Colored Stones Magazine Latest To Cover LetterMatics

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.

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

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runs a high setup fees meant a significant investment was required in messages and material that might quickly grow out of date.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.

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.

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.