Contact Management Mishap: Embarrassing Email Sends to Customers

[Kathytnt]

I wanted to send out an e-mail using the contact management on the website - Trying out one of the cusotmer communication e-mails I sent some out to the customer with the last name A then the last name B because I needed to do a little house cleaning of my contact list.
Then went back in and just selected everyone. My sister called me and says how many PC things are you going to send me?? She got three all three e-mails. Well at least my sis wants to book a show for March.

 

[pamperedharriet]

At least it was your sister and not someone else who might have had a fit. At least you got a booking out of it, Kathy!

 

[Kathytnt]

No - It went to everyone in my contact list

 

[pamperedharriet]

Oh, I didn't realize that when I read your post. I hope your customers don't think you were harassing them. You could tell them that it must have been a glitch with the internet--sometimes I get duplicates for not reason.

 

[Kathytnt]

They don't have an e-mail for that

 

[pamperedharriet]

I know but if they say something to you about it.

 

[Kathytnt]

It's the customer communciation on the website link - I have rarely had a problem with my newsletters. I was just trying to let everyone know about the registry and to let any brides know about the bridal show I am doing this weekend

First a flaky host, then a friends father passes and now this - What a day

But I do have a problem resolved on an order and a booking for March

 

[cmdtrgd]

I just had to add to the embarrassed post with this little ditty which I JUST figured out!Okay, I have a show tomorrow night and the host got the guest list to me a week and a half ago - when I told her I would be in Dallas for Leadership! I got the invitations out on Saturday and forgot about the holiday. The invitations were local, and normally local gets there the next day, which even with the holiday would be Tuesday. I am making the reminder calls live - usually I use postcalls.com - because there are only 10 (bad host coaching on my part). The first one I make the lady says she will be there at 7:02pm. I was supposed to put 7:32!!!! Anyhoo, there are three invitations I don't have phone numbers for and I plan on getting there about 6:45, so this could be an interesting show!And to top it off, another show I am supposed to have on Tuesday just let me know that she needs to change the date - and I already sent out 64 invitations! grrr

 

[cmdtrgd]

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread!

 

[pamperedharriet]

Oh, Kate I feel your pain! I hope you have your host pay for the postage the second time around!

 

[Chef Kearns]

I wanted to send out an e-mail using the contact management on the website - Trying out one of the cusotmer communication e-mails I sent some out to the customer with the last name A then the last name B because I needed to do a little house cleaning of my contact list.
Then went back in and just selected everyone. My sister called me and says how many PC things are you going to send me?? She got three all three e-mails. Well at least my sis wants to book a show for March.

I have had a similar situation happen. Because everytime you enter a host (say they book 3 times a year or host once and attend a couple of friends' parties) it registers them on your list. So I have some people 3 or more times. I HATE using the contact management system so far. I have to go in and thin out my contacts.

 

[cmdtrgd]

Chef Kearns - did you know you can choose a contact on your PWS when entering a show?

 

[Kathytnt]

I had been using a different contact management. I wanted to try to start usings some of the e-mails but this didn't work to well. I go back to PP for contact management and reminders but is seems to take foreever to put an update back to the website.

 

[KimmyDarling]

The first one I make the lady says she will be there at 7:02pm. I was supposed to put 7:32!!!!

I have to be missing something-- you didn't have a host that wanted it to start at 7:32, did you?!!!

 

[cmdtrgd]

Yes, the host wanted to start at 7:30pm. She works full time and wants to make sure she will have enough time to get home. I usually put a non-standard time so people will remember it - thus 7:30 becomes 7:32.

 

[pamperedharriet]

Yes, the host wanted to start at 7:30pm. She works full time and wants to make sure she will have enough time to get home. I usually put a non-standard time so people will remember it - thus 7:30 becomes 7:32.

I forget who I learned that tip from but if you put an "odd" time on an invitation is sometimes prompts the receiver to call you to make sure they have the time right--one way of getting them to respond to you!

 

[gilliandanielle]

This is kinda/not really related, but I wanted to vent about my newsletter. I have been listening to Belinda Ellsworth a lot, and she talks about how your newsletter needs to bring value to the recievers. I used constantcontact.com (Thanks Kate!) and sent out a newsletter FULL of quick tips, with the specials at the bottom. Of the 69 people on my e-mail list only 22 have opened it 3 days later, only one lady actually went to my site (host from h*ll) and no one ordered or forwarded it even though I offered incentives for doing both. I feel like I could just cry!!

 

[SusanBP0129]

Same here! I have gotten NO RESPONSES from my newsletter.
So bummed

 

[cmdtrgd]

Gill - keep using it and realize that some email providors do not let their customers be tracked. I sent one to myself at my gmail account and forwarded it as well as clicked on the link. None of that info was in my info on constant contact because gmail typically blocks that info. So, your numbers could be higher. Keep sending them WITH the "if you want to unsubscribe...." lines at the top. I have only had one out of about 75 people unsubscribe. And on all my previous emails that I had sent without the "click on this link to unsubscribe" part, I did put how to unsubscribe by emailing me back. She didn't use that at all. Hopefully that makes sense!Try sending emails to your downline - its an eye opener!

 

[Chef Kearns]

This is kinda/not really related, but I wanted to vent about my newsletter. I have been listening to Belinda Ellsworth a lot, and she talks about how your newsletter needs to bring value to the recievers. I used constantcontact.com (Thanks Kate!) and sent out a newsletter FULL of quick tips, with the specials at the bottom. Of the 69 people on my e-mail list only 22 have opened it 3 days later, only one lady actually went to my site (host from h*ll) and no one ordered or forwarded it even though I offered incentives for doing both. I feel like I could just cry!!

You've got to pretend that they are all reading your newsletter. Sometimes people will respond and sometimes you'll go through several months without hearing anything. I always put a tidbit of personal info into my newsletter. It surprised me when I moved or had our 4th child. I had people I hadn't heard from in a year or more contacting me. It tells me that they read my newsletters. That keeps me sending them out. Every so often they'll take advantage of a sale I'm offering or something. You never know.

 

[gilliandanielle]

I am scared to send e-mails to my downline!! I bet no one open them!!

I just don't see the point in busting my butt every month to get it done and out if everyone is just going to trash it!

 

[dianevill]

Gill, it's still keeping your name in front of them. I had a lady whom I haven't spoken with in YEARS e-mail me a $200 order at Christmas after reading my newsletter. She didn't know what to get her daughters, and after she saw my newsletter she knew the answer. Don't give up!!!

Diane

On a side note, I have put secret codes in my newsletters. In the middle of a host special description I'll write "e-mail me now with the code name 'cookware' and be entered into a drawing for a saute pan". I send out about 600 e-mails. I usually only get 7 or 8 responses!! It is kind of disheartening, but then when I get that one person that e-mails me saying they want to host a show, it's all worth it!!

 

[tashayoung]

Yes, the host wanted to start at 7:30pm. She works full time and wants to make sure she will have enough time to get home. I usually put a non-standard time so people will remember it - thus 7:30 becomes 7:32.

I do the same...I put 6:58 for a 7:00 show.

 

[gilliandanielle]

Thanks guys! I just added some lead's e-mails to my list, so hopefully I can see who opens them and would be worth calling. I added my team too, so now I know who is really listening when I "talk"!! I feel like a spy!

 

[Kathytnt]

Well as a follow up as of right now I hae only had one person ask to be removed from my mail list. I am not too upset about it. The young lady got upset about an order - She wanted $4 shipping but she wanted the order before the show closed. With my fundraisers I give all my commision so I would have had to eat the shipping - I just couldn't get her to understand. She just kept saying that she was having it shipped to the host but couldnt' understand that she was not having it shipped with the show. If it were to happen now I would just do the order and give the fundraising participant the 20% but she was rather rude

Hopefully everything else will be o.k. There are always going to be people you cannot please.

 

[chee65]

One thing I am finding out about newsletters is that the shorter the better. I've been sending those lengthy newsletters that I subscribed to each month and when I ask my customers if they got them they said no. Some of them say that if it has alot of pics and a large file they cannot open it. So I'm wondering if this is happening to the majority of them. So I'm just going to send them shorter ones that I will make myself. I'm also finding out that the emails from our website are too lengthy too and some people say that they look like too much to read. So I'm just going to send personal emails or at least ones that look like I've only sent it to them. I don't know I guess alot of people just like the personal touch instead of beautiful emails.

 

[pamperedharriet]

Size of newsletters

One thing I am finding out about newsletters is that the shorter the better. I've been sending those lengthy newsletters that I subscribed to each month and when I ask my customers if they got them they said no. Some of them say that if it has alot of pics and a large file they cannot open it. So I'm wondering if this is happening to the majority of them. So I'm just going to send them shorter ones that I will make myself. I'm also finding out that the emails from our website are too lengthy too and some people say that they look like too much to read. So I'm just going to send personal emails or at least ones that look like I've only sent it to them. I don't know I guess alot of people just like the personal touch instead of beautiful emails.

Very good point! As much as we feel that we want to share with everyone and with pictures maybe it is overwhelming. I am going to try doing a shorter, less pictures newsletter for February and see if it gets more attention. I've been cutting back more and more on my newsletters but they are still too long.

 

[cmdtrgd]

The only problem I see with that is I advertise that I send no more than 2 emails per month. If I send short ones, I can't get all the specials and host of the month and promotions, etc. in it. JMO

 

[pamperedharriet]

Sometimes you can't get it all in one newsletter especially this time of the year with changes. To avoid confusion I send one e-mail on items that are being discontinued, another on price increases for example and my customers like that I am not putting it all in one and tend to read it. I know because I got a few e-mails on people wanting to get in on some before the price increase. I think if I put it all in my newsletter it would be missed.

 

[DizziePixie]

I just had to add to the embarrassed post with this little ditty which I JUST figured out!

Okay, I have a show tomorrow night and the host got the guest list to me a week and a half ago - when I told her I would be in Dallas for Leadership! I got the invitations out on Saturday and forgot about the holiday. The invitations were local, and normally local gets there the next day, which even with the holiday would be Tuesday. I am making the reminder calls live - usually I use postcalls.com - because there are only 10 (bad host coaching on my part). The first one I make the lady says she will be there at 7:02pm. I was supposed to put 7:32!!!! Anyhoo, there are three invitations I don't have phone numbers for and I plan on getting there about 6:45, so this could be an interesting show!

And to top it off, another show I am supposed to have on Tuesday just let me know that she needs to change the date - and I already sent out 64 invitations! grrr

Do most of your send invitations out for your hosts? Do you think it's worth the time and money even thought some hostesses may cancel or postpone though they've already been sent out? I have been considering adding this service for my hostesses.

 

[dollfangs]

I personally send out the invitations for my hosts. I have only had a couple of cancellations since I started doing this and it was done before the invitations were sent out. I have had 2 reschedule because of weather but that is it. My show average went from around 200 to aroune 500 so I feel that it is worth it.

 

[CAmomCookin4U]

I have been sending the invites for my last 4 shows and really like it. I put the postcard invite in an envelope (otherwise they get stuck in magazines, or lost). It costs about $14 but I KNOW the invites were sent. I tell the host to personally/telephonically invite everyone- then I send the invite (it being a reminder)- then they follow-up 2-3 days before the show. So hopefully the guests have seen or heard it 3 times.
Often I find that the mailed invite is the ONLY invitation, so at least I guarentee they were invited. Plus you can write off the postage/envelopes