Every year around this time most of us start to turn our attention to finding a way to say thank you to our customers and clients for their support. Sadly so does everyone else. With the host of parties, piles of cards, cases of cheap plonk and boxes of chocolates it really does all become a bit of a blur. At the same time we start to ask ourselves if it’s worth the time and energy.
Christmas is a marketing opportunity and like any marketing opportunity, standing out from the crowd is the key to making it work. In amongst all of the gifts we get and send, how many people actually pick up the phone and simply say a sincere “thank you” to their best customers? I think this is of more value than a card. Who has the the time I hear you ask? Well if you don’t have the time to call your customers and say thanks my gut feeling is that you will have plenty of time somewhere down the line!
Alternatively come up with something really unique that is unforgettable. I once got given a tarantula as a Christmas gift from a client. They had very kindly named it Rudolf and I was assured it had a red nose. Perhaps not my first choice of gifts but I will never forget it and I do smile every time I think of the little red box with holes in it that was delivered by a courier on Christmas Eve.
As another thought, why not tell your customers how much you appreciate them every single month except December? Why not send them thank you cards during the year? Why not give them something for free during the year just to say “thanks for your support”? Why not look for at least one way every month to show your customers how much you appreciate them?
I guarantee that if you do this every month, you will build much stronger relationships than just sending a bottle of plonk, that will get lost with all of the other bottles of plonk, at Christmas.
Truly successful businesses are great at making their customers feel appreciated all the time not just at Christmas.
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