“I've always received world-class customer service.”
Real estate businessman and loyal Captain Notepad customer, Russ Woloch, has been buying our products for over 8 years now.
As you’ll read from his stories, we here at Captain Notepad, play a vital part in how real estate businesses engage with their clients. We’re proud that our custom products make a huge difference in how busy business owners like Russ manage to stay connected. It’s all about staying in touch with your sphere of influence in the easiest, most effective ways possible. Our tangible and useful products prove that the little things matter.
We spoke to Russ and asked him a few questions about himself, his business, and how his experience with Captain Notepad has enhanced the important relationships he has with his own clients.
Here’s how the chat went down...
Hi Russ. Let’s start by outlining who you are and what your business is...
I manage a small real estate team. There are 3 agents and we all collaborate together to serve our client base. We serve roughly 70 to 100 clients annually. I personally have been in the business a little over 23 years.
What do you love most about Captain Notepad’s services?
The idea of repeat and referral business is very important to the success of our business model. I was at a PetSmart store the other day and I ran into one of my past clients in the line. At the end of our conversation, I asked her if there was anything that I could do for her and she specifically said, “Keep sending me your notepads. I use them all the time in my car and at home.” And in that moment she literally showed me one of the notepads that she had in her car’s cup holder. She uses them to keep notes while she’s out and about driving.
What Captain Notepad products do you purchase the most? Do you have any favorites?
The most important piece that we use from Captain Notepad is the custom notepads that we brand to ourselves. We send them out on a quarterly basis to everybody in our sphere of influence. Essentially, they just keep our customers aware. They’re a way of giving our clients something to use that’s right in front of them and something that they use everywhere anywhere.
Other than the custom notepads, are there any other products you love?
One of their other pieces that are a mainstay of our business is the custom calendars. They’re a calendar that has different images on it for each month of the year, and we add our clients' names to those images. For example, an image for the 4th of July will have fireworks in the sky and the fireworks will spell out the name ‘Harry’ [name of interviewer].
I have a past client who fell out of my sphere of influence in 2012, and we didn’t send her a calendar for 8 years. However, she called me up at the end of last year to list their home and I was just so humbled that they reached back out to me. I asked how she remembered my number and she said “Well, it’s on the calendar”. Turns out she had kept the calendar all that time because she liked how each month was customized with her family names.
What keeps you returning to Captain Notepad?
The return of investment on their products is incredible. I mean, when I look at my cost, to send a quarterly notepad and a calendar each year is less than $20 a year; Only that for those five touch points with a client. And that’s nothing when you put it into perspective of how many transactions and repeat referral business it generates.
You’ve mentioned the custom products are great for your clients, do you give them out to anyone else?
I went through a phase where I gave out pens to my team. I also went through a phase of including cup holders as part of a closing gift for employees. There's an awful lot of different products that you can customize and brand through Captain Notepad.
What do you think of Captain Notepad's customization process? Do you find it easy to use?
The website offers a user-friendly experience to customize and order online. And if you prefer that person-to-person contact, someone's always ready to chat. Either way, they use a very effective proof review process to ensure I get exactly what I want.
I've always received world-class customer service. For instance, when I deliver calendars to my people, I’ll ask them if they want to provide me with their people’s contact information [the people they care most about or who would like a calendar as well.] This means Jace [president of Captain Notepad] and his people end up running little batches of like 1 - 3 calendars at a time over a 4 - 6 week period. They never have an issue with doing it, even though it's a lot of setup work for small runs.
How important are promotional mailing items for a real estate business?
I would say it's significantly important. Especially given that my own clients in my sphere of influence represent 60% of my business each year. And the primary touchpoints for reaching them are the quarterly notepads and the calendars. Sure, I do some events and phone calls, but Captain Notepad’s products are the primary touchpoints.
Order your Captain Notepad products today!
Like Russ, you too can improve the relationships you have with your own customers and clients. We believe there’s something for everyone and all types of businesses in our wide range of products.
We nail every part of our customization process too. It’s simple. Just give us your instructions and upload any art you want to be added, then we'll send you a proof for you to approve within 24 hours. Once we know you’re 100% happy with our designs, we’ll get to work on making your products!
For more information on our range of custom-made office supplies, please feel free to contact us or browse our website more. We’re always here to help.
