Has anything like this ever happened to you?
I purchased some boxed greeting cards which lasted for several years, since I didn't take the initiative to sit down and write out the same card over and over.

Next I paid a printer to make 500 "Thank You" cards and used those for a while. The novelty quickly wore off, because I got bored with cards or they didn't say what I wanted to say on the outside.

I got more cards printed and before I knew it, I had "Thank You for Your Business" cards, "Thank You for Your Appointment" cards, Thank You for Your Payment" cards, and just plain "Thank You" cards. Then I saw a large rubber stamp, an Avon bottle that said "Thank You" so I used that. It seemed easier.

I recognize the value of expressing gratitude to people with whom I do business and also recognize people for their efforts. But I felt that using pre-printed cards wasn't spontaneous enough. Several books by Tom Hopkins, Joe Girard and others tell me that "Thank You" notes are invaluable, but I couldn't see it because I was thinking about pre-printed, purchased note cards.

Another problem: my handwriting is terrible and I felt self-conscious. As you might expect, my good intentions soon went the way of most good intentions. I ended up with a good inventory of pre-printed cards that didn't say what I wanted to say and were buried in a stack of office stuff, so they weren't accessible when the inspirational moment occurred.

One day I got a call from someone who needed help with their ACT! program. They wanted to transfer their ACT! contacts to a greeting card database. This puzzled me, but I decided to keep an open mind and said, "Tell me about it." The rest is history!
Check out my Act! Web Site.

Now I have a way to spontaneously send out a greeting card to meet virtually any situation without having to drive to the store, browse through hundreds of cards to find the exact one and stand in line to pay for it. I am not a shopper.

I had several friends who used to keep file boxes full of cards, just in case they needed one. Now, they simply go to their greeting card website, pick a card and it goes out.

Many times I'd rather create my own card from a digital photograph, which then becomes a one-of-a-kind creation especially for the occasion.

I now send out cards every day.

It's easy to look in my database and find a few people to spontaneously send a card to -- and the result has been incredible! People I haven't talked to in years are calling me to thank me for the beautiful card.

What you send out comes back!