Have you told them lately that you care? Rod Stewart made a big hit with a love song from the early 90's. He named it "Have I Told You Lately that I Love You?" On the CD, he dedicated the song to his wife. The words were as powerful as they were loving. Listen to the first verse. "Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you there is no one else above you? You fill my heart with gladness. You chase away all my sadness. You make me happy, that's what you do." Searching for words to tell your best customers how much you care? It's a great time in this most caring month of the year. But don't just feel it - write it. Read a book of poetry, buy a CD of love songs, get in the mood to express how you feel and write a sincere "thank you" letter this Valentine's month to the customers you love the most. Regards, Jim Cecil ==================================== NURTURE NEWS The insights, tools, tips and resources to help you Nurture 'your guys' even better. Date - February, 2002 Issue # 3 Jim Cecil, Editor, jim@nurturemarketing.com ==================================== By subscription only! Welcome to your next issue of "NURTURE NEWS" You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this newsletter. ==================================== IN THIS ISSUE ==================================== => Thought for the Day => Sponsorship Notice => Feature Article => Nurture Question of the Month => Review of Products or Services => Spotlight => Book of the Month => Feedback => Guest Columnist => Valentine's Day Potpourri => Privacy Statement => Copyright/Contact Info => Subscribe/Unsubscribe information ==================================== THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ==================================== " Do not judge the day by the harvest you reap, rather by the seeds you plant and nourish." - Robert Louis Stevenson ==================================== SPONSORSHIP NOTICE ==================================== Multi-Function CRM Software: How Good Is It? - by Dick Lee ** New Study Confirms Your Worst Suspicions ** If you think CRM software is over-priced, too complex to install and too difficult to operate-you only know the half of it according to a survey base of almost 1,300 CRM software customers. Famed CRM Guru, Dick Lee, lays it all on the line and the results are shocking. Here's a sampling of the study findings: * Siebel is not the CRM software industry customer satisfaction leader. * CRM systems by ERP vendors Oracle and SAP may be causing more problems than they solve. * CRM software customers want simpler systems-but not at the cost of reducing adaptation that provides the functionality they need. * Sales and marketing appear more responsible for market share than system performance. * CRM vendors aren't listening to CRM customers. This research report will help you: * Be alert to problem areas with CRM software. * Separate fact from fiction in vendor sales presentations. Ask pointed questions. * Obtain the right commitments. * Get the system you need, not what software vendors want to sell you. If you're selecting CRM software, this study with over 100 pages of valuable information could be worth its weight in gold. And if you buy it direct, you save $50 off the retail price. Check it out in detail @ http://www.h-ym.com/crmreport.htm ==================================== FEATURE ARTICLE Nine Customer Love Letters Jim Cecil ==================================== Research has shown that frequent, nurturing contact is the baseline for long term relationships whether personal or business. As chaos, fear and uncertainty clouds our thoughts, finding the time and words to acknowledge them and to personally express your appreciation is vital. To help you jump start your Valentine wishes for customers, employees and suppliers, reviewing this article, first published in Rough Notes Magazine (the Bible of the Insurance Industry) in Feb. 2001, might help. Hope it tickles your fancy. http://www.nurturemarketing.com/articles/nineloveletters.html ***************************************** "Is everybody talking to your customer.................. but you?" ***************************************** ==================================== NURTURE QUESTION OF THE MONTH ==================================== Q: What is a typical response rate for a customer survey? We mailed to our top co-op agents (796) and over the course of the last 3 weeks we have only received 35 responses. I know traditional direct mail says 2%, but a small sampling of this size I would hope for more. What do you think? A: Predicting response to a 'satisfaction' survey is always hazardous. Response (or lack thereof in cases like this) is dictated by so many variables. Without knowing the current age, quality or nature of these existing relationships and without knowing your prior Nurturing patterns, I fear it is highly speculative to be able to accurately forecast your customer affection ratios lacking further data. Tip: Try bribing them. Send the same survey but include a $2.00 bill as appreciation for their valuable input. Response is a reflection of these and perhaps other issues. 1. How happy were the recipients, generally, at the outset? How do you know? 2. How long since any form of personal contact has been made prior to initiating nurturing? 3. What is the level of contact frequency with the names on your list? 4. How important is your relationship to recipients? 5. Are you receiving spontaneous comments or notes in the replies? What flavor? Love, Complaint, Indifference? 6. How long did you wait for responses before counting? 7. Even with a modest response, were there any alarming comments? Perhaps a few selected phone calls to 10 or 20 other (A) Agents may tell another story. 8. Actually, most direct mailers are delighted to receive 1/4th of a percent response. 2% would be a bonanza. 9. Did you refine and customize the survey mailing to make it feel personalized and more relevant to the recipients and not just the generic letter survey? Sorry there do not seem to be any cut and dried answers regarding response expectations, but just know that all gestures of appreciation and interest reap long lasting rewards even if they don't always trigger a response. Good Nurturing, Jim ==================================== REVIEW: Product - Subscriber Special - Save $20! ** Mastering Relationship Selling ** ==================================== Mastering Relationship Selling A Drive-time, 6 hour Mastery of Customer Nurturing Regularly $69.95 - Valentine's Day Priced - $49.95 This flexible sales training program guides new and experienced sales representatives alike through the exact steps in a relationship development process. From targeting, attracting and cultivating to closing and retaining profitable, loyal customer relationships, this series will become a cornerstone of your business building library. Mastering Relationship Selling will solidly ground sales and customer service people alike. You'll find it generates enthusiastic cooperation for your overall Nurture Selling efforts. Jim helps you shift your company focus from only pursuing easy prospects to growing lasting relationships with your most desired prospects and major business opportunities. This entirely new selling process and powerful new business building perspective will reveal: * specific ways to reach and influence final decision makers quicker * a simple way to qualify which prospects are ready to buy now * how to differentiate your business from the rest of the pack * how to discover, articulate and incorporate your Unique Selling Advantage Help your team sell more now. With this album you'll have an affordable and repeatable sales training program to improve veterans and rookies alike. Jim shows you how even traditional marketing methods can build loyalty from current customers. You'll find specific ways to assess your organization's current attraction and retention activities and then use those to strengthen those relationships. With the Nurture Selling Process on your side, you increase profits by enhancing sales, preference and loyalty. The process of Nurturing breathes life into strategy. You'll build a concrete action plan to leverage your time, your team, and your computers to grow loyalty and endorsement from prospects and customers alike. The Nurture Selling Process is real-world, customized, and it works! Sales leaders chose the Nurture Selling Process for one reason. Nurturing is a process. During this workshop you'll create a black and white selling strategy that pin-points all the players, all their variables, all the danger signs and exact action plans and contact steps to cultivate your key prospect groups. The best $50 Valentine you've ever received and the only thing that gets fat is your wallet. Visit http://www.nurturemarketing.com/products/ ==================================== SPOTLIGHT: Traveling Microphone ==================================== Feb. 2002 2/05 TEC 444 St. Louis, MO 2/06 KEY 952 St. Louis, MO 2/12 TEC 416 Long Island 2/13 TEC 689 No. New Jersey 2/13 Vertical Marketing - Webinar 2/14 TEC 439 No. New Jersey 2/15 ECUC San Antonio 2/19 CEO Excel Chicago 2/20 Vertical Marketing - Webinar March 2002 3/13 TEC 333 New York City 3/22 TEC 151 Atlanta April 2002 4/16 TEC 155 Atlanta 4/18 TEC 910 Atlanta May 2002 5/16 TEC 851 Seattle ***************************************** NURTURE - How to make customers want to call YOU when THEY are ready to BUY! ***************************************** ==================================== "When your heart is in your dreams, no request seems too extreme." - Jiminy Cricket ==================================== ==================================== BOOK OF THE MONTH REVIEW Emotional Marketing - The Hallmark Way of Winning Customers for Life By Scott Robinette ==================================== To its millions of loyal customers world-wide, the Hallmark brand stands for more than just greeting cards; it embodies the elusive item every company hopes to capture--the customer's heart. "Emotion Marketing" presents a powerful formula for engaging customers and employees alike in a meaningful relationship with enlightened leadership. This work should dispel any doubt about the value of pro-people practices in business. Engaging the commitment of 20,000 employees and millions of customers is no small task. Yet, in a world of corporate downsizing, worker alienation, and customer distrust, Hallmark has developed the ability to make money by winning people's hearts and earning their trust. This is a must read for anyone seeking to distinguish themselves and their companies from the madding crowd. Anybody interested in outstanding customer service will value the experience of reading Emotion Marketing by Scott Robinette, Claire Brand and Vicki Lenz. ==================================== FEEDBACK mailto:feedback@nurturemarketing.com ==================================== ** NURTURE STORIES ** It's always the little things that get you. Lori Brocker of CRW Insurance Services in Wisconsin relates the joy clients express when the conversation turns to the Nurture touches. In a note she recently described how customers, when calling for answers or service, often thank her for the little enclosures they send. People often make a very big deal out of the smallest gestures of kindness and affection. Lori says that Nurture keeps all her relationships blooming. ==================================== GUEST COLUMNIST ==================================== Selecting the exact software to drive your specific application takes the wisdom of a true Guru and the overview. Dick Lee, founder of Hi Yield marketing and a frequent contributor to CRM Magazine says smart buyers gauge the software by the behavior of its vendor. Lee says no need to waste money on features you may never need and only serve to complicate the experience for all users. Dick provides a quick formula for deciding how much CRM technology you really need. http://www.h-ym.com/download-files/Scorched_Earth_Selling-11-00.pdf ==================================== VALENTINE'S DAY POTPOURRI ==================================== Ever wonder about the origin and meaning of Valentine's Day? A mad emperor started it all. In A.D. 270 the mad emperor Claudius II decided that married men made poor soldiers because they did not want to leave their families to go to war. Because the Roman Empire needed soldiers, he issued a proclamation forbidding marriage. As a result, lovers secretly went to Valentine, a Christian bishop, who would marry them. When Claudius heard of this, he brought the bishop before him and attempted to convert him to Roman paganism. Valentine, in turn, unwisely tried to convert Claudius to Christianity and was sentenced to death for his impudence. While in prison, Valentine fell in love with the blind daughter of the jailer. He left her a farewell love note and signed it "Your Valentine." He was executed on February 14. Some years later, the Catholic Church proclaimed him a saint. Thus we celebrate Saint Valentine's Day, or Valentine's Day, on February 14 and dedicate the day to lovers. **FACTOIDS** More cards are sent on Valentine's Day than on any other holiday except Christmas. Young men and women during the Middle Ages drew a name from a bowl to see who their valentine would be and wore the name on their sleeve for a week. This gave rise to the expression to "wear your heart on your sleeve," meaning to openly show other people your feelings. Teachers receive the most valentines, followed by children, mothers, wives, and sweethearts. The oldest known Valentine's Day card dates from 1415 when Charles, the Duke of Orleans, smuggled a love note to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. It can be seen today in the British Museum. During Prohibition, members of mobster Al Capone's gang disguised themselves as policemen, entered a garage run by the Bugs Moran gang, lined up their enemies against a wall, and machine-gunned them in cold blood. Because the shootout occurred on February 14, it became known as "the Saint Valentine's Day massacre." **SYMBOLS** Symbols of Valentine's Day include the heart, rose, lace, rings, doves, and Cupid. In ancient times, people believed that all emotions such as love, happiness, anger, fear, jealousy, and hatred were found in the heart. In more recent times, only the emotion of love was thought to reside in the heart. Today, the heart is still a symbol of love. Venus, the Roman goddess of love, favored the rose above all other flowers. Because the color red represents strong feelings, the red rose is now a flower of love. Fine threads are woven together to make beautiful lace. Hundreds of years ago, women were required to be coy. If a woman saw a man that interested her, she would drop her lace handkerchief in the hopes he would pick it up, return it to her, and engage in conversation. People soon began to associate lace with romance. Even today, paper lace decorates candy boxes and valentine cards. Venus' favorite birds were doves because they remain with the same mates for their entire lives. Doves have become Valentine's Day symbols of loyalty and love. ==================================== SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION ==================================== ** Need a Speaker? ** Jim is available for speaking engagements. For a sample video, call us at 800-474-7951. ** Need a consultant or coach? ** If you are challenged with finding or keeping the right kind of customers or if you want help telling your story in letters, give us a call at 800-474-7951 and ask about our consulting and coaching services. ==================================== PRIVACY STATEMENT ==================================== NO SPAMMING OR LIST SHARING! - You can rest assured that your subscription email address will be kept in the strictest confidence. We do not divulge, nor make available to any third party, our subscription list. Your privacy is paramount to us! Therefore, it receives the respect it deserves! ==================================== COPYRIGHT/CONTACT INFORMATION ==================================== All contents Copyright (c) 2002 James P. Cecil Co., Inc. except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The contents of this E-zine may be copied, reproduced, or freely distributed for all nonprofit purposes without the consent of the author as long as the author's name and contact information are included. Example: Reproduced with permission from the Jim Cecil Nurture News E-zine. For more information, contact: James P. Cecil Company, Inc. 1402 - 140th Place NE, Suite 200 Bellevue, WA 98007 800-474-7951 Fax: 425-747-2198 jim@nurturemarketing.com Visit our Web Site to hear more about Drip Irrigation Marketing FREE: "21 Best Ideas for Making Prospects Call You First" http://www.nurturemarketing.com ==================================== LIST MAINTENANCE ==================================== To subscribe to our E-zine, send an email to info@nurturemarketing.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. mailto:info@nurturemarketing.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE To be removed from our mailing list, send an email to info@nurturemarketing.com with REMOVE in the subject line. mailto:info@nurturemarketing.com?subject=REMOVE Online issues can be found at http://www.nurturemarketing.com/ezine_archives ************************************************* Human beings have the remarkable ability to turn nothing into something. They can turn weeds into gardens and pennies into fortunes. - Jim Rohn ************************************************* THANK YOU FOR READING. MAKE IT A GREAT MONTH!