You probably heard it first from your Mom, “it’s better to give than to receive”. Well, Mom is right again, and this piece of wisdom is spot-on in the case of good business practice.
Something magical happens when you send gifts. You truly cannot make someone feel more appreciated than by taking the time to send them a gift. Something even more magical happens when the gift received has value to the recipient. Remember, the real value in your gift should be what your recipient wants to receive, not necessarily what you want to give.
Corporate gifts are not only a nice gesture; they can profoundly reinforce business relationships with your clients, vendors, referral partners, and don’t forget, your employees. Take a moment to look at these people on your list – these are the people who have the power to impact your revenue stream. Appreciation is a strong motivator to ensure continued success, trust, and loyalty. And a great way to express your desire for continued partnership and prosperity in the New Year!
When you show your appreciation with a corporate holiday gift, you get much more out of it than you might think. Sure, you’re spreading a little holiday cheer, but you’re also inspiring the loyalty and support of the people who are most essential to the continued success of your business.
Customers
Where would you be without your wonderful customers? Many of you that are reading this already know full well the economic driver your homeowners are, and how your show of gratitude incites referrals. For those of you that have been too “busy”; now is the time to “Discover the Power of Presents”.
Your homeowners are soon going to be entertaining, a prime opportunity to show off your handiwork, and a well-crafted Thanksgiving Party Basket, along with a note of heartfelt appreciation of gratitude, will go a long way in motivating a little love from your homeowners, in the form of referrals. No need to remind you the value of referrals, and how awesome would it be to go into the New Year with referrals. Some of you already Seal the Deal with Party Baskets, now is a good time to send a hand written note saying “ I am thankful for not only for friends and family, but for wonderful customers like you.” Hand written notes are also magical. How about a little bacon to reinforce your “magic”?
Your Employees
We’ve all worked for the company that does not appreciate their employees, and what happens with morale, and subsequently, company profit margins. Employees have come to expect something. Perhaps you host an annual holiday party, or a team building experience.
Even if you do not have a large budget, don’t leave out this opportunity to do something to show your employees that you appreciate them. It’s also important to consider that co-workers are likely to share information, you don’t need hurt feelings this time of year! Cash bonuses, are a different story. Bonuses are compensation, and therefore, usually kept confidential. A gift that your employees can share with their families can also stretch the impact of your appreciation.
Referral Partners, Vendors, Suppliers
These people are the lifeblood of your business. They make things happen for you; likewise, you make things happen for them too. By recognizing the value of this relationship, and taking the opportunity to celebrate it, makes you nothing short of business genius. The rewards are loyalty and devotion.
What to give depends on who your recipient is, and where you are sending the gift. Is the gift going to their home? Are you sending the gift to a business, to be share by several, or just a few?
You’ll likely have needs for different gift recipients, this is a great time to call Deb, and make sure your gift stands out and sends the best message possible.
Here’s how it’s working for others…
Several years ago I met Deb Walton at the Indianapolis Home Show. After seeing her for several days at the show, we had a candid discussion about her gift program, and how she builds referral pipelines through strategic Party Baskets, targeting my best source of referrals, happy homeowners. A few months later, my company implemented Deb’s program. Almost immediately, customers were phoning, thanking us, complementing our work, and talking about us. Perfect, that’s exactly what we want.
For several months, the program ran smooth, seamless and easy, with continued positive feedback. I let my office manager convince me we could run the program, and do a nice gift right out of our office, making a personal visit to each customer, bearing gift in hand. Our conference table was filled with gifts that were never delivered, and I’m not even mentioning the contents and presentation of the gift, because, quite honestly, we don’t make gift baskets.
I’m back now, using Indy City GiftBaskets, and happy to have my referral pipeline fed every month. Deb has made it easy to implement for my new office manager. When I met with Deb a few months ago, she listened intently about our experience; attempting to make gift baskets, the time involved, my lost conference table, and subsequently, wasted gifts that we never had the time to deliver. Wrapping up our meeting, and happy to be moving forward with her program again, Deb winked at me and said “Hey Duane, I don’t sell people windows or roofs, why are you trying to do my job?” Touché Deb!
Duane Springer
Springer Construction
