Working on that Christmas Card list? Well, don’t stop at just friends and family. Be sure that you get some cards to send on behalf of your business to your customers. Yes, it may be a bit of added expense, but it’s well worth giving clients the reminder that you’re still available to provide them with quality products and services.

Before you do anything else, figure out how much you have available in your budget to send cards and gifts to clients. Just like with your personal Christmas shopping, it’s important to establish a budget and keep yourself on track.

Priority, of course, goes to your regular and loyal clients. In fact, those clients you see on a regular basis should probably get more than a card. Put together a small gift basket for your top 10% of clients. This can be done rather inexpensively if you put the baskets together yourself, rather than purchasing them premade.

Include universal items such as hot chocolate mix or gourmet coffee, mugs, sweets, fruit, and maybe a few trinkets, such as picture frames or key chains. Don’t be afraid to use a bit of your company’s marketing merchandise, but don’t make that the theme of the entire gift basket. You don’t want the client to feel overwhelmed by your advertising. Instead, you want them to feel delighted at your gesture.

As far as the Christmas cards go, try and find a style that conveys the commitment to quality and satisfaction that your business is all about. In other words, don’t buy cheap Christmas cards. Splurge a little. There are many card companies out there that cater to businesses specifically and have a large variety of beautiful cards to choose from.

Once you’ve chosen your card, start your list. Depending on your budget and how many cards/stamps you can afford, you may want to consider even sending cards to customers that may have only purchased products/services from you once or twice in the past year. This gives you an opportunity to not only let them know that you appreciate their business, but to remind them of the products/services you provide (and encourage a more consistent loyalty).

Christmas cards are one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. I love sending them to people I don’t talk to often throughout the year, just to let them know that I still think of them. Sending cards to your clients is of the same concept and will hopefully help to boost sales over those holiday months.

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One Response to “Remembering Your Customers”

1. Ricky Cunningham says:
   

   I have been in the customer service field for over 5 years now and I have found a few tips to dealing with customers while improving sales.

   Over the years, of working in call centers and dealing with angry people I learned a very important lesson. People do not care how much you know until they see how much you care about them and their goals. You have to get what you sell out of your mind and start focusing on what your customers want. What are they trying to accomplish? What do they get fired up about? Once you start listening and learning about them, the trust starts to build and the sales cycle becomes much easier to navigate. Here are three ways to stay focused:

   1. FORGET ABOUT WHAT YOU SELL

   When you first meet a prospect, start thinking of questions that will uncover his hot buttons. What does that person do, and does he have goals for the next year or three years? What are his top three priorities or objectives? What challenges and changes does he face in his industry? How can you help him generate more business? Once you focus on the customer, it becomes easier to think of ways your product or service can fit into their overall goals. If you realize right away that it’s not a good fit, you can walk away and work on other, more qualified prospects.

   2. GO BEYOND THE CUSTOMER’S GENERAL BUSINESS NEEDS

   Every time I ask one of my business associates if they made a sell because they did something helpful for the prospect that had nothing to do with their business they all say yes. May be they helped a client’s kid get an internship or recommend a great builder when they heard a customer say they were adding on to their house. This brakes down barriers and opens customers up to looking at you as a resource and that is when good things start to happen.

   3. MAINTAIN YOUR PASSION FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU SERVE

   How well do you know your prospects and customers? How much more business could you get if you spent more time uncovering their inner workings? When I take a tour of an associates business I interview people in different departments and research who their customers are. This gives me an inside look into the way different companies deal with people and the mistakes they make. By asking customers questions about themselves you will learn more about the person, their needs, and how best to serve them. Doing this will improve the relationship you have with your customer and also help in gaining trust as well. This will lead to repeat business and referrals that you can turn into future sells.

   Posted April 3rd, 2008 @ 2:59 pm
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