How One Postcard Changed My Life
You know how some events are etched in your mind forever? Things you remember very vividly…like your wedding day, the birth of your first child, eating Pho for the first time…pivotal moments that always feel like they happened yesterday.
One such memory I have is from just before the Recession of 2008.
It was August to be precise. At that time, I owned a retail print shop which I had acquired 4 years prior.
Those four years were full of ups and downs, but that particular August afternoon, things were at a new low.
Here’s the picture…
My shop had two huge storefront windows. I remember sitting behind the counter, leaning back in my swivel chair, just staring out the windows. I had a stack of bills, but no work. No new projects. No prospects. And no customers had come in all day.
The only thing that had some life in it was a buzzy little fly bouncing on those windows…and he was desperately trying to find a way out.
It was a picture of bleak.
That wasn’t all…
A few months prior, I had printed 10,000 lead generation postcards, but I was too poor to send them out. I couldn’t afford to buy a list let alone pay the postage.
But somehow, in that despair, inspiration broke through.
I realized I don’t have to mail all 10,000 postcards. I don’t even have to mail 1000. I can start by mailing however many I could afford.
Now desktop publishing and digital format had gained momentum and had quickly taken over much of traditional print. So I thought about who still needed printing, and googled local accountants and attorneys — they still used business cards and letterheads..
I pulled about 100 names and coughed up the 45 bucks to buy postage stamps and mailed the postcards.
About 50 of them came back as undeliverable.
However…
I got one call.
From an attorney.
Who happened to be a marketing consultant.
And he happened to be looking for someone to print postcards.
And our postcard happened to cross his desk that day.
And that is how I met Ben Glass .
He not only became a loyal client who loved our work, but a good friend and a mentor who led me through the door of direct response marketing and the meaning of true business success.
Sixteen years later, I am running a business I love, with clients I love to work with.
The moral of the story?
One inspired action can change your life, no matter how small and insignificant it seems. Stay open to inspiration and possibilities, and take that next step.
Second moral of the story?
Pursue your calling. There are people you are meant to impact. And the message they need can only be heard through your unique combination of experience, skills, energy, and voice.
Final takeaway:
Direct mail has power. Physical, printed mail, with a stamp, delivered to a mailbox, into your prospects’ hot little hands.
Kia Arian is CEO and founder of Zine, a marketing and branding agency that helps professional service providers convert prospects into clients who love them, stay with them, and tell others about them. Their specialize is in creating high-touch nurture marketing campaigns such as print newsletters, shock & awe boxes, magazine publishing, and direct mail referral marketing. To see if Zine is the right growth partner for you, visit www.zinemarketing.com.
