It’s the time of year when you may be thinking about gifts of appreciation to send to your clients. Rather than show your appreciation once a year, I believe, in order to stand out in today’s highly competitive business environment, you need to show your gratitude year-round. Remember, it costs far more to acquire a new client than it does to keep an existing client loyal and happy.
In my last post, I shared five easy ways to show how much you care. Today, I’m going to share five more ways to stand out and by saying thank you.
1. Celebrate All Year. Send holiday gifts at times other than Christmas. Any promotional product distributors can get a head start on the holiday gift-giving season by sending out gifts at Thanksgiving. After all, isn’t that an appropriate time to thank your customers? Also, consider send¬ing small gifts at other times during the year. For example, one creative distributor I know sends fresh flowers the first day of spring to all top accounts. Naturally, the flowers are in a vase tastefully imprinted with the distributor’s logo.
2. Send Congratulations. Keep informed about what is happen¬ing with your clients and prospects. Many are being promoted or have changed company positions. They also may have been appointed to a board of directors. Not sure? Much of this infor¬mation is published in the business sec¬tion of your local paper or on LinkedIn. This is a great way to keep in contact with clients—especially those who may not have purchased in awhile.
3. Make a Donation. Send promotional items to your client’s favorite charity. Once a year, I give away my samples to charity. I make it a habit to ask my clients if they have a favorite cause that would appreciate these gifts. It’s a great way to show you care and keep in contact with current and past accounts.
4. Host a “Client Appreciation Day.” Host a party or special event (golf tournament, baseball game, picnic, etc.) in honor of your best clients and let them know how much you appreciate working with them. Send out creative invitations using a promotional product. Make it a fun event that clients will look forward to attending.
5. Increase Your Value. If you’re only providing promotional products to your customers, it’s hard to stay one step ahead of the competition. If your company isn’t providing it already, form alliances with other marketing professionals (copywriters, graphic designers, fulfillment houses) so that you can be the one phone call your customers make when they need to promote their businesses Your customers will appreciate the time-savings and one-stop-shop convenience.
Here’s to a year filled with client appreciation.
Speaking of showing appreciation, thank you for taking the time to read this post! I always appreciate your comments and would love to hear what you’re doing to appreciate your clients.
Rosalie Marcus, The Promo Biz Coach, is a promotional products business expert, coach and speaker. Combining her skills and years of experience in promotional sales, she helps her clients sell more at higher profit margins and dramatically increase their incomes! Get a FREE special report: 10 Big Mistakes Promotional Professionals Make and How to Avoid Them and a FREE Skyrocket Your Sales audio download at www.promobizcoach.com. Reach her at [email protected]or (215) 572-6766.
