted the company and asked for some samples to review. I received a response very quickly, but it fell short of my hopes. It said, "Our business is based on referrals . . . . if you are not in contact with an independent
distributor of SendOutCards, we can provide you with the contact information of someone in our organization."
Rather than ask a random representative to contact me, I decided to exercise my own business networking skills. I drew upon my BNI membership and LinkedIn connections to locate a representative in my area, set up my free gift account, and ordered a couple of cards.
Review of the service will be coming shortly!
