IT’S ALL
ABOUT SALES Caroline Gardner
Very Sympathetic S
You Comfort & Strength’ by Caroline Gardner. ympathy cards are a big seller in the Most card companies will have one or possibly greeting card industry and although two sympathy cards in a range, but I even have one most publishers include at least one in company now that have produced a complete range each range, you can never have enough of 18 sympathy cards with lots of different sentiments sympathy. When I first started in the industry on the front. The Handcrafted Card Company have the only options were either Deepest Sympathy everything from ‘You are in or Thinking of You. With the our thoughts and prayers’ to demand being so high for these Having a large choice religious verses, plus they have a cards (because let’s face it the only thing guaranteed in this of sympathy cards also card dedicated to the passing of virtually every relative possible. life if that none of us are getting helps agents tap into Having a range that will appeal out alive), some publishers are the florist market as to a variety of tastes and needs starting to get more imaginative often this will be one of with various captions and imagery with the captions. the products they will covers the spectrum of buyers Many people will know who inevitably buy the cards. someone who is suffering from require the most. Cinnamon Aitch, Laura Darrington a long drawn out illness so ‘Get and Museums & Galleries also Well’ soon doesn’t always cut it, as have a mix of designs that have wide appeal. sadly sometimes they may never get better but just There is even a market now for loss of a pet cards as wish to make the most of whatever time they have. many of us are dog and/or cat lovers, Caroline Gardner There are now some great captions that fit this bill has a few pet-themed designs as do others. The loss of perfectly such as ‘My Heart Goes Out To You’ a pet or ‘fur-child’ can quite often be just as traumatic from The Handcrafted Card Company or ‘Sending
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Cinnamon Aitch
Handcrafted
as losing a family member and so card companies are starting to tap into this market by designing cards featuring paw prints and animal graphics. Having a large choice of sympathy cards also helps agents tap into the florist market as often this will be one of the products they will require the most. Many people will send flowers to grieving family members and a card is needed to go along with the condolences. If a publisher only has a few sympathy cards it can be difficult to get enough cards that they need to make up a carriage paid order. As an agency we carry mostly hand finished card ranges so this can also be hard for designers to include a sympathy card in a range that has lots of sparkle or bright accessories stuck on the front. So often this is the title that is missed out from the range. This is possibly another good reason to produce a complete range that could include titles such as Get Well, Thinking of You, Sympathy and other sentiments and even blank cards with images that could be used when it’s hard to find the right words that would fill this gap. Quite often when sending a sympathy card, it can be really difficult to know what to say as no words can really take away the pain of losing a loved one. While they say “it’s the thought that counts” when it comes to gifts, this sentiment is still true when it comes to sympathy, condolences and well wishes. Having a wider range of cards to choose from with different kinds of sentiment on the front make this a little easier. If the wording on the front pretty much says what you want to say, it can then just be a simple, ‘with love from…’ inside.
Neil Greenwood (Reil Agencies, T: 07766 736254) is an experienced independent greetings industry sales agent in the Northwest. www.facebook.com/greetingstodaymag @greetingstoday
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