Bad Date....

If you were single, do you think you could date someone twice a year and have them fall in love with you?

How about once a quarter?

Isn't this what many small business owners and salespeople do? Isn't that what we've been taught to do in this industry?

We make the sale, then essentially forget about the relationship. We may keep in touch a few times a year, but is it enough to have our clients fall in love with us? And besides, isn't most of the stuff sales people send their clients all about the sales person instead of the client?

What happens when your clients fall in love with you? They tell others!

Send Out Cards is about helping small business owners and salespeople improve their relationships which in turn generates referrals for them. Create raving fans in an easy and cost-effective way with Send Out Cards!

The card above would cost me less than $1.50 to send you, do you think it would be worth $5 per client per year to be able to create raving fans for you? To date myself, "things that make you go hmmmm......!"

Beth Riegger
Send Out Cards

Top 10 Money Wasters!

So, I was listening to my radio while getting ready the other morning and they actually had some pretty interesting stuff on there so I thought I'd share. I'm not sure where they got their information but there are plenty of sites that back up their claims.

So, if you are in a money crunch right now or just need a budget re-vamp, here are some things to take a magnifying glass to!

1. Coffee-I have fallen victim to this countless times!! I've found a way around this. I actually don't drink coffee, I drink Chai Latte's which are just as expensive. I buy my mix at home and it's the same stuff most of the shoppes use and I can buy 1 box of the stuff for the same price as a cup at the Shoppe! Also, did you know that some discount retailers sell gift cards for less than face value? I meet all of my clients at Caribou, because I have bought a $50 gift card for $40!! Work smarter, not harder!! :)
2. Cigarettes. Smoking is a habit, a learned behavior. Go to One Hour Stop Smoking and learn about this great technique to quit. I quite 7/11/07 and haven't looked back ever since, not even a twinge.
3. Alcohol. I am a major splurger on this. I don't think ahead, I don't watch the sales, I am totally an impulse buyer when it comes to alcohol. Besides, if we are tightening our budget, do we really need it? I think not, if we do, than we may have a bigger problem on our hands than just spending!
4. Bottled Water. This is the thing that I just don't understand. I get that drinking fountains are infested with germs and all that but really, do you really need to buy gallons upon gallons of the stuff? Why not recycle a bit and use a re-usable bottle with filtered water from home? Much, much cheaper in the long run and much better for the environment.
5. Manicures. I would have to say I changed this habit about 2 years ago. I figured that I was spending about $30-40 dollars every 2 weeks on this! I'm not saying that my nails look as beautiful as they used to but I tell you what, I'm able to do a heck of a lot more financially with that all most $100 more a month!
6. Car washes. I'm not sure that I really agree with this one. I'm kind of a car snob and I really like my car to look good. I'll pay more for a touchless car wash than one that's going to rub someone else's dirt all over my car and scratch it up! Also, living in MN, to properly take care of your car, you need to wash off the salt every once in a while or it will eat your car up!!
7. Weekday lunches out. Whew, I would not even want to count up all of the money I've spent on lunches out over the last 15 years. I'm sure of one thing though, if I had packed it at least 4 days out of 5, I'd have been to Hawaii twice on the savings!! YIKES!!
8. Vending machine snacks. I've never been a real big fan of sweets. I've always been a little cheap when it comes to the vending machine. It always chaps me when they charge you a dollar sometimes more for a 12oz can of pop when if you buy it at the store (even if it's not on sale) it would cost you around $.25!!!
9. Interest charges on credit cards. I think another thing that can go into this category is late fees as well. I have done a lot of work in finance over the last 15 years and when I ask people the reason for the late payments on their credit cards are, do you know what 90% of them answered? I forgot! STUPID!! Not only did you get hit with more interest but another $25-35 in late fees!! That could be date night for me and my hubby!! :)
10. Unused memberships. I have so many friends and clients who have various memberships to things that they never use it's crazy! They say, "Well, I'm on a 12 month contract." I think for most of them, it would be less expensive to pay the early termination fee than it would be to continue to pay the membership fee! I think another thing in this category should be cell phone plans. People should review their cell phone plans every 6-12 months and make sure they are getting the best plan with their current carrier or see if breaking your contract and going with another would be a better idea! I did this and saved all most $75 a month!! I broke even by paying the early termination fee after 1 month. Also, did you know you can sell your old phone? I have a friend who will do all of the work for you!! CRAZY!! Click here to see his site.

I hope you have found this information useful!! Let me know your thoughts and if you have fallen into any of these pitfalls!!

Also, if you'd like to create all the referrals you could ever want and more, click here!

Sincerely,

Beth Riegger

MySimpleCards

You NEED This!!

Do you live in password purgatory like I do? Well, I was chatting with a friend over lunch the other day and mentioned something to that effect, how many passwords we have to remember these days, pin numbers, codes, usernames, URGH!! I'm soooooo sick of them all!! She replied that she's in the same boat.

When she returned to her office after lunch, I got an email from her saying she didn't know why she didn't think of this when we were talking about it but gave me a link to RoboForm and how much this tool has helped her. Well, I was pretty skeptical of a FREE tool. I figured I would get spammed to death or something or that it wouldn’t be very good.

Well, I’m here to tell you that I’ve been using it for 2 weeks now and I love it!! I haven’t gotten a ton of additional emails, actually I can’t say that I’ve gotten any more emails than usual. Also, all I have to do is remember 1 password now. This tool quickly fills in the username and password for every site that I’m on and I’m on a lot! (about 20-30/day! You can even set up different folders, personal websites, work websites, etc.

Here are some other great features of RoboForm.

• It encrypts your passwords to get complete security!!

• You can have it generate passwords for you.

• You can back up your passwords and copy them between computers.

• It’s portable!! You can use a USB key to run this!!

• PDA friendly, I’ve got installed on my Treo 650 so even if I’m not at home, I can still have all of my passwords with me. Again, it’s password protected and encrypted so it’s totally secure.

• You can use it in what ever web browser you happen to be using, IE, AOL, MSN or Firfox!

• One of the few things that actually does work seamlessly with Windows Vista! LOL
  

There’s also a pro version available for a small fee, I haven’t checked into yet. I have a palm version called e-wallet that I use to keep passwords and account information, I paid $30 for it. I’ve had many problems with it getting it to sync with every phone change and computer change I’ve had.

I think RoboForm is a real lifesaver. I hope you do too!!

Let me know what you think!

Beth Riegger
Keys 2 Success
SendOutCards

Has Your Mortgage Set You Up to Fail?

I just read a startling statistic about risky loans today, and since it may affect you, I wanted to put this out there immediately. Here's what it is about.

According to a poll I read recently, 1 out of 3 homeowners have no idea what kind of loan they have. Under better market conditions, that might be okay. But in the current market where it is predicted that over 2 million homeowners will lose their home due to sudden, unexpected and devastating increases in their mortgage payments, it's imperative you know exactly what kind of loan you have, and even more importantly, when and if your loan will recast and/or go up.

I've set aside time on my calendar over the next two weeks to help homeowners like yourself find out the important details on their loans and to provide the advice they need to determine whether a decision should be made and, if so, help them make the wisest decision possible.

I'd be happy to meet with you and conduct a complete Equity Review of your home and your loan, FREE OF CHARGE. Call me at 888-583-2808.

Beth Riegger
Sr Mortgage Advisor
Keys 2 Success

Examples of SendOutCards