LetterMatics Connection

Mills Jewelers Getting Great Results With LetterMatics

2009-10-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

We've been busy the last few months helping jewelers win in the toughest marketplace in decades. And the results show we're making a big difference.

Mills Jewelers is one of Western New York's pre-eminent jewelers, and LetterMatics has made a big difference in their business this year.

"LetterMatics has given Mills Jewelers the ability to use our data base and use it in a very inexpensive and efficient way to grow our business. I highly recommend LetterMatics to anyone who realizes the value of personal contact but thought the task was unmanageable. With LetterMatics you can do it," says Mills Jewelers owner George Fritz.

Over the years, Lockport, NY-based Mills has built an enormous database of customers. But using effectively has proven a huge and frustrating challenge. LetterMatics has changed all that. "Mills Jewelers has a mailing list of over 10,000 legitimate customers just taking up space in our hard drive. We know their birthdays, their anniversaries, their buying patterns, and even their finger size. It cost a fortune to build this database over time. What's the point if we never use it?,' Fritz asks.

LetterMatics has changed all that. "LetterMatics allows me to put our database to use very effectively. The program helps me to reach out to these customers in a personal yet quick and easy way. The program comes with pre-written templates for every occasion and we can write our own that reflect the unique qualities of Mills Jewelers," Fritz says.

Putting LetterMatics to work has been quick and easy. "We open a template, personalize it, click a few buttons and a letter is automatically printed, stuffed, stamped and mailed. Two days later, the customer receives a targeted letter in their mailbox from me with the Mills Jewelers logo and my signature," Fritz says.

New business is walking in the door thanks to LetterMatics, Fritz says. "Customers come in with my letter in hand that includes a special offer and they make a purchase that would not have happened otherwise," he says.

That's LetterMatics: 21st Century marketing at its best.

LetterMatics Getting Serious Attention at JCK Show

2009-05-31T14:22:00.001-07:00

Down markets present big opportunities for companies that are willing to look beyond the present into a potentially prosperous future.

Those are the kind of businesses that seem to be showing up at this year's JCK Show, the biggest trade event in the jewelry world, reports LetterMatics CEO Joe Portale. The show is running May 30-June 2.

Portale has attended past events, and he reports that he's seeing quality rather than quantity at this year's event. "Attendance is down, but the quality of the people that are here s much higher," he says. Not surprisingly, people seem to have reduced their budgets to match the state of the economy. "The buyers that are here are picky, but they're purchasing in small quantities," he says.

LetterMatics CEO Joe Portale, right, talks with jewelers at the JCK Show.

Those buyers that are present seem to be the ones with the greatest resources and the biggest commitment to expanding their companies, Portale says. Though the total number of people stopping by the booth is down significantly, those showing up tend to understand the potential of next generation marketing technology and are willing to put in the effort needed to make it work.

One big lesson has been the power of industry trade magazine Modern Jeweler, Portale says. Many visitors have stopped by because they saw the LetterMatics article that ran in the publication and were impressed by it. "No one should have any doubt as to the impact trade publications can have on today's marketplace," Portale says.

Extraordinary Expertise: Nancy Schuring Covers the InStore Show.

2009-05-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

One of LetterMatics' greatest strengths is its real-world foundation. LetterMatics was created by a team of entreprenurs who have decades of small business experience between them. They know what it takes to make a business succeed and have designed LetterMatics to make that happen.

Nancy Schuring is a great example of this. She started Devon Fine Jewelry more than two decades ago working out of her home. Today the store is in the top 2%-3% of independent jewelers in the United States. Devon got to where it was because Nancy knows how to build relationships with her customers and keep them strong.

Nancy became involved with LetterMatics because she saw it as a potent tool for connecting with her clients. Few people can match her knowledge of the industry when it comes to everything from gemstones to marketing technology. One sign of the respect in which she is held is the fact that Colored Stones magazine used her as a roving correspondent at the recent InStore show.

To get some of Nancy's insights about the event and the industry, check out the story here: http://www.colored-stone.com/stories/may09/instore.cfm

LETTERMATICS: BRINGING MAIL MARKETING INTO THE ONE-TO-ONE WORLD.

2009-05-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

LetterMatics isn’t just technology. It’s not even a system. Instead, it’s a new way to approach marketing. For many years, mass marketing dominated the marketing world. Even on a local scale, marketing tended to take a one-to-many approach, with a single message spraying across many people regardless of whether it met their needs or not.

Then the Internet began to change this. Affordable web sites and interactive capabilities meant that online, it was possible to customize messages to a greater extent than ever before. But the mailbox remained a prisoner of mass marketing strategies, approaches and technologies.

Now, LetterMatics has changed all that. Since LetterMatics allows users to send real mail from their computers with three clicks of a mouse, one-to-one marketing is suddenly possible in the real world and not just the virtual one.

What makes this even more exciting is that, with on demand printing and state of the art printing technologies, letters aren’t the only type of material that companies can customize when they want to send messages to specific targets.

LetterMatics enables users to adapt many of the marketing approaches that have proven so powerful on the Internet to the real world. It offers instant gratification and total personalization. It is an affordable, effective way to turn distant customers into close friends of your company.

Colored Stones Magazine Latest To Cover LetterMatics

2009-04-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

In the latest breakthrough for LetterMatics, Colored Stones Magazine has profiled the technology in its highly respected newsletter.

In his introduction to the article, which can be found at , Colored Stones Editor David Federman asks "Are you a jeweler who regularly holds in-store events? Or who has built up close rapport with customers? If so, here’s a revolutionary new invitation system called LetterMatics that allows you and your sales people to revive personal postal communication between jeweler and customer—using software that costs only $189, and which pays for itself many times over with one of the very first letters it helps you compose."

Federman considers LetterMatics an important new tool for today's jewelers. He brought another thing to the party besides his words. Like any good editor, he did some research on the subject, and found a fascinating advertisement that had been published in 1956 in Scientific American.

"LetterMatic 1960?," the ad asks, predicting that "Tomorrow: You dictate! The machine types and hustles your letter to the mail. Electronics does it all."

People are using voice recognition technology to work with LetterMatics--so, 50 years later, the future is here. The ad was promoting General Motors ball bearings, which were used in the dictation equipment of the time, by the way.

InStore Show Is A Big Hit.

2009-04-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

People are ready to buy and ready to deal.

That's the clearest message sent by the InStore Show, which is beating all expectations in terms of attendee turnout, exhibitors and general energy, excitement and overall results.

All this was certainly evident at the LetterMatics booth. Traffic was constant, and more names were collected in the first day of the event than through the entire course of other shows.

Photo number one is of LetterMatics' Luther Gatling and Susan Valeri.

Photo number two, the middle image, shows LetterMatics Joe Portale and Nancy Schuring with InStore Editor in Chief Ralf Kircher.

The bottom image is of Nancy, Susan, Joe and Luther doing the first drawing for the daily winner of the iPod Shuffle. Shuffles were awarded each day.

UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF ON-DEMAND PRINTING

2009-04-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

By Susan Valeri, Creative Design Director

Getting promotional printed up has always been a gamble for small and midsized businesses. Minimum press runs a high setup fees meant a significant investment was required in messages and material that might quickly grow out of date.

New technology and breakthrough business approaches mean that's no longer the case.
LetterMatics state-of-the-art printers are capable of producing commercial press quality results in runs that would have seemed minute not long ago. Just as important, everything can be done without costly setup fees.

Companies that are willing and able to take advantage of what the new systems have to offer can enter a new marketing world when it comes to printed material. Suddenly, instead of having to and adapt their to those of the printer, the printer can provide exactly what they want.

Instead of wasting an enormous amount of money and resources running off many more copies than the market demands LetterMatics, can produce a few dozen or a few hundred items. Not only can this save money—it also means that the marketing messages themselves will be much more effective, because each will be shaped to meet the needs of the specific clients who are its target.

LetterMatics research on its promotional campaigns shows that micro-targeted materials are far more effective than conventional ones. It’s yet another way you can stay on the cutting edge—and slash costs at the same time.

THE ART OF LISTENING: A FISH STORY.

2009-04-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

By Luther Gatling

Over the course of my career I've learned how important it is to listen and to not just listen but to show people you've heard them. This is especially true for LetterMatics, because the connection that you can establish with your customers can be so personal, powerful and intimate.

Good listening is about more than just hearing someone's words. You need to hear what motivates them; What issues are causing them discomfort; What people want from you to help resolve their situation.

This isn't always easy. A lot of salespeople are bright, energetic individuals who are so excited about their product that instead of listening to what the person is saying they're listening for opportunities to put their own point of view forward. The usual result is that the prospect doesn't feel they've been heard, so real and effective communication does not take place.

To listen well, you need to get your own thoughts, ideas and preconceptions out of the way and focus entirely on the person you're talking to, concentrating on how you can serve them and resolve their difficulties and anxieties. If you're trying to think ahead of them and planning your next comment, you've made your need to speak more important then their need for your service, so you won't communicate effectively.

How does this fit in a LetterMatics? It's simple.

More than any kind of conversation that takes place using the mail, LetterMatics involves a personal interaction. We found the system works best when the first line of any letter you write directly echoes the conversation you had with the person you are sending the letter to. Sometimes the echo can be a statement of fact, and that's fine because there are few business communications using the mail where a fact that was gathered the day before shows up in someone's mail back the next day.

But that's also not using LetterMatics to its best effectiveness. Communications are most effective when they involve emotion as well as information. If you touch someone's heart as well as their mind you have a far greater chance at getting the result you want.

Go to our web site at this link to see a great example of this. It's a business letter about fishing. I was talking with a prospective client, and it turned out that we both liked fishing. So I wrote a letter at the recalled some of my favorite childhood memories of fishing. The prospect said he read the letter or five times, and we got the sale.

Did I mention the business topic we discussed and the way we provide a solution for his issues? Of course. But the fact that I really listened to him made my LetterMatics communication all the more powerful and effective. So, when you're using LetterMatics listen carefully and you'll get the results that will be worth hearing about.

LetterMatics at the InStore Show.

2009-04-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Marketing's hottest new clientelling system is appearing at both 2430 at the jewelry industry's biggest new event: the InStore Show, which is sponsored by InStore and InDesign Magazines.

Taking place April 19-21 at Chicago's Navy Pier, the InStore show has drawn hundreds of exhibitors and is expected to garner thousands of registrants as people look for solutions that will help them deal with a difficult economy.

One solution they'll find is LetterMatics, the marketing system that enables retailers, sales associates and managers to send real mail directly from their computers, eliminating the need for costly support services and enabling them to rienforce relationships with customers on a one-to-one basis. There will be exciting showcases of the system at work, samples of templates and other materials, and a new demo video.

LetterMatics CEO Joe Portale will be at the event, as will Nancy Schuring, founder and owner of Devon Fine Jewelry, Luther Gatling, vice president of communications, Susan Valeri, creative design director, and Tony Seideman, media and public relations director.

See you there.

March Lion

2009-03-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

In like a lion, and out like a lamb... so far this year, March has been true to its marketing tag line. How about you? How about your store? Are you living up to your tag lines? Marketing isn't the answer to everything, but it is the answer for most. LetterMatics just published the 10 most important areas to focus on. If you didn't get it, send me an e-mail (jportale@L-mail.net) and I'll be sure to get you a copy.

LetterMatics Featured in Modern Jeweler

2009-02-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. This is Nancy.

I've got some really exciting news. One of the jewelry industry's most respected publications, Modern Jeweler, has just published the article I wrote about LetterMatics and how easy it is to keep quality and professional communication with our customers.

I never thought I'd be a journalist, but LetterMatics is so effective and has been such a powerful tool for us that I couldn't help but spread my enthusiasm about it. And when Cheryl Kremkow, Modern Jeweler’s editor, heard about what we were doing, she asked me to do a piece for her publication.

Especially in this economy, LetterMatics has made a real difference in terms of allowing us to stay connected with our customers in a timely and personal way!

Please check out this link and you'll see Modern Jeweler’s article about the future of one-to-one marketing in our industry:

http://www.modernjeweler.com/print/Modern-Jeweler/How-I-Connect-With-Every-Customer/1$885

Nancy Schuring

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

Remember your first Valentine? How would you describe that feeling!

Why don't you send a special Valentine letter to your top 500 customers? Unconditional love, no special offers, no call to action. Just a very heartfelt appreciation for them being in your retail store's life.

Pull a list of your top customers, we'll do the merge and mailing for you; about $400 in costs to endear yourselves to the top 500 clients in your store... not a bad idea! Who knows what might happen...

Call us today, and let us help you get more sales.

Joe Portale, CEO

2009-01-31T06:06:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, and Welcome to LetterMatics' blog.

We've created this because we want to give LetterMatics users a place to go to get the latest tips and advice on using our great marketing system.

While mail is not new, our ability to send mail with just 3 clicks of your mouse is very new. By blending the affordability of the United States Postal Service with the power of the Internet, LetterMatics has created a revolution in your ability to further develop one-to-one relationships with your customers. But in the same way that a weight training machine doesn't make you healthier unless you actually use the equipment, LetterMatics doesn't boost your business until you make using it a way of doing business for your entire company.

Thought for today: Think about your letters to your customers as "theatrical events". The staging, the setting, the visuals, the cleanliness, the classiness, and most importantly, the meaningful content all come together to penetrate the mind of your customer and make a 5 to 10 second connection.

We call this the "Theater of the Mail". Opening your piece is akin to sitting in the theater. The lights dim, the music lowers, the audience quiets, the curtain opens, your attention is momentarily focused. In the first few minutes of this play or movie, you know whether you're "into it" or not. At LetterMatics, we help you get your customers to open your mail and "get into it".

In this blog, we'll look at the way LetterMatics customers are integrating this new "Theater of the Mail" into their businesses, and being rewarded with repeat visits and increasing sales!

We'll provide you with useful tips, inspiring success stories, and new tools and marketing strategies. We'll show you what works for others, and help you build templates (I prefer the word "Samplates") that help your company grow. Your success is our goal.

Remember, LetterMatics is NOT an automated junk mail system. It is a convenient, low cost, First Class marketing system focused on getting your customers closer to you and your business.

I'll be back with more tips in a couple of days.

See you then,

Joe Portale, CEO