Let’s Chat… Thanking our Clients!
Welcome back everyone and happy second to LAST work week of 2023! I can’t believe that another year has sped by us and how much we were able to accomplish as a team. As the year wraps and the Holiday season continues to speed toward Christmas time off, we thought it would be a perfect time to remind you to thank your clients this week! If you have not already engaged with this type of gratitude practice, which is essential to sustainable success, keep reading here…
Thanking Your Clients in a Meaningful Way
- Prepare as Far in Advance as Possible: Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or any other holiday, make sure to plan out your approach in advance! Don’t cut it too close to Christmas day or do anything to jeopardize the delivery of a letter, note, gift, or anything that travels by mail. Sending thanks early is also important as it will allow you to get ahead of and potentially avoid windows during which many employees or the company are on holiday leave or PTO. Be sure to think about your industry and when reaching out will be most meaningful to each client!
- Cover all of Your Bases: We strongly encourage that you take a ‘one size fits all’ approach to gifting. Whether you have legal or HR considerations and limitations on what you can gift to external clients, or generally have different relationships across partners, it’s important to avoid playing favorites or showcasing disproportionate appreciation. Before sending out your thanks or gifts, make sure to run through the variety of projects, partnerships, deals, and other interactions you’ve played a part in throughout the year to ensure you’ve accounted for everyone!
- Extra Gift Ideas: Flowers, chocolates, custom cups, company ‘merch’, hand-written notes, soap or lotion for the office, a succulent, anything to do with coffee and caffeinating in the AM, or any other useful resource for an in-office setting.
- Be Personal! When able, we strongly encourage you to try and be as personal as possible in your gifting process. If you have a long-lasting relationship with a client, know that they enjoy certain trinkets or gifts, have mentioned interests in your conversations, or have otherwise alluded to things that bring them happiness… provide it! It sounds obvious, but taking small notes throughout the year during conversations to track certain ideas that will help you gift in the holiday season is a great way to get ahead of planning and provide yourself with ease when the time to gift comes.
- Extra Tip: If your gift feels unoriginal or ‘basic’, don’t worry! Compensating with a blanket gift approach by handwriting thank you notes and holiday cards where applicable is a fantastic way to differentiate your gift from other clients and showcase appreciation.
- Maintain Relationships: Above all, ensure that gifting season isn’t the only time you reach out to clients. Check-in regularly, schedule ‘catch up’ connects/coffee chats, join company intramural leagues, participate in corporate events or professional organizations, and invest in your professional relationships continuously!
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