Laurie Delk - author, speaker, coach, trainer

Laurie's life journey is a testament to unwavering faith, entrepreneurial spirit, and the transformative power of resilience. Rooted in a lifelong foundation of Christian values, instilled from her upbringing and a pivotal move from Texas to Middle Tennessee in 1986, Laurie embarked on a path marked by both professional achievement and personal devotion.

In 1993, driven by a profound desire to nurture her growing family, Laurie made a courageous decision to transition from a decade-long, successful career as an accountant at a Fortune 500 company. This pivotal moment, coinciding with her husband's aspiration to pursue his calling in law enforcement, became a catalyst for a life dedicated to purpose and service. Through prayerful consideration, they embraced both paths, demonstrating a commitment to faith-led action.

God has uniquely privileged Laurie to serve Him in numerous capacities over the past few decades. Her entrepreneurial journey began with the inception of her web & graphics, branding, marketing, and design company. Recognizing her talents as gifts to be shared, she pledged to utilize her skills for divine purpose. This commitment manifested in the creation of over a thousand websites, marketing materials, training platforms, and courses for pastors, churches, evangelists, missionaries, colleges, and a diverse range of business clients. Her expertise extended to comprehensive rebranding initiatives, empowering organizations to articulate their vision with clarity and impact.

Beyond her business acumen, Laurie is a prolific author, having penned the best-selling books "Keep Those Clients" and "We All Have Choices," and co-founded the transformative "Gratitude Girls - 100 Day Gratitude Journal Challenge." She has also contributed her insights to three additional publications. As a sought-after motivational speaker and corporate sales trainer, Laurie inspires audiences with her authentic voice and empowering message, often called upon for special speaking engagements around the world. Her dedication to education is further evidenced by her five years of teaching at her children's Christian school and her subsequent decision to homeschool them, allowing her to balance her growing speaking career with her commitment to family.

Her mission to empower women to embrace their God-given potential has taken her across the globe, where she shares her wisdom and encouragement with diverse audiences. Laurie's life, however, has not been without profound challenges. In 2013, she experienced the devastating loss of her children's father in a tragic accident, navigating the complexities of grief while raising her four children, then aged 25, 18, 16, and 12.

Believing in God's guidance for her life, Laurie remarried in April 2020 to Kevin Radecki, following their meeting in December 2019. Laurie prayed for exactly what she wanted in a husband and God showed Himself strong in giving her more than she asked in a God-fearing and God-loving husband.

Laurie's unique experiences over the past few decades provide special insight and encouragement for those who take her courses. Her story is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit, the transformative power of faith, and the profound impact of living a life dedicated to purpose and service. Her journey inspires others to embrace their own unique paths, to overcome adversity with grace, and to live with unwavering gratitude and purpose.

The Stuff Strong Relationships Are Made Of

The best way to get help is to give it. But there’s one other step that’s just as crucial to building strong working relationships.

Recently I wrote about the power of gratitude. But, as a number of readers pointed out, I only told half the story.

When you express your gratitude, in a sincere and heartfelt way, you make a powerful and lasting impact on the person you thank.

But what I left out is the powerful impact you make on yourself.

As Warren Shaeffer, founder and CEO of Thankaday.com, a tool that helps people record and share their gratitude in an easy and fun way, commented, “… sending someone a sincere and genuine thanks is very beneficial, both for the giver and the recipient… as William Ward said, ‘Feeling gratitude and not sharing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.'”

All of us have a ton of gratitude presents, all wrapped up and ready to go, that for whatever reasons we haven’t ever given to the people in our lives that deserve them.

By hanging on to those gifts we don’t just deprive the recipients of thanks and appreciation. We miss out on the opportunity to feel a little better about ourselves and to rekindle or spark better personal connections.

So let’s remedy that. I’ll start.

I worked for R.R. Donnelley for 17 years. The graph of my career path, while far from a hockey stick, still showed a nice upward arc… until the day I got fired or I resigned or some combination of the two. (While seemingly contradictory, if it’s happened to you, you know exactly what I mean.)

I made calls. I talked to recruiters. I reached out to industry connections. Nothing. So I touched base with people I had helped in the past; certainly they would return the favor?

Nope.

Then Randy called. I had worked with Randy at Donnelley; he, being braver than me, had left a few years prior for a better opportunity. “Hey, I’ve got something for you,” he said. “You should work here. The plant was just purchased by an investment group and they’re looking for people to turn it around.”

So–in spite of the fact there wasn’t actually a job opening at the time–Randy got my résumé to the right people and pushed and prodded and cajoled until he, not I, landed me an interview.

Sure, I got the job because I was qualified. (It turns out they created a job for me.) But he got me in a door I couldn’t open.

Without Randy I never would have been interviewed, much less hired. Randy changed my life–not because I asked, not because he somehow felt obligated to, but simply because he wanted to.

Now it’s your turn. Pick a person who has helped you. Pick a person who has made a difference in your life. Pick someone you haven’t thanked or haven’t thanked properly.

Then make gratitude a verb. Share it. Deliver that already wrapped present. Express your appreciation, sincerely and openly.

Everyone loves getting presents. Everyone loves giving presents. Don’t just feel gratitude–show it.

It only takes a few seconds, yet the people who deserve your thanks will love it–and so will you.

Jeff Haden
http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/networking-tips-how-to-strengthen-relationships.html

Today is my 16 year Anniversary

Today I was sitting here thinking about my business, and my clients business. I was talking to a client on the phone, and he was asking me about being able to KEEP his clients. I gave him some ideas, as usual, then got off the phone.

The more I sat and contemplated our phone conversation, the more I began to think. I thought about my anniversary, and comparing that to business….and I thought….you know – for my husband to KEEP my *business* in our marriage, he had to WORK at it over the last 16 years. He had to KEEP in TOUCH with me. Many businesses, they think that they can do the sale, take care of you whenever you call them for something, and that is it! And you will STAY FAITHFUL to being their client for 16 years! What do you think???? Do you think if my husband only took care of me when I called him for something or asked him for something – do you think I would have *stayed his client (wife)* for the past 16 years??? No! So WHY would you expect your CLIENTS to do the same???

If you want to KEEP your clients for 16 years, you need to KEEP in TOUCH with them….you can do this many ways, via email, via telephone calls, via webinars, via greeting cards, etc – There are many ways that you can keep in touch with your clients, build rapore with them, as well as give them ideas to increase their business, and just remind them who you are and say hello to them!

I heard it once, people do business with those who they know, like, and trust. Well it’s true! The thing is, after you GET your clients, you want to KEEP them don’t you? Just think about it. If you only send them your sales special once a year, and nothing else all year long, or their invoice once a year…How loyal do you think they are going to be to you? What reason would they have to stay with you – rather than go to the next person that comes along, that offers them a better deal, a better offer, a better sale, etc.

One of the things I do, is help people to KEEP in touch with their clients – all for about $5 a year per client. I can help you set up with email autoresponders to keep in touch with your clients, as well as greeting cards – we can design CUSTOM cards for your business, as well as CUSTOM campaigns for your business – where you hit CLICK – and cards are sent to your client over the next 5 months, or even 5 years, all with one click from your end. I talk to you, find out about your business, what you want to do, as well as give you ideas that I have seen be proven with other people in their business that I have already helped them with.

So you CAN KEEP your clients and customers for 16 years…..and longer…..

See some greeting cards and post cards I have done for over 600 other clients – ILoveCards.net

Law of Esteem – Ego

The Law of Esteem recognizes that all humans need and want praise, recognition, and acceptance.

Acceptance and praise are two of our deepest cravings; we can never get enough.

William James once said, “The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”

You can give simple praise to a child and watch them soar to the top of the world.

We know how a simple thank you can make our day.

Human beings have a psychological need to be respected and accepted.

We need affection to satisfy the need to belong, we want praise so we can feel admired, and we want recognition to satisfy our need for personal worth.

Take time this week to give someone sincere praise and thankfulness and watch their spirits soar.

This is where SendOutCards comes in ~

The History of the Greeting Card

The custom of sending greeting cards can be traced back to the ancient Chinese, who exchanged messages of good will to celebrate the New Year, and to the early Egyptians, who conveyed their greetings on papyrus scrolls.

The first known published Christmas card (1843), by artist John Calcott Horsley
Courtesy of the Hallmark Archives, Hallmark Cards, Inc.
By the early 1400s, handmade paper greeting cards were being exchanged in Europe. The Germans are known to have printed New Year?s greetings from woodcuts as early as 1400, and handmade paper Valentines were being exchanged in various parts of Europe in the early to mid-1400s.

By the 1850s, the greeting card had been transformed from a relatively expensive, handmade and hand-delivered gift to a popular and affordable means of personal communication, due largely to advances in printing and mechanization, as well as the 1840 introduction of the postage stamp.

The first known published Christmas card appeared in London in 1843, when Sir Henry Cole hired artist John Calcott Horsley to design a holiday card that he could send to his friends and acquaintances.

Although the first known valentine card can be traced back to 1415, it wasn’t until the early 1800s and the Penny Post that they became popular and affordable. Esther Howland, a young woman from Massachusetts, was the first regular publisher of valentines in the United States. She sold her first handmade valentine in 1849, eventually establishing a successful publishing firm specializing in the elaborately decorated cards.

The American Greeting Card
Louis Prang, a German immigrant who started a small lithographic business near Boston in 1856, is generally credited with the start of the greeting card industry in America.

Within 10 years of founding his firm, he had perfected the color lithographic process to a point where his reproductions of great paintings surpassed those of other graphic arts craftsmen in both the U.S. and Great Britain. In the early 1870s, Prang began publishing deluxe editions of Christmas cards, which found a ready market in England. In 1875, he introduced the first complete line of Christmas cards to the American public.

Prang’s cards had reached their height of popularity in the early 1890s, when cheap imitative imports began to flood the market, eventually forcing Prang to abandon his greeting card publishing business. Between 1890 and 1906, there was a marked decline in U.S. greeting card production.

In the years immediately following 1906, the domestic business climate for greeting cards improved, and a number of today’s leading publishers were founded. Most of the cards by these fledgling U.S. publishers bore little relation to Prang’s elaborate creations. The expressed sentiment was the predominant element; the illustrated portions were incidental.

Following World War I, new publishers continued to enter the field and healthy competition produced important innovations in printing processes, art techniques and decorative treatments for greeting cards.

In the early 1930s, publishers increasingly adopted the use of color lithography, a move that would propel the U.S. greeting card industry toward continued growth and expansion.

During World War II, the industry rallied for the war effort, helping the government sell war bonds and providing cards for the soldiers overseas. This period also marked the beginning of its close relationship with the U.S. Postal Service.

By the 1950s, the studio card – a long card with a short punch line – appeared on the scene to firmly establish the popularity of humor in American greeting cards.

During the 1980s, alternative cards began to appear – cards not made for a particular holiday or event, but as a more casual reminder of our connections to one another. The popularity of “non-occasion” cards continues to swell.

Explosive growth in electronic technology, and burgeoning consumer use of the Internet, gave birth to the electronic greeting card or E-card in the late 1990s. The development of this entirely new medium for card-sending served to further expand the industry, producing new E-card publishers as well as E-greeting product offerings by traditional publishers.

Although studies have shown, that most people prefer, the actual heart felt card, in the mail, that they can cherish forever.

General Facts About Greeting Cards

U.S. consumers purchase approximately 7 billion greeting cards each year, generating nearly $7.5 billion in retail sales.
More than 90 percent of all U.S. households buy greeting cards, with the average household purchasing 30 individual cards in a year.
The average person receives more than 20 cards per year, about one-third of which are birthday cards.

Greeting cards range in price from 50 cents to $10, although counter cards typically cost between $2 and $4. Cards featuring special techniques, intricate designs and new technologies are at the top of the price scale.

The exchange of greeting cards is one of the most widely accepted customs in the U.S. There are cards for virtually any occasion or relationship, and they are widely available. Approximately 100,000 retail outlets around the country carry greeting cards.

Women purchase more than 80 percent of all greeting cards.
Although women are more likely than men to buy several cards at once, men generally spend more on a single card than women.

There are two categories of greeting cards — Seasonal and Everyday. Total card sales are split approximately 50-50 between the two types.
The most popular Everyday cards are Birthday (60%), Anniversary (8%), Get Well (7%), Friendship (6%), and Sympathy cards (6%).
The most popular Seasonal cards are Christmas (60%), Valentine’s Day (25%), Mother’s Day (4%), Easter (3%), and Father’s Day (3%) cards.

There are an estimated 3,000 greeting card publishers in the U.S., ranging from small family-run organizations to major corporations. GCA-member publisher companies account for approximately 95 percent of industry sales.

Nine out of 10 Americans say they look forward to receiving personal letters and greeting cards because cards allow them to keep in touch with friends and family and make them feel they are important to someone else.

Although e-mail, text messaging and phone calls are valued by Americans for helping them communicate with family and friends, the majority of Americans say they prefer the old-fashioned handwritten card or letter to make someone feel truly special.

Studies show that people normally buy 10 greeting cards a year, but have a NEED for 70 greeting cards a year –
Why don’t they buy those? It’s more expensive, it’s inconvenient, it’s time consuming, and they forget – We have a fix for all the above – contact me today~

The Fire and Forget System

(A metaphor for any businessperson who seeks loyal clients & quality referrals.)
Once upon a time, the commander of an F-15E Strike Eagle squadron was issued a warehouse full of *fire and forget* missiles.
Surely, a no-brainer. Simply acquire the contact, launch the missile, then concentrate on the next target.(Like I said, an easy decision.)
Strange as it may seem, the squadron commander decided against employing this massively effective weapons system.
His reasoning?
It takes too much effort to attach those things to the aircraft.

You will recognize that this story, of course, is a fairy tale.
In reality, any manager or business owner (or salesperson) who fails to acknowledge that all business is a type of warfare, just doesn’t get it.
But they will – eventually.

Why in the world would any businessperson leave to chance, whether or not a client decides to return (and refer friends)?

But, we gave them courteous service and a fine product, is the lament voiced too often by good and earnest businesspeople. Without question, service and product are essential to success. But they are not enough. And the statement is a little naive.

The answer obviously is to go after them (your clients). Make sure that they come back, again and again. Make sure that they want to come back (and refer their friends).

Nagging and cajoling won’t work. Postcards, brochures and letters rarely prove effective. The average consumer receives dozens of these each week.
(Personally, I rarely even open the ones I receive. Although, I sometimes read the postcards.)

The 7.5 billion dollar greeting card industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to indoctrinate every living American that those who care enough, send greeting cards.
(Why not take advantage of three decades of their successful, and extremely expensive, advertising stratagem?)

When you send your new or best clients a greeting card they know you care, because the greeting card giants have taught all of us that this is true. And we believe it, without exception.
Nobody leaves a greeting card unopened for long. In fact, studies show that a person is 11 times more likely to open a greeting card than any other piece of mail.

Your customers will respond, naturally, with greater client loyalty toward you, if you do this correctly. (Just as customers have responded since 1400 A.D.)

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