Just how important are stamps?

I just came from a meeting where one of the members, a newlywed male, was sharing a conversation he'd had with his wife.

Actually, the way it started was with a female member of the meeting saying that she and her husband had a mis-communication about a project she was working on. I commented that often we communicate poorly with members of our own family.

The newlywed pipes in and says, "Yes, I had a miscommunication with my wife as I drove to the meeting tonight. She'd called to see if I had used the last stamp."

The women in the meeting all gasped.

He said, "Yes, I think I did use the last stamp." His wife went on to explain that she'd been addressing the envelopes for a bridal shower and needed that stamp for the last envelope.

The women in the meeting said, "You didn't use a LOVE stamp for a bill, did you?"

"Yes," he admitted. He had. "It's just a stamp," he failed to defend his actions.

He went on to explain that he should have known better because earlier in the week he had been sent to the post office to purchase the stamps and originally came home with VEGETABLE stamps.

The women in the meeting knowingly chuckled.

"She said, what are these?" the newlywed told us. "Stamps," he told his wife.

"No they aren't, they have vegetables on them, I can't use these."

"What do you mean," he was clearly confused. "It is just for an envelope, no one will care."

"Women care," his wife countered.

The women in the meeting collectively nodded their heads. Yes they do.

As a writer, I hand-write most of the envelopes I send to clients and prospects. I am careful about the stamps I use - never using a postage meter - selecting a stamp that reflects my business. When the stamps rose in price to $.39 it wasn't the cost difference that most irked me, it was the fact that I could no longer use the Dr. Suess stamps. He was also a writer.

I am currently using the Disney stamps. Not to reflect that my writing is "Mickey Mouse" but that I am creative.

Actually, when mailing to a client or a prospect, it pays to take the time to hand-write the envelope and use a real stamp as oppoesd to a meter and typed label. In the midst of the mail received, your handwriting will be noticed and will stand a better chance of being opened.

So just how important are stamps? Clearly, in one marriage tonight they are of great importance and I would argue that in your business they should be given some consideration.

Photo courtesy of OKAGGI