Yet another post inspired by our moving saga!
We’ve spent the last few weeks getting our house ready to sell. A large portion of that work was simply clearing the clutter we’ve managed to accumulate. I didn’t realize what cluttery people we were until we really sat down to go through our things. It was a humbling and somewhat distressing experience. I found that my husband is incapable of throwing out the trash from his pockets. I found that I am incapable of throwing away magazine articles that may be useful.
But I also sat down to begin work on my very first SZC Communications e-newsletter. In my search for inspiration, I started looking through the many e-newsletters that I subscribe to. The ones that I rarely have time to read. And I learned a lot about e-newsletters just by clearing my e-newsletter clutter.
I love the Harvard Business Review e-newsletter. I rarely visit the actual site without first being hooked by an article from the e-newsletter. I receive that e-newsletter once a week. It’s nicely organized, and it features relatively few ads. What ads are included are typically beneath the main content. I rarely receive promotional materials, and when I do, I can tell which ones are promotional by the subject line.
Compare that to some of the other e-newsletters I receive on a daily basis, often with vague subject lines that may end up being promotions for a white paper, webinar or book they’re trying to hock.
So what did I learn from my survey of the e-newsletters I subscribe to?
- Frequency matters. No matter how good your information is, if you’re reader is too busy to keep up with your newsletter, your information will never get read.
- Incorporate clear subject lines. I want to know if I’m opening a new product announcement, seminar offering or other “salesy” promotion.
- Content matters. If you offer interesting, helpful or insightful comment, I’ll open your e-newsletter, no matter how busy I am.
Interested in receiving the SZC Communications e-newsletter? Send me an e-mail (subscribe@szccommunications.com). You can check out our inaugural edition here.
Posted in Communications, E-Newsletter, SZC Communications, Writing.
Tagged with E-Newsletter, SZC Communications, Writing.
By Sarah Z. Cordell
– June 18, 2010
Customer service is one way to stand out from your competition. Good customer service isn’t hard; it may take a little more time and energy, but it’s not hard. I personally experienced two great examples of top-notch customer service that inspired me.
- Our son recently went to his first dentist appointment. He was a big fan of the toys, but he found the actual cleaning a bit less exciting. At the end of our cleaning with the dental technician, the pediatric dentist came over to chat with us and review our dental hygiene. The good news? He has great teeth. The even better news? The pediatric dentist (Amy Bynum of Holly Tree Pediatric Dentistry) was even better. A few days after our visit, both my son and I received a note from the dentist. His was a basic note saying “thanks for the visit.” Mine included a personal note that featured details of our brief five minute conversation. She’d obviously taken the time during her busy day to not only make notes about our conversation, but then she also took the time to write me that quick note. Were her efforts terribly time intensive? No, although it could certainly add up. But she made a great impression on me and my son.
- My second example of awesome customer service also involved my son (I’m noticing a trend here). As I mentioned earlier, my family is in the process of selling our house. Our most recent showing happened during dinner time, so my husband and I trundled off to Mimi’s Café on Woodruff Road (near the Shops at Greenridge) for dinner with one hungry toddler in tow. Almost as soon as we were seated, one of the hosts (Michael was his name, I think) came over with a plate for our son: a small bowl of Cheerios, a slice of orange and some crackers. Nothing big, nothing fancy. But he took the time to help make our experience (and that of our fellow diners) much more pleasant by keeping our son occupied while his meal was being prepared.
Both these examples are relatively small, inexpensive gestures. But they made a big impact on me. I’m telling people I know about these businesses, and I would definitely patronize them both again. And they’ve inspired me to look at my business to see what small gestures I can incorporate into my daily routine.
Posted in Customer Service, SZC Communications.
Tagged with Customer Service.
By Sarah Z. Cordell
– June 3, 2010
Paint Chips
My husband and I are going through the process of getting our house ready to sell (which is one of many reasons I’ve been missing around The Pink Pen Blog!). The most recent things we checked off our to-do list was painting.
A fresh coat of paint does wonders for a house. A slightly lighter shade can make a dark room feel brighter, more open and more welcoming. A more neutral color can make the transition from one room to another feel more seamless, which makes the whole house feel just a little bit bigger.
Which got me thinking. What’s the literary equivalent of a fresh coat of paint? What about a fresh pair of eyes?
If you haven’t looked at your copy in a while (yep, you know you did. You finished it, checked it off your to-do list and haven’t looked at it since!), take a minute to revisit it. A few tweaks here or a rephrase there may be all it takes to bring your copy to a whole new level.
Next up on the getting our house ready to sell list? Pruning. Yep, you can probably see where this is going…
Posted in Communications, SZC Communications.
Tagged with editing, house-selling, house-staging, painting, real estate, revising, staging, Writing.
By Sarah Z. Cordell
– May 6, 2010
Open Book
When I started my own business (SZC Communications), I wanted to do a couple of things. The biggies are probably no surprise: support my family, be my own boss and do something I love and do well. But I had two things in particular that I wanted to accomplish.
I wanted to support causes that I believe in, and I wanted to give back to the community that I live in.
I was so excited this week to write my first check in support of those goals.
Granted that check was smaller than I would have liked (growing businesses, I have found, usually have lots of needs that require cash!), but simply being able to write that check gave me a boost better than any caffeinated beverage I’ve ever consumed.
Deciding on an organization to support was surprisingly difficult: there are so many worthy organizations that do great work. So I’ve opted to share the love: each quarter, I’m planning to select a charity I believe in and donate a percentage of my revenue to that charity. For the first quarter of 2010, I chose the Greenville Literacy Association. You can probably guess why, but I’ll detail a little bit anyways.
I love books, and I have always loved reading. Books are inspiring, motivating, calming, relaxing, infuriating and every possible emotion you could ever feel. I learn so much from each page I turn. From an enjoyment standpoint, I can’t imagine not being able to read. From a standard-of-living standpoint, I shudder to contemplate the disadvantages illiteracy brings.
I know that my donation isn’t much. But I also know that even small contributions can make an enormous difference is someone’s life.
Posted in SZC Communications.
Tagged with charity, giving back, Greenville Literacy Association.
By Sarah Z. Cordell
– April 20, 2010
