Each and every day, thousands of people flock to the internet to order business cards.

It wasn’t always this way of course. In the “old days” people used to walk into their local print shop, look at some templates and card options, give the printer their contact details, and they’d walk out with a stack of new cards.

The possibility of getting them for free couldn’t really exist under those circumstances.

It certainly can today. With printing becoming more affordable with volume, and many of the top websites being able to print volumes FAR exceeding (as in tens of thousands of times) the print volume of a local printer, online print houses began offering free or almost free business cards to lure customers in.

Part of the reason they are able to do this, is quite simply, repeat business.

After all, if you get one thing printed with them, chances are you’ll return when you need postcards, or letterhead, or any of dozens of other personal or business products these online printhouses are able to provide.

And chances are you’ll re-order cards in near future as well.

You might even tell a few friends about the great deal you just got, and then they’ll go and order.

In essence, the complimentary business cards offer is really just a clever “loss leader” to help companies get their foot in the door. Once they do, they’ve earned a customer that may return to them for years and years and for more and more print services.

Another reason many companies are able to offer free business cards is the ability to charge shipping and handling on these orders, which in many cases helps them recoup the cost of the printing. In some cases, they may even make money on the transaction! Imagine that… make money by giving something away!

Other companies — either unable or unwilling to give away cards for free — decided instead to offer free shipping to win over customers. In order to compete, they may offer more in the way of quality, service, or optio

So… if some companies offer the cards for free, and other companies offer free shipping… the question that naturally follows is, “can I get free business cards AND free shipping?

Actually, you can.

Offering free business cards with free shipping has proven to be a great way for companies to get publicity, often in the form of press releases that circulate around the web through news sites, social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, and others.

The problem is that these offers go fast. To limit their financial exposure, the companies only offer the deal to a limited number of customers. Get there first… and they’re yours. There’s an element of luck and timing in getting to these deals.

A few companies, however, have found that giving away the cards and shipping them free is a powerful way to earn customer loyalty. On the plus side, they leave these offers on the table for longer periods of time. On the negative side, the quantity of cards they’ll give away to each customer is generally pretty small.

Deciding between free business cards with a nominal shipping charge, and one of these smaller, or rarer deals that offer both for free, all depends on what you need.

The bottom line is that there sure are some great offers out there! So take advantage of them!

Author: Alan Saltz
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Let’s have a make-believe world for a second. Wouldn’t it be just great if we can have a great time serving every client we have every time? Just imagine the pleasure it can give us if our customers are always happy, positive and understanding people. It would really make for a better place to live in.

Not to burst your bubble or anything, but really now, it doesn’t work that way. We can’t always get what we want. There would always be customers who give us more trouble than we bargained for. More often than not, these customers are not even worth the trouble they get us into. If there’s the 80/20 rule in love, same goes when you’re in business – 80% of the time you’ll be able to deal with really good customers, while the rest of the 20%, well, you just have to bear it. These customers would always be complaining that your postcard printing doesn’t have the right picture, your coffee is way too hot, your telephone is not angled right, so on and so forth.

Unfortunately, there are those customers who just give you a difficult time, and sometimes they become downright ugly. Again, there’s the 80/20 rule. Studies suggest that when it comes to profitability, 80% of the profit you get from your business comes from those very unlikely that you’d love and would rather do without. And the 20% would be your best customers and would definitely do everything to keep them.

These are just the customers that you’d rather lose than waste your time, money and resources serving. But that’s exactly what you do – you give them your time, money and resources to serve them. As ugly as it may seem, it’s a reality. No matter your efforts, the 80% made up of ‘bad’ customers are the ones who often take up most of your time and energy. And whatever you do, they would always be rude, never satisfied, and would cost you more to serve than they would be willing to spend for themselves.

But what can you do? You need every customer you have. You can’t very well afford to lose them as they are also your source of bread and butter.

However, saying no to customers is the only way you can lose ‘bad’ ones and start being profitable. Losing customers is not a bad thing, especially if these customers only make it hard, even downright impossible, for you to increase your income. You work very hard but still you don’t get the results you want just because the work you give your customers are just so difficult to deliver. You end up wasting more than what you actually earn.

So stop nurturing your ‘bad’ customers and start sending them where they belong – to your competitors. You can’t afford to have them. And your business would be better off without them.

For more information, you can visit this page on postcard printing

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/printing-articles/stop-nurturing-your-worst-clients-and-start-making-profits-1602945.html

The season for giving is almost a month away. Sending custom greeting cards therefore is now in every business owner’s mind. A greeting card printing is one sure way to let your clients and prospects know that you remember them. But in addition to that, your greeting cards can also be utilized as an effective marketing strategy to convey your personal message.

Having a business is not always about getting the profits. A good business also allows for a good relationship to be formed with your customers. It also means being able to get in touch with them especially during special occasions and holidays. Sending your clients and prospects with your custom greeting cards then is one way for them to appreciate and remember that you value them.

Here are a few things that you can do to make your greeting card printing more effective:

1. Handwrite your message. One way of getting personal is by signing your greeting cards with your own handwriting. By doing so, you let your recipients feel that you care enough to spend your time and effort to make your greeting card personal. It goes a long way in making them feel valued and appreciated.

2. Send your greeting card when they least expect it. Although Christmas is one good time you can send your custom greeting card, with so many companies also sending cards during this time, you might find yourself overlooked and ignored. So send your custom greeting cards ahead of your competition. If you can, try to mail them a few days or weeks before Christmas. That way, you get to say your holiday greetings before your competition.

3. Don’t put your logo. Remember that it’s a greeting card, not a promotional one. Although you also aim to get your business recognized, it’s not a good thing for your recipients to feel that your greetings are just a way for you to sell something. Make them feel that you’re genuine with your good wishes. Make your greeting card look less a promotional material and more than, well, a greeting card.

4. Think of your recipient as a friend you’re having conversation with. The more personal you treat your greeting cards, the better you’ll be at conveying a merry wish to your target audience.

5. Keep your message simple and upbeat. You don’t have to give them a message that goes on and on about how you appreciate them, blah blah blah. Just give them the key point – you appreciate them and you would want to wish them happiness during the holidays. That’s it.

Remember that more than a promotional material, your greeting card is one way you can build your relationship with your clients. So make sure that you get it right – send them custom greeting cards that say what’s in your heart.

For more information, you can visit this page on greeting card printing

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/printing-articles/greeting-cards-from-the-heart-1551548.html