When I was growing up, I loved getting something in the mail with my name on it. You know what I’m talking about: that birthday card from Grandma, the small trinket from a family member traveling, or the postcard from a friend on summer vacation. I vividly remember ripping into whatever goody was waiting for me in the mailbox as fast as I could to see what treasure awaited inside.
The art of mailing stuff has gotten lost in our endlessly digital world. The generations of people that mailed fun things to their grandkids and friends are almost gone. We’ve forgotten that childlike excitement when those magical packages showed up in our mailboxes. So how can we recapture the fun and bring back the happiness to mailboxes everywhere? Let’s start with our direct sales businesses!
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WHAT IS HAPPY MAIL?
Before we dig into what to send and how to send it, let’s cover some basics. What is happy mail? Plainly, happy mail is anything that you’re excited to see in your mailbox! So it’s definitely not your property tax notice or a solicitation for something you’re never going to buy. It’s a note from a friend, a birthday card, or a little package full of happiness from someone when you least expect it. Happy mail is one of the many things that can set you apart in your direct sales business. When you take the time to send something special to your customers, team members, or hosts, you will make a lasting impression and solidify your place as their go-to gal or guy!
WHY SEND HAPPY MAIL?
There are two simple reasons why you send happy mail:
- Build relationships
- Solidify relationships
The foundation of every business is relationships, so any gesture that can help you build relationships is a tool you want to have in your toolbox. It’s a part of your long-term sales strategy that needs to be a monthly practice!
Sending Happy Mail to build relationships is for all the newcomers in your business. For example:
- New Customers
There’s nothing more special than surprising your newest customers with some fun, happy mail! After someone attends their first party, the best follow-up is a simple “thank you” card for making them feel special and valued.
- New Hostesses
I’ve said it once, and I’ll repeat it, hosts are the lifeline to your direct sales business. You have to love on ’em! A new host could lead to many new opportunities, whether it be new customers or even a new team member. I can’t tell you how many new team members I gained after they hosted a party and fell in love with the business and the products!
- New Team Members
That being said, new team members deserve a little loving too! Sending a cute note saying “Welcome, to the team!” can go far to share encouragement and spark confidence right from the get-go.
Next up is sending happy mail to solidify relationships! Once you have a relationship built with someone, that doesn’t mean you can just coast; you still need to show a little love and appreciation from time to time! Happy mail to solidify relationships is best sent to:
- Repeat Customers
Do you have those customers who consistently help you reach your sales goals, spending higher dollar amounts per order than most? Send them a thank you in the form of happy mail – appreciation goes a long way, friends!
- Past Hosts
Each month you need to be thanking those hosts who helped you with parties that month. At the end of every month, I take an inventory of my hosts, and I head over to Target to get little tokens of appreciation in the dollar section. I get them all in one trip, package them, and mail them out altogether on one day of the month. I call it “mail day” to streamline and simplify!
WHO TO SEND HAPPY MAIL TO
In addition to building and solidifying relationships, you can send Happy Mail to just about anyone you want to recognize for doing something amazing, supporting your business, or referring you to a friend. The list could go on and on, but here are some ideas to get you started:
- Customers who purchase over a certain amount
- Active team members
- Team members that earned a hard to reach company incentive
- Top sellers or recruiters on your team
- Someone who took the time to help you with your business like a mentor or coach
- A friend who did something really brave
- Customers who had a one-on-one shopping appointment with you
- Brides who set up a registry
- Someone who visited your booth at a vendor event
See what I mean? You could brainstorm for days on this one. It’s anyone who pops into your head, and you think, “Gosh! I really appreciate what they did!” or “I’m so proud of them!” I can tell you from being on the receiving end of happy mail that it will make a world of difference in building long-term relationships. People don’t forget when you take the time to show appreciation for them.
WHAT TYPES OF HAPPY MAIL TO SEND
Now that you know who to send happy mail to, you may be asking, “what kind of happy mail should I be sending?”. Ultimately, that’s totally up to you. But I can share some of my favorites and how I put together my happy mail!
Postcards
The easiest way to send out some happy mail is a simple postcard. This is especially perfect for new customers. Use an online design tool like Canva to design a postcard with your business branding, contact details, all the places they can find you (think Facebook, Pinterest, etc.). Then, get many of them printed on an affordable site like Vistaprint, where you can easily upload your own design. This is a super affordable way to spread the love!
E-Cards
Don’t have an address? Don’t let that stop you from sending something fun! E-cards are a super sweet touch that still spread just as much joy! Use sites like Smilebox or Paperless Post with super cute and affordable designs.
Packages
If you want to go bigger than a postcard for a good customer or a team member who is killing it, a lovely little package is a perfect choice.
I have my package composition plan down to a science. Here are the steps:
- Order colorful padded envelopes and fancy shredded paper off Amazon in bulk, so you always have some ready to go.
- Once a month, take inventory of how many hosts you had that month and make a list, adding on any other special customers you may want to send something.
- Head to Target. Well, it doesn’t have to be Target, but it’s my go-to. Their dollar section is the best!
- Go shopping! Buy all the things that you’re going to add to the package.
- Head home, stuff your packages, write a personalized note, and put a stamp on it.
- Then, it’s mail day! Ship ’em out!
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN HAPPY MAIL
This is where it gets really fun! My personal favorite is the Target Dollar Spot. My kids make all sorts of groaning noises every time I walk past it because I have to stop. They have inexpensive, seasonal items that are always cute and well received. Another favorite is Amazon. I can usually find some sort of bulk pricing on items that fit whatever season or theme I’m using. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Crazy socks (a personal favorite)
- A small gift card to Starbucks (another personal fav)
- Bookmarks or small cards with inspirational sayings
- Themed or seasonal notepads
- Out of the ordinary pens
- Sticky flags or other cute stickers
- Bracelets with inspirational sayings
- Themed sticky notes
- Candy (think Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc)
- Product samples (small ones, don’t go crazy here!)
- Office supplies – these are my absolute favorite pens on the planet!
- Magnets
- Plastic toys or puzzle
Should I keep going? Take a stroll through your favorite store and see what hits you!
And, of course, depending on what you sell and what your company’s policies are, send low-cost items as your Happy Mail. This can include things like make-up or fragrance samples, small utensils, recipe books, crafting embellishments, etc.
HOW TO SEND HAPPY MAIL
Now that you know what you’re sending and who you’re sending it to, how on earth do you get all that happy mail in the mail? One thing to consider is the actual packaging. If it’s small enough, you can use a normal envelope. You can grab colored ones at almost any craft store, like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby.
If you’re mailing some oddly shaped items, my favorite is padded bubble mailers. They’re durable and won’t rip when they get wet or mishandled. Remember, those mail carriers deliver in all sorts of weather. I found that 4″ x 8″ or 6″ x 10″ to be the perfect size for almost anything I was mailing. I kept a stash of those in my favorite color for the season or a color that matched my personal branding. Your choice!
I also like to throw in some paper shreds or confetti. My team just loved confetti! I could tell you some funny stories about what happened when a confetti bomb exploded at their house. But I’ll save that for another day. Besides a fun envelope and confetti, I like to include some sort of note, so the happy mail receiver knows it’s from me and why they’re getting it. Sometimes it’s a simple thank you card that I purchased from the store, but I love having a themed postcard for the season or something that matches the contents of the package.
Once you have your packaging figured out, you need to get it in the mail. You know I’m all about streamlining and saving time if you’ve been around for a while, so I don’t go to the post office. Like ever! Our post office is situated in a hard spot to get in and out of, and it’s always busy. Let’s be honest here, who has time to stand in line at the post office? Especially when you have kids or a job or just stuff to do. So how do you mail stuff without actually visiting the post office?
Stamps.com has been my favorite option for a while now. It works well for quickly and easily getting stuff stamped and labeled without having to leave your house. There’s a small monthly fee, but the postage is also cheaper than purchasing it directly from the post office, so in the end, I didn’t notice much difference in the cost. After all, time is money. Any time and aggravation I can save by not running needless errands are worth the subscription fee.
I use Avery labels to print the postage. They are set to auto-ship through Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program, so I don’t have to think about whether I have them in my stash or not. I know I’m ready to ship stuff any time I need to.
I’ve also heard that Pirateship.com is a great option if you’re shipping boxes. If you have a Paypal account, you can ship through them as well. The point here is don’t waste time running back and forth to the post office unless you like chatting up the mail carriers and have the time to stand in line. But really, who does?
TIPS FOR SAVING TIME AND MONEY ON HAPPY MAIL
I’m all about batching my work to get things done quickly and easily. Break your Happy Mail tasks into these 3 steps:
- Only send happy mail once a month for hosts
- Send once a week for parties if you include samples
- Buy in bulk
Mark these in your calendar and get ‘er done! With minimum effort, you’ll be able to consistently send out your Happy Mail and add some sunshine to a lot of mailboxes!
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Want a proven plan for growing your direct sales business without feeling like you're chasing your tail? The Direct Sellers Business Blueprint explains the 4 key areas you must master to build a simplified, systematic business. It will even tell you which area to tackle first, so you can stop feeling overwhelmed or confused about what to do next. The best part? It's completely FREE!
Mary Haynes is a highly successful direct sales leader turned strategist and coach. Her passion is helping party plan people streamline and scale their businesses using simple, proven strategies. Her goal is to eliminate business overwhelm so direct sellers know exactly what to do and when to do it. Mary is also a homeschooling mama that lives in sunny Florida with her husband, 4 kiddos, 2 dogs, and various other backyard animals.
