KardZee Blog

8 Reasons why a Virtual Marketing Professional is better than an Employee

May I have your attention please?! Most Business Owners, big or small, need a full time professional to manage the marketing. The truth is, an outsourced professional can do the job much better than an internal employee and it costs a lot less money.

Here are the 8 reasons why it's better to hire a Virtual Marketing Professional over an Employee:

IT'S MORE COST-EFFECTIVE. An in-house marketing professional is likely to cost over $100K plus benefits, even higher in some markets. An experienced Virtual Marketing Manager will cost 50%+ less with no benefits.

YOU GET A TEAM OF PEOPLE. An In-house Marketing Manager does what they know. External Virtual Marketing Professionals are experts at a multitude of tasks. Having a broad-based knowledge base is more powerful and a better use of your money. An outside group has experts in most functional areas.

IT'S CONSISTENT. Effective marketing requires predictability and consistency. Good successful marketing creates sales and profits. Instead of being a cost center as a wage , an outside Virtual Marketer can be your profit center.

NO INTERRUPTIONS FROM ANYTHING. A Virtual Marketer isn't interupted by hiccups in your business. Your marketing programs are being worked on no matter what is happening.

MORE FLEXIBLE. There are no strings attached with a Virtual Marketer. You are not beholden to the rules and regulations of an employee. It's easier for you to give direction, reverse course and quite simply, change your mind.

ACCOUNTABLE. A dedicated Virtual Marketing Professional means you get regular reports on agreed deliverables. You have full control.

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL. Every area of your marketing requirements is met when you have access to a team.

HELP IS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.  With a Virtual Marketing Professional, help is always available when and if you need it. Your VMP will know where to find it because that isn't something you need to worry about.

Do you agree that it would be great if you could choose what type of marketing service you need? That's why the KardZee Team has you covered on all of these points. KardZee offers three levels of Virtual Marketing expertise plus a myriad of services a la carte.

We're ready when you are. Want to do a private consultation first? email us at [email protected]

Until next time!

XOXO,

Why Your Email Server is Talking About You.  Stop the Gossip!

Wait, what?! What does THAT mean?

You know how a credit score is calculated? Your email reputation has a "sending score" but most of us don’t even know what that means, or that it even existed.  Your email reputation is based on three basic reasons - scroll down to see.

When was the last time you went thru your list to make sure it’s updated and curated?

If you’re like most people, the answer is not very often because it takes a ton of time.  If you had any extra time this year because of Covid, it is likely still not done.

Updating and curating thousands of names can be pretty overwhelming. It takes weeks, sometimes months, for you to do it yourself. How do you even know that you’re doing it right?  

Let's say you have at least 1,000 people in your database. You noticed you aren't getting as much engagement, sales or referrals as you want. You’re left wondering - was it my subject line? didn’t they like my content? why aren't they opening my emails or watching my videos?  

Here are THREE big reasons why your emails aren't getting thru to your database:

because of Covid, people are on the move. Changing jobs, states, even countries. That means their data on your list is inaccurate.

30%+ of email addresses change every year. Unless you maintain and curate your list, your database is inaccurate.

Emails bounce because your database list isn't maintained. Your email sending reputation goes down.  It's like a credit score. The more bad debt you have, the lower your score right? Well, the more bounces you have, the lower your sending score.

But how does a lower email sending reputation affect ME you ask?

Because, like people, servers ‘talk’. Your server sends out a message: "Hey, there are a lot of bounces in this email list. This person is a spammer!" 

The other server is like, "wait what?!  we don’t want that!" Now your emails are going to spam/junk folders.

Since the servers had this ‘conversation’, even your regulars aren't getting your emails.

Like a credit score, this problem CAN be fixed. With a credit score, you start paying your debts. With emails, you clean up your list so your bounce rate is lower or non-existent and then your score goes back up.

It takes weeks, sometimes months, for you to do it yourself. 

If you do nothing, guess what happens? Nothing, or worse, the servers start talking about you. Stop the gossip!  

5 Reasons Why You Need to Send Holiday Cards to Your Clients / SOI This Year.

Holiday Cards? You're thinking, why bother? It's expensive and no one cares. It's not and they do. You could be wondering why you need to engage with your database in the first place. They already know you, you’ve done business with most of them before.

Here are the TOP 5 reasons why you need to send holiday cards to your Clients / Database this year, right now:

2020 is different than any other year in our lifetimes. People have been unable to see each other. They are desperate for relationships, video, any kind of human-to-human interaction. People are more grateful now when someone shows that they are thinking of them. A real, physical card in their mailbox, as they are likely at home, is that first tug at their heart strings. People WILL remember the person that mailed them a card because no one else is doing it.

The 7X/30X Rule: People are 7X more likely to remember you if they get a nice piece of mail from you and 30X more likely to remember you if they get that card PLUS an email. (btw KardZee does that two-for-one thing: every person gets a real card + a matching email)

Getting referrals from your database is different than prospecting because it’s cheaper. The leads are more trustworthy and valuable because they come from somebody who already knows you.  It’s 5X more expensive to get a new lead than to engage with your existing database.

Most importantly, your clients/database feel like you took some time to do something extra when you send a real card, that's nice. You could just send a holiday email and hope they see it. Your monthly newsletter doesn't count as meaningful referral-based engagement (sorry!) because neither are personal. What is someone going to do, print it out and hang it on the fridge or keep it on their desk?  Of course not, but they WILL keep a real card because they liked it and your business info is right there.

The 80/20 Rule. When you engage properly, as few as 20% of your database will give you more business and more referrals – as much as 80% of your future revenue.  Imagine how much more business you could get if 50% of them started referring you? That's how it works.

BONUS reason! A video can be added (FREE) to any KardZee card and the email copy! Another channel to reach your people - all included.

It’s not the ‘thought that counts’ when it comes to client engagement. It has to be good quality.

We know engagement works for referrals and more business - if it didn't, we wouldn't be in business.

So the question becomes, what’s the cheapest way to engage someone in your database?

Reminder, getting referrals from your database is different than prospecting because it’s cheaper. The leads are more trustworthy and valuable because they come somebody who already knows you.  

With a KardZee card, it’s a real card using 130 lb paper stock, mailed by us in a fabulous eco-friendly clear plastic envelope with a hand-applied postage stamp (included) in their mailbox PLUS the email copy which means this: they get to hang the card on the fridge.  (the 7X / 30X rule mentioned above)

But KardZee takes it one step further so that they see you everywhere they look – the mailbox (then the desk, the fridge), the email AND on your Social Media pages because KardZee also gives you a matching social post for your feed.

That's 3 Touches for the price of one. Cheaper than all the time you spent agonizing over missed sales, lost business, unanswered calls and emails.

No one else offers this type of service.

Sign up NOW and use my name as your special PROMO code - you hear me?

XOXO, Keverne, Chief Executive Officer, KardZee

Brand DNA is confusing to a lot of business owners. Brand DNA means the ESSENCE of the brand, which means, what exactly?

First off, while building an identity with a logo is important, a logo is not your brand. It’s what makes you unique from your competitors.

Your Brand is who you are, what you do and why you do it.  What values and emotions surround your brand so your customers, employees, ambassadors are living and breathing that brand?  

Remember that Mission Statement you came up when you first started your business?  Use that Mission Statement as your guide because that is at the core of your identity.   Some companies lose sight of WHY they started in the first place and that ultimately becomes their downfall.  Think about LEE Jeans, The Gap, Ralph Lauren to name a few.  They have lost sight of who they are and sales are suffering.

The good news is, once you figure that out, you can often get your sales back up provided you don’t let your brand languish for years. Read on.

When you create content for anything – your website, social media, email and direct mail campaigns, events – anything – you need to stay true to your brand DNA.  

What FEELING and EMOTION do you want people to have when they are on your website, social channels or receive anything from you?  Think of Tiffany & Co.  That blue box!  EVERYONE knows what that blue box means.  It means “someone loves me”.  It makes you FEEL good, you get EXCITED, you feel APPRECIATED and remembered.  Just from the color of the box – it hasn’t even been opened yet and you have gone thru ALL of those emotions!  THAT is great branding.  And they carry it thru all the way.

Let’s do a quick summary of what you need to do right now to stay true to your Brand DNA:

Mission Statement.  Dust it off, re-read it.  Use it. Pivoted?  That’s fine because your end-goal is still likely the same, you just have a new way of saying it.

Now answer these questions.  Go on – get out a pen and write this down:

Who ARE you?

What do you DO?

Why do you do it?

What is your Value Statement?

What makes you DIFFERENT?

How do you want people to FEEL when they do business with you?

Now you’re on your way.  Identifying your Brand DNA during a worldwide crisis is just one of many strategies that you can focus and work on to keep your business on track.

Look for more, of what I hope are helpful, blogs and vlogs because my Mission Statement is to make your business better.

Need help with your Brand DNA during this turbulent time? That's what KardZee does.

We HELP you build a cohesive, branded image that has consistent messaging across ALL platforms so in ONE glance, people know who you are, what you do and why you're different, and hopefully, better.

Leadership During Turbulent Times.

5 Things You Can Do as a Leader to Stay the Course.

We're in some tough, crazy, unprecedented times right now. Being a Leader these days means you have to take some chances and make big decisions at a quick pace. But isn’t that what leadership is all about anyway? Read on....

In a recent post, I used the quote: "It's a Poor Craftsman that Blames his Tools" and that was the inspiration for this whole blog and vlog. Let's talk about what that means. If for example, you are a Chef and your dish comes out wrong, you blame the pan you cooked it in. Or a Painter whose painting didn't come out the way they wanted, blames the blush they used. You see where this is going?

Right now it's easy to play the blame game but is that going to get you more business? Will it help you survive thru this crisis and thrive later? The answer is, quite frankly, no.

Maybe you made some decisions that aren't so great, but they were your decisions and you made them. That's okay. It's actually more than okay if you realize your mistake, OWN your decision, learn from that mistake and move forward with that knowledge and, if you truly learned, don't repeat the same mistake again. Taking ownership of the wins AND the losses is a strong business owner and leader. That is the road to success, truly.

Whether you are the leader of a team of two, a huge company or your family, you need to make decisions quickly, courageously and with fortitude. Right now, things are very fluid and changing every day so your decision may have been perfect for last month but this month it's completely obsolete.

The best thing you can do? The minute, the second, that you realize you need to change course, do it. Pivot, move forward, announce the change. DO something to change course because you know it's wrong. Remember, it's not the tools, it's you, the Craftsman. You made those decisions and you have to live by them BUT you can take ownership and move the needle. No one to blame here but you so take action.

Leaders are Leaders because people look up to them, follow them and believe that the course you are taking them on will lead them down the right path, the path to success. As a Team Leader for your company, business, family - what are YOU doing to inspire motivation, alleviate fear and promote well-being with your group during this crisis?

Without a seemingly solid direction, people tend to feel uneasy which then creates toxic stress. Next thing you know, your whole company is fractured, misguided and unmotivated.

Here are 5 things that you can do as a Leader to stay the course:

1.  Give deadlines for projects. This helps reduce stress because it gives your team a sense of control. It's a bit like sailing. Give the most scared person the wheel and suddenly they aren't that scared because they feel like they're in control. See? Same thing.

2.  Ask people to ask you questions about what's happening. I am a HUGE fan of asking questions and working with people who ask questions. I ask A LOT of questions because I want to know HOW you get to Point B. I KNOW I am starting at Point A and we need to get to Point B, but how do all of the tasks to get there relate? Which ones are the most important, what if one falls short - what does that do to the whole project and why? This way I have a clear picture of what needs to happen and if something does go wrong, I am already in motion for considering substitutions. 

Asking questions is a sign of intelligence and confidence - take note of who wants to learn more.

3.  More than 3/4 of businesses are not operating in a 'normal' capacity and making the decisions as we speak of their next big business move. It's the Leaders who lean into the wind  and make contrarian decisions now to, as we say here at KardZee, survive now to thrive later.

4.  Survival. Let's talk about it. It's great if you can also post a profit during this crisis, but really, it's about keeping your company intact and afloat. Your goal should be survival for your employees, customers, suppliers because the demise of even a small company has a MASSIVE ripple effect. You are the life ring here.

5.  To help your team feel valued and less stressed about job security, create a plan of 'going back to work' so they have a date in sight. People just want to know you have some sort of plan in mind - whatever that looks like. So share the plan even though you may have to adjust it as things move along.

And finally, these wise words were spoken to me by a fabulous Boss I had when I was just 24 years old. He said, "Read between the lines Keverne. Nothing is as it seems." At the time, I was like, huh???, but I have carried that thru my whole life and it has served me well. By doing this, you are sure to have the wind at your back. You'll see.

God Speed.

Am I missing something? We're in month 5 of this pandemic and my mailbox is still empty. Why?

Some states, including my own, are still basically closed; however, many states are fully open and operating and many businesses are still struggling to find ways to engage with their customer list. As I mentioned in a recent vlog on social media (now available on our KardZee YouTube Channel here), most businesses are frozen with fear. Their old bags of tricks aren't working and they don't know what to do so they keep doing the same ole same and not getting the results that they used to get.

Can I revert back to high school and write 'DUH'!

This is because most people don't understand the MAGNITUDE of HOW things are different now. They keep thinking, well, next month it will be different and I can....except that you can't because next month will be different but not in the way that you are hoping or expecting. Truth.

Your current list of customers might not be able to buy from you the same way that they did before because of this pandemic so you need to give them something that they can buy. Peoples wants and needs are different and their budget might be different too - it could be higher, it could be lower. You don't know, so you you need to react accordingly and try new things. Some businesses are either exploding or dying which means you just have to be better at reaching out to them. How?

Remember that first sentence AND the title of this blog? Fill up those mailboxes. And I don't mean go to some large printing house and order 10,000 postcards and blast them out. I mean, send out mail, yes, but do it in a thoughtful, personalized way that captures their attention.

People are working AT HOME for the near and pretty distant future from what I am hearing from large companies and friends who work at offices. That means, the trip to the mailbox is pretty easy.

I think the next piece of resistance I will hear is that "we never asked for a physical address from anyone". WHOOPSY. When I owned my Gallery in San Francisco, I asked for physical address, email and phone number. Why? One reason was demographics. I wanted to know where people came from, how they found me and I also wanted all of the different ways to communicate with them so it would be EASY when I wanted to change my outreach.

It's not too late for you to get physical addresses but it will take a bit more effort. The results, however, will be worth it because people are 7X more likely to remember you when they have a piece of mail from you and if you combine that with a digital version (like we do here at KardZee), they are 30X more likely to remember you.

Recently KardZee did a post about over a BILLION hours streamed since this pandemic. The natural thing for every business to do is to jump on that bandwagon and start blasting out more emails (I can't tell you how many new emails I am getting that don't even make sense why I am on their list of prospects...)

Some companies are just realizing, oh, I need an online presence and oh, I guess I should be doing some social media. (remember that video I did 6 months ago called 'It's FREE! Why Social Media is so important for your business.' I can't even wrap my head around why you wouldn't be doing social media. Yes, it's a learning curve but you can also hire someone like KardZee to do it for you so there ARE solutions to that problem.

Notice how we have touched on the digital portion of your outreach, and then we touched on the social media component but now we're going back to the original touchpoint of this blog which is direct mail. I like to say 'tangible' because it EXUDES a nicer sounding piece of mail, not junk mail, but something worth receiving.

This is what is called multichannel marketing. When you combine those THREE things together and MIRROR the message and graphics and go a few steps further and do some matching live Facebooks, Instastories, YouTube videos, Blogs and Virtual Events - NOW you have evolved. Add in a GWP (gift-with-purhase) or BOGO (buy one, get one) to get things rocking and rolling, and you are now officially in SURVIVAL mode on your way to THRIVE and GROWing your revenue. It's true. It CAN happen to you - you just have to P.A.C.E. your business (remember that?) personalize, adapt, change and evolve your business.

Remember to check out our YouTube Channel for over 100 videos to help you learn more and try new things. www.youtube.com/c/kardzee

Stay safe and stay strong!

Who hasn't wanted to just curl up in a ball during this crisis? Right? No matter what you're doing, everything changes daily and at some point your mind just says ENOUGH!

It's REALLY hard NOT to do that but I am here to tell you that you can't. You have to persevere, keep on keepin' on, move forward and all of that jazz.

Only YOU control your destiny. There are always people and companies that THRIVE in a crisis. Be one of them.

Let's talk about your customer list or your SOI (sphere-of-influence, we all have 250 btw).

Using an example 5,000 customers, you may have done quite well for yourself pre-pandemic with this group of people because they were were, after all, your customers.

Let's narrow it down to TWO reasons why people on that list may not buy from you now:

a BILLION more hours of streaming has happened since the global pandemic started. A BILLION hours. Did you see our Social Post the other day of 'pick me! choose me! over here!' - it means your message is getting lost.

financial situations have changed. not much else to say here. The wealthy are doing a wait-and-see approach and many others are struggling with basic spending.

Suddenly, that list of 5,000 customer is cut in half because of those two things and the funnel to your lost customers begins.

What can you do for more sales? Here at KardZee, we call it "P.A.C.E."

Get more PERSONAL than ever, ADAPT to the new reality, CHANGE your message and EVOLVE your business.

Your first question might be, HOW do I do that? I know how to do a lot of things but I'm hustling already, I don't get it, what would I change, what does 'get more personal' mean?

Sometimes you just need a helping hand, or someone to guide you thru the maze or maybe you just have been seeking someone to just 'fix it!" which is when KardZee steps in.

As we say on our website, all over our social channels and in emails, it's about doing a more personalized, authentic, multichannel approach. We use tangible, digital, social, video and more to get thru to your existing customer and find new ones.

How about hi-end tangible Campaigns that are targeted by neighborhood with tech embedded in it? Followed up by the same digital experience and mirrored on social personalized to YOU but done by US?

But the whole point of this blog is not for me to sell our services, it's for you to realize that the old stuff, your tried and true? It ain't gonna work. You still might think it will because it was SO effective just a few months ago but I am here to tell you not to waste your time, money and efforts because this global pandemic has changed.....absolutely....everything.

Ready when you are. Stay Strong. Be Strong. We WILL all get thru this TOGETHER (in one piece.) DM me.

"When Fear knocks, let Faith answer the door." - Robin Roberts

"When FEAR knocks, let FAITH answer the door..."

Watching a recent MasterClass by Robin Roberts, this message was in her very first class. How much do we love this quote?!  

Let's face it. We're all afraid of something and if we let it take our power, we LOSE our power. We lose our voice, our courage, our business, our relationship, our life.

Read on to see some KEY takeaways that you can use to HELP your business survive this crisis, but first....understand where I'm coming from.

Most people have a 'Guidance System' that you turn to in times, well, in times like these. You are seeking that higher calling, the message, the all-knowing "tell me what to direction to go-in" voice.

It's this 'voice' that you let 'answer the door'.

Most people, most businesses, have LOST 25%, that's an ENTIRE QUARTER, of their YEAR because their business was closed, shut down or not deemed essential.

That means, and this is what many business owners are forgetting, that YOUR CUSTOMERS also lost 25% of their income.  You see how connected it is?  It's not just you.

Then you, the business,  re-opens. You're thinking, well, I'll make it up now because I'm open. Except many of you won't because many of your customers have less to spend now.  

Factor in anxiety, fear of the unknown, another shutdown or worse, and the wallets may close back up before they fully open.

Your customers and clients couldn't be expected to come back the way they did. They too are trying to get back on their feet. They are trying to save their house, pay their bills that they stopped paying - they're trying to catch up. The entire country, what am I saying, the entire globe,  is trying to catch up.

How are you feeling? Are YOU scared?

The KEY to remember is that it is likely your customers' income has CHANGED. They can't spend what they did before. Their priorities have shifted (stocked kitchen pantry anyone?!), their attitudes have changed (fear of being near other people, germs, paranoia) and you can't do anything about that.  Maybe they have completely moved out of the area because they want space and safety.

So you have one choice. CHANGE how you do things. Even if you did promotions or discounts before, they need to be different now. The same tactics are not being accepted.

What can YOU do to get them to buy from YOU?

Here are 5 key takeways for an in-person encounter with your customers and clients:

Say 'thank you' when you see a customer or client - AS SOON AS YOU SEE THEM.  'Thank you for taking the time to come in, to see me....

Show your appreciation and ask what they NEED.  They need something or they would be at home.  Most people aren't just strolling around being a looky-loo.

Ask them something - how are you doing today?  it's beautiful out today isn't it?  or compliment - I love your dress, your t-shirt is hilarious  - something to engage and make them feel noticed and again, appreciated and valued.

Show them or tell them where the hand sanitizer is - actions speak louder than words.

Show empathy and sincerity if they feel skittish.

I hope that you take these points on board because from personal experience, many businesses are not doing anything different and desperately seeking the money grab.  Businesses that do that now will fail in the long run.

If you need help, that's what KardZee does.

We CAN lose the fear, have FAITH and be more CONSCIOUS.  This IS our day of reckoning. We are all in this together.  Let's do it right!

Be the Lighthouse to Your Customers.

Be the Leader that everyone is going to right now. Be the lighthouse that everyone sees. You are their beacon of light during these dark times.

There are millions of businesses that survive and thrive during a crisis and you can be one of them.  HOW?

By being the effective Leader of your industry, area, community.  Know your customers needs before they do and offer solutions.

Being successful during a global crisis is not about luck.

We know almost every business, including yours, is having a challenging time right now. Even if your sales are thru the roof, is your messaging right?  Uncertainty keeps us unbalanced and unsure of what to do next. It’s hard right now.

These are challenging times but know this.  The 6 most disastrous words you can say right now are “we’ve always done it this way” because nothing is the same.

What can YOU do to help yourself and grow, or SURVIVE, this crisis?

Here are a few tips:

Be SEEN - everywhere! In their inbox, mailbox and social media;

Be HEARD - everywhere! On video, ZOOM, webinars, Facebook Live, private messages...;

BE EMPATHETIC - your customers and clients want you to be there for them. A lot of people have financial situations that they are not sharing but they need help - keeping their business open, keeping their home....;

Be THERE as the PERSON they GO TO for help and guidance;

Be COMPASSIONATE - everyone is having a different reaction to this crisis so put your opinions aside and be compassionate towards their choices;

YOU are their lighthouse during these dark times. They will never forget you.

Our one goal as a company is to keep you in business. If you need help being a lighthouse, that's what KardZee does. We grow your sales with your existing clients and referrals to survive and keep you in business.

Keep positive. We will all get thru this together!

“Sell Me This Pen.” - It’s about the Feeling.

We've all heard this phrase and it was brought to the spotlight from the movie "Wolves of Wall Street" with Leonardo DiCaprio - remember that? The movie begins and ends with "Sell me this pen." During this unprecedented crisis of our lifetimes, why would I be writing about "sell me this pen?" and how does that relate to you? Keep reading to find out.

You have your business. Sales are down or zero. You need business. Maybe you don't know what to do or are in a position to wait it out until the bounce-back. The sales climate is different though. We're all fragile, wounded animals. We have uncertainty about what the future holds right now.

What can YOU do to address that but still win sales? When things re-open, every single business will be reaching out to your customers. Let me re-state that. Millions of businesses will be reaching out to your customers to try to get business from them. That's much different than it was before. So what will you do to get them to buy from you? You 'sell me this pen'. It's not about the ink or how smooth it writes or even what it's made of. It's how the pen changes your life and makes you feel.

This pen helps me close deals. Now I'm a millionaire from the contracts I signed. This pen gives me the freedom to buy my dream house and go on a vacation. This pen gives me financial freedom so I can do what I want, when I want. When I have this pen, I have power.

Imagine you are selling a sailing charter. You love sharing the machinations of your sailboat - what makes her sail so smooth, the engine, the rigging - all of the features. But the reality is that most people who do a charter don't care about all of that. They just want the experience of sailing, of being out on the water, the romance of the seas if you will.

What sells that sailing charter is the feeling that people have while they're on the water and when they disembark. They are more relaxed, happy, and if they have never been on a sailboat before, proud that they did it. The fresh, salt air revitalizes the senses and energizes the soul. The majestic skyline views from the water, the chance to see marine-life up close and in nature are an added bonus. That's how you sell that pen.

This same principle applies to clothing, home decor, art, jewelry, cars, houses - anything. Look at yourself. When you buy something, how does it make you FEEL? You feel pretty when you wear that dress, you feel powerful when you drive that car, you feel rich when you open that front door. Take those feelings and apply that to your selling.

No one wants to be sold to - especially now. They are seeking comfort, security, safety but most importantly, an emotional connection to their buying. Your product fulfills that emotional vacuum if you do it right.

You with me on this?

It all starts with 'sell me this pen'.

Keverne, CEO, KardZee

We all need HOPE right now and here’s how to get it. 

Recently I was asked what keeps me motivated as an Entrepreneur every day. My answer was HOPE. The article was released mid-March. With so many businesses and entrepreneurs closing their doors, working remotely and sometimes alone, the timing for this article was impeccable. How DO you stay motivated during a global crisis? These are unprecedented times, but you can do it.

QUICK BACKGROUND: I peddled vegetables around my neighborhood when I was 5, sold my Quill Art to a local art boutique (see above receipt) when I was 13 and opened my own Gallery in San Francisco when I was 33. I stayed in business successfully for over 16 years weathering three recessions including The Great Recession in 2008.

THIS CRISIS IS DIFFERENT: No one was prepared for it. Who knows what's going to happen next? Once everything re-opens, then what? Will people social distance? Will they do what they used to do? Will habits change and if so, which ones?

CREATE YOUR 'NEW' BUSINESS NOW: Be prepared for lasting effects that will affect your business and how people interact. One thing that isn't going away is the heavy use of virtual tours, events and meetings because we have learned that these tools can be very effective. Social Media has become even more important to keep yourself in front of your customer base and to attract new ones. The reality is you need to be everywhere now just to stay afloat and stay in front because when businesses reopen, it will be a tsunami for customers' attention.

HOW DO YOU STAY IN FRONT? First off, you have HOPE. Never lose it. Keep that flame going! Hope that you can make it, Hope that your customers will stay loyal, Hope that your vendors will work with you, Hope that you get some financial breaks along the way. But here's my secret. The best way to get thru this time is to focus on yourself so you can figure out what action to take. Start by asking yourself these questions right now:

WHAT ARE MY INTERNAL TOOLS? I mean your internal strengths and weaknesses. THAT is what divides those that succeed and those that don't.

WHAT IS MY STRENGTH? What is your BEST trait? That's a strength! EMBRACE it! Use it to your advantage. You need everything you got right now!

WHAT IS MY WEAKNESS? What is your biggest fear? Acknowledge it and then move on. I don't mean ignore it, I mean, acknowledge it so you can take ACTION to move on. When you are DOING, you are taking action and action creates CHANGE. But this action needs to be MOVING yourself in a NEW direction. That in turn will MOVE you away from your fears.

ACTION REDUCES FEAR: Fear of no money, fear of no job, fear of no food, fear of change - these are all legit. But focusing on any of your fears and hiding in a corner is not going to change your life or your business. ACTION is going to change your life.

TAKE BABY STEPS: We ALL have to move ourselves in a new direction. You are NOT alone. You've seen the now popular hashtags: #wereallinthistogether and #alonetogether. Instead of getting overwhelmed, do baby steps because it's easier to manage change when it's in baby steps.

When the 'bounce-back' happens, the 30 Million other businesses that are re-opening are also trying to capture your customers' attention. Do you get that? You are competing not just for the dollar, you're competing against every single business that has been closed. Every....single....business, no matter how big or how small, because everyone was closed at the same time. At....the....same....time....globally. Unprecedented. Do you see where I am headed?

Since I owned a Gallery, I understand the retail environment very well (spoiler alert - there is a PROMO code at the end of this article for you!) and how to RETAIN your customers no matter what is happening. My Team are Experts in other Industries and have weathered similar conditions so we can help you.

Maybe you do understand it's important to do promotions, emails, mailers and social media (and all the rest) but you don't have the time to do it or do it right. Content for Social Media is tricky. Photos have to be right, there has to be a good balance of personal and professional, filters needed etc etc. and there has to be strategic placement so it all goes together with everything you are doing. Many of you don't know what to post or what to say, you're shy, you don't think it's important or what hashtags to use - it's a lot of work.

Maybe you hate making videos or worry about how you look when you do them (yeah, I used to be like that, but you get it over it). BRANDING, meaning YOU and WHAT YOU DO, no matter what you do, is EVERYTHING. Followers and likes are great, but branding comes first because that's your image. See? There IS HOPE.

SO if you are not taking advantage of these basic tools plus all of the others out there, you are missing potential sales, not just where you live, but all over the world. Right now, no one sees your product(s) because your events have been cancelled, seasons are ka-putzie, the general flow is gone. Maybe you never did a website because you thought you didn't need one. Even if you're rich you can't wait because those 30 million businesses I mentioned above? They are all going after your customers' attention when the bounce-back happens.

So you must you have a mailing list with a minimal of an email list right? You should have both but one will suffice....for now. But what will you say? Other businesses are using these tools already, and quite successfully. All you have to do is take ALL of these tools - no matter what your business is - and USE them. You have to HOPE that they will work but they will because this is positive, moving ACTION. It's making you go inward and get excited again. KardZee can help you create all of these Campaigns with all of these tools - that's what we do. Or you can try it yourself. Either way, but do it right or don't do it.

What motivates me as an Entrepreneur every day? HOPE. Here is my quote:

"A vision of multi-million dollar success for our company. I KNOW we have something people want because our Clients love us. I KNOW it works, because we have proven it. SO every day, since the day we started, no matter what happens either personally or professionally, I have HOPE to motivate me and keep me going. I SEE my future and it has everything I want in it for myself and this company. I KNOW that what we have is worthy and different and fabulous. HOPE. It keeps me motivated, every …. single….day."

You can do this too. You GOT this. We can HELP you! 

We're all in this together. Stay safe and positive!

“Success Comes to Those Who Change.”  

"This is a time of great Opportunity. Use it. Don't waste it."

How we think about ourselves, our clients and our businesses has dramatically shifted since Covid-19 started.  We need to transform the tools we used before to meet this new reality.

A new way of engaging is and will be a direct result of this 'Event' that is happening right now around the world. NOTHING will be the same when this over. If you think everything is going to go back to normal exactly the way that it was, it won't.

Some scars will remain.  Emotional scars. A FEELING that you had during this time will resurface, likely when you least expect it.  

So how do we, as businesses, provide comfort to our clients when they might not even know they need it?

First, YOU need to ACCEPT that you need to change. Then, YOU need to think DIFFERENT than you did before.

We all want the same thing, life as we knew it with travel, life milestones and social gatherings, but we have a new perspective - already.

This affects where we choose to live, how we conduct business and ways to market to prospects and clients.

Tread these waters lightly with:

compassion;

thoughtfulness;

and empathy

as part of your repertoire in doing business - no matter what that business is.

How do you do this?  You stop selling your product and start selling yourself as a caring person.

Instead, you share.  You bring them in so they can CONNECT with you on an emotional level.  You are the CEO, you are the Business Owner, you are the FACE of the company.  But you, are you.   INVITE them in.  

People want to share with people, not products.  We want the human connection which is likely to be more true after weeks of isolation. Warm, consistent, thoughtful, original content that gets delivered to your customers thru multiple channels.

Thoughtful images that don't involve handshakes, groups of people - that's not what people want to see right now. Be sensitive.

When they see you on Social Media, they see the same thing from you in an email, card or postcard.  Whether it’s a LIVE meeting online, video, in-person or thru chat, the messaging has the same tone, language and call-to-action.  

I used to say, back when I had my Gallery, “I’m not selling you, I’m just telling you.” Now I would say, “I’m sharing, because I’m caring.”  

So during this crisis, take stock of who you are, what you are doing and where you want to go because you won’t be just picking up where you left off.  The FEELING will be different and you want to respect that.

Your homework is this:  

Google yourself – who are you and how do you look online?  

When is the last time you reached out to your client list in a heartfelt and meaningful way?

How do you want them to FEEL when they hear from you?  (hint: you want them to LIKE hearing from you)

How can you change from automated, sterile outreach that has no connection to who you really are?

Business is about relationships and the human-to-human connection that you build with your clients over time.  How you engage with your clients while this is happening and once it’s over is what will set you apart from everyone else and therein lies your true success.

“This is a time of great opportunity.  Use it.  Don’t waste it.” – Eckhart Tolle

Talk to me.

Virtual XOXO, Keverne Denahan, CEO, KardZee

PS:  Look for our new AND improved website coming soon!

A TIME FOR INTROSPECTION. - HOW TO MANAGE THIS EVENT.

"Every adversity carries with it a seed of an equal or greater benefit." - Napoleon Hill

We are in a new time of crisis for the country, the world, but I see it as an opportunity to slow the eff down and take stock of what's important, what matters and what doesn't. I would say this is true for both my personal as well as professional life.

While I personally am ALWAYS doing self-growth work with books, videos, podcasts and whatever other medium I can get my hands on, I also move this growth over to work and how I approach business.

Things are a little bonkers right now - some people are outright panicking and hoarding - kinda selfish - but an illumination into their character. If we run out of TP because we didn't hoard it? Well, I grew up with cloth diapers. 'Nuff said.

Just because everything is upside down right now doesn't mean you, as in YOU, need to fail. There are plenty of people and businesses that weathered the Great Recession by being creative, moving forward and thinking outside the box in order to succeed. They filled in the gaps for the people that were paralyzed or didn't understand a survival or growth mentality.

There are three types of people when crisis happens: the Paralyzed, the Followers and the Leaders.

The Paralyzed: Hides under a rock, freaks out, is paralyzed and does nothing - failure is sure to come.

The Follower: not really sure what to do but just does the daily grind to make it thru, waits to hear what to do next, isn't sure how to handle this. Hoards TP and won't share. Comes out the other end barely making it thru suffering along the way.

The Leader: Is proactive and re-evaluates their lives taking stock of what works and what doesn't. Shows empathy and compassion for others. Looks inward for weaknesses and uses this time to start learning and growing. Success is yours.

I personally believe that if you hunker down and use this time to invest in yourself and your business, you will come out a winner on the other side. A new Client of ours, who has been in business for over 30 years, told me that "you advertise in both the good times and the bad times."

He also said, rule #1, "don't wait until you have no business to try to get business.".

So what do you do? You lay the foundation NOW while people aren't looking. It's a new conversation. It's a new frontier. Is your celebrity-obsession really going to help your business? No.

What you can do to re-strategize your business:

Create a new conversation with your Clients of compassion, empathy, appreciativeness, gratefulness and thanks. What can you GIVE them? Whether it's a free 15 minute consultation, money off or a chance to win something - what can you GIVE them?

Scrub up your Social Presence. EVERYONE is working at home right now - or if they are still working, they are likely GOING home after work. With that being said, these prospects and Clients of yours are ONLINE. They are seeing you whether you know it or not.

Think about ways to make people feel GOOD about you when they think of you. This starts by sharing valuable information, and "touching" them (not physically, remember the 6' rule!) thru different channels so they see you, hear you, like you, but not in an annoying way.

We will all get thru this. We will come out different on the other side. We always do. But look at it as a chance for rebirth and growth. Make lemons out of lemonade. Whatever life throws your way, move and grow with it. That's why we're here.

For a FREE 15 minute consultation on what you can do to grow and change your business so you enjoy success, email me at info @ kardzee.com .

See how I did that?! :)

Now stay safe and healthy and most importantly, move forward.

The biggest hurdle for any company is Client Retention. The biggest hurdle for anyone in Sales is also Client Retention. The internet has created this BEAST where not only are we all working 10x more than we used to (as I write this on a Saturday night), but also because now our Clients are doing the same thing - they are constantly online looking for a better deal, a better company.

So the one thing you have, that the other company doesn't have, is YOU. You have built this relationship. Now it's your job to maintain it.

It's not just the medium, it's the message. What compels people to read, look, share what you send? Well, I mean, we know. But do you?

You NEED to keep that relationship that you built with your Clients. Businesses are doing all sorts of things that don't work - email blasts, cheap direct mail, incessant social media (if they're smart enough to even know to do it) but none of it is related, compelling or personal.

What I have found, again and again and again is that people creep the web, social media sites and more. They KNOW what your company is doing, what you are doing - they just don't comment, like or share. And you don't know who they know, who they talk to and what they need now do you?

People nowadays are obsessed, I mean OBSESSED by constantly going online looking for a better deal, a better company to do business with. There isn't much loyalty when there is no relationship.

SO what do you or your company do? If you ONLY do emails, you need to do more. Yes, emails are important but what's more effective is when you up your game, change it up. Using different channels to get thru to your EXISTING Clients with different messages and personalized branding that all related is how you get them to engage and respond which in turn builds loyalty and trust.

Likely, your business isn't a coffee shop that has a rewards card for 1 free coffee after you buy 10. We talk about relationship marketing and how important it is, for EVERY business,  pretty much INCESSANTLY.

The only way to get thru these days is OMNI-CHANNEL, PERSONALIZED, RELATIONSHIP MARKETING. Truth.

You have built this relationship. Now it's your job to maintain it.

What do YOU do to create Client Retention?

IT’S FREE!  Why Aren’t You Using It?!

So KardZee is heavily involved in Personalized Marketing for Real Estate Agents as you may have been able to tell from our posts. Every day before I speak to a Prospect, I do a shallow dive into their online presence. I like to know who I am talking to right?

When I Google you, I expect to see your Social Media channels come up along with the usual. But what is incredibly fascinating to me is how may Agents don't think that a good, well-rounded profile is important on a business platform such as this one. I get that you don't want to post here on LI, it's another channel, what value do you get etc etc. I disagree with this because we have gotten Clients, but it's another thing to keep up with so I get it.

But here's the rub. LinkedIn, and all of the other Social Media Channels out there are FREE. To have your profile up for the world to see is FREE. LinkedIn is the ONLY business platform of its kind so right here, right now, this is where EVERYONE goes. If you don't think they look, you're wrong.

Personally, the first thing I do with anyone I am about to do business with is to check them out on LinkedIn. Who are you? What experience do you have? What's your skill set? What are your interests? How did you get HERE in your career? What have you done? Why this, why now? Who knows you? WHO ARE YOU??

If you don't care enough to share any of that, then you are not that detail-oriented and that's a red flag to me. If you don't care about how you look on LinkedIn, then why would I trust you? I mean, right?

In almost any industry, there a zillion people to choose from now that have the world wide web. It's a web, right? And out of those zillion, there are a whole bunch that have a great profile for the business relationship that I am seeking. I am going to go with THAT person because it shows me they understand the power of the internet, it shows me they are "with it", it shows me they understand details. It's very rare, very rare indeed, that you have zero competitors or are so busy, that you can be smug. Your business can ALWAYS be better, no matter who you are and what you do.

So why aren't you doing these channels when they are FREE?! Why aren't you taking advantage of this? How do you think this doesn't help you? How can you turn your nose at FREE internet exposure? How???

Have no idea what you are doing or where to start? I am here for you, that's why our company exists.

Let’s Talk.   8 Client Engagement Trends that will GROW your business

You want to grow your business.  What are the latest and greatest trends in Client engagement?  We wrapped it up into 8 Client Engagement Trends that will grow your business.  KardZee is setting the bar for what is trending in an era of personalized branding and relationship marketing.  Let’s dive in:

1. RSVP from an Event Invitation:  Whether it’s a product launch or an exclusive Open House, you need bespoke invites that speak directly to your Clients. No more wasted paper, matching up envelopes with your guest list and all of that postage.  The new trend in RSVP’s is letting your Clients scan their RSVP right from the invitation or from their digital version of your Invitation PLUS it’s managed FOR you!  Eco-friendly, less expensive and saves hundreds of hours of your time - which, when you’re a business person on-the-go, you don’t have any time to spare!  

2.  Video of you on both:   Adding a short video to your KardZee brings you come to LIFE on the cards you are sending your Clients because people want to see and hear you. What better way to give your special Clients that personalized touch that literally speaks to them?  If you are a Realtor, you could film a video of yourself standing in front of the property you just put on the market, as a Business Owner, talk about your latest feature.  Running a contest?  Talk about what you are GIVING them.  We did a video about the power of video Why Your 30 second Video on your KardZee’s work:

3. No more ordering ‘extras’ – KardZee prints on-demand:   With technology today, you should be able to order only what you need.  What do you do with all of those extra cards anyway?  Printing companies make you order extras of everything because they won’t do that ‘run’ again and they have minimums.  No one will print just one, but KardZee does.  Printing overages is a waste of paper and money and it’s not personalized.  If you forget someone or need to add more people – KardZee can print just one once your Campaign is created.

4.  Tangible AND Digital version sent to your Clients: A tangible personalized card is a great way to continue the conversation with your Clients because with your photos and our embedded data links that we manage, suddenly your tangible cards bring the ‘WOW’ factor and we follow that up with a digital version 2 weeks later.  Then you get the report back of who did what which separates your Clients into buckets and you can start to see patterns. 

5.  No more Postage costs:  Postage is included with all KardZees.  Saving the time, money and energy of going to the post office or using a generic postage indica is bad for your business and for the personalization aspect.  We use real stamps on every envelope.  It takes us more time, but we like it.

6. KardZees in any language:  Parlez vous français? Hablas español? Você fala português? English not your first language? KardZee understands the language of personalized Client Engagement in almost any language!   Creating a KardZee Campaigns in  language other than English that literally speaks to your Clients in a language they understand.

7.  Tangible, Digital, Social:  First your Client gets the tangible card, followed by the digital version and THEN we ask them to share it on Social.  PLUS we do a review of YOUR social channels to make sure you are on track to be the best you can be.  

8.  Eco-friendly Envelope: Each tangible card is mailed in a clear eco-friendly envelope. This also includes our postcards so they arrive in perfect condition. Your Clients will get excited about your upcoming event before they even remove the Invitation from the envelope!

To engage your Clients you need to get personal, so let’s talk.  Be seen, get heard.  You are the Expert in your Field and we are the  Expert in ours.  You wouldn’t perform open heart surgery on  yourself would you?  Sharing your Campaign on Social increases your results into exponentially larger numbers.  We’ll share more with you once you’re a KardZee Client.

KardZee creates, designs, publishes, mails and manages everything FOR YOU in your personalized Campaign.  No one else is offering this level of personalized, full-service engagement Campaigns with this many features and benefits.    KardZee lets you continue the conversation in a personal way that keeps you top-of-mind with your Clients.  To discover more,  email us at:  info @ kardzee .com.

How are you continuing the conversation with your Clients?

Color Me FABULOUS!  (the importance of color for everything)

Is it completely GEEKY that my heart skips a beat when PANTONE® releases the ‘IT’ colors of the Season?!  My love for all things color is deep and REAL. Pantone Color Guides are used by Printers, designers, artists, manufacturers, marketers and clients to identify colors accurately.  Color is a POWERFUL form of communication.  It can cause reactions and sway thinking. Colors can set the tone in terms of branding from business to weddings.  Let’s dive into what colors mean why they matter for Weddings and business!

Color is Emotional!

We lives in a colorful world.  We even use color in our language like ‘feeling blue’, ‘tickled pink’ or ‘seeing red’. Color and emotion are intertwined. Understanding the meaning behind a color can help you select the color or colors that are right for your business brand or your Wedding.  We get inspired every time we go the Pantone Color page .

Colors for Business

The color you select for your business can make or break your company.  Colors have meanings and you want to select the color that matches the meaning, the feeling and your Company’s message.  Ever notice how some companies use the color Blue?  That’s because Blue means “trust”.  Color is visual and can influence our decisions subliminally.  

In a study from the journal of the Academy of Marketing titled Science Exciting Red and Competent Blue revealed that the purchasing intent of customers is greatly affected by the brand color because the color speaks for the brand’s identity and personality.  This and other studies proved that there is a significant relationship between brand color and customer reaction.  That means business owners, advertisers, designers and office leaders need to be aware that choosing the right colors could lead to a more successful business.

Color Meanings:

Green- This color stands for healing, tranquility, environmental, fresh. It also stands for vitality, renewal and eco-friendly. Think of Brands like Tropicana, Animal Planet, and Starbucks.

Blue- The color of the sky and ocean, it’s not surprising that blue means calming, confidence, dignity, loyalty and trust worthy.  Think of brands like Facebook, Lowes,  American Express and Sotheby’s.

Orange- The color Orange stands for happiness, creativity, confidence, warmth and social communication.  It is also a color adventure which inspires and creates enthusiasm.  Brands like Fanta, Babble and KardZee come to mind.   

For us, the color Orange was perfect for KardZee.  We’re a creative, energetic company who likes to have happy clients so we would call that a perfect match.

Businesses - be aware of 3 factors when selecting a color scheme:

Appropriateness- What message is your business trying to convey? That message could be matched with the appropriate color shade.

Target Market- By knowing your target market, you will be able to select a color that resonates with your audience.

Consistency- Consistency in your color scheme strengthens your brand identity.  It also helps your Brand stand out from your competition.  Consistency also builds trust, loyalty and familiarity with your customers.