Want a Profitable 2016? End 2015 on a Positive Note With Your Clients. Here’s how.
Editor’s Note: This post is sponsored by Staples. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
What’s the last interaction or communication you usually have with your best clients or customers? More often than not it’s giving them a bill, right?
Compare that to your first contacts with these folks when you were trying to bring them on board. I can illustrate this with an example that will probably resonate with all of us.
You go into a restaurant. You’re greeted by a friendly employee, your server makes an introduction and goes over menu options with you. You enjoy your meal and are ready to leave.
Now it’s crunch time. How will this experience end? Sometimes an attentive server anticipates your needs, brings you your bill and efficiently lets you finish your business and be on your way.
However, there are other times when you can’t find your server and you start to hear a clock ticking in the back of your head. This is not the ideal situation for a server who wants a good tip.
What’s the last interaction or communication you usually have with your best clients or customers? More often than not it’s giving them a bill, right?
Compare that to your first contacts with these folks when you were trying to bring them on board. I can illustrate this with an example that will probably resonate with all of us.
You go into a restaurant. You’re greeted by a friendly employee, your server makes an introduction and goes over menu options with you. You enjoy your meal and are ready to leave.
Now it’s crunch time. How will this experience end? Sometimes an attentive server anticipates your needs, brings you your bill and efficiently lets you finish your business and be on your way.
However, there are other times when you can’t find your server and you start to hear a clock ticking in the back of your head. This is not the ideal situation for a server who wants a good tip.
The billing problem
I’m relating this narrative to you because in business we always remember our last interactions and it is critical that they are a positive one. Unfortunately the typical flow of a business relationship encounter ends with the presentation of a bill.
However, it doesn’t have to be that way and right now, as we’re going into the holiday season, you have the perfect opportunity to finish out 2015 on a positive note with your clients and customers.
Most business owners know that the holiday season is a time to send greeting cards and perhaps gifts to customers and clients. If you’ve been ignoring this tradition, my first advice is to get on board; you don’t want to be remembered as the one company that ignores its customers at the end of the year. That’s a very bad finishing experience. By the way, Staples Copy & Print is an excellent resource for your company’s holiday cards.
But let’s go one step further. I think many companies miss a great opportunity with their year-end gift giving because they are thinking about themselves, and not about the clients who are receiving the gifts. Typically, companies send out some kind of swag that is imprinted with their logo or name.
The thinking is that this will elevate awareness of their companies throughout the following year.
Putting your clients first
A far better idea is to give customized gifts imprinted with the name of the company – or the person – who is receiving the gift!
If you browse the Staples Copy & Print lineup of items that can be custom printed and make good gifts, you’ll discover lots of options (at great prices). For example, if your salespeople note that some companies traditionally put up a Christmas tree in their offices each year, you might want to go with some custom printed ornaments. Or if you know a certain company has given employees smartphones, a protective case with the company’s graphics on it would be fantastic.
Let’s use the example of the custom imprinted coffee mug. Say you’re the owner of Acme Widgets and you have about a dozen employees. What if one of your suppliers sent you a dozen coffee mugs imprinted with something like, “Acme Widgeteer…and Proud of It!” with the Acme Widget logo or some other graphic on the mugs?
Even though the custom printed mugs didn’t shout out a marketing message for your supplier, every time you, as the owner of Acme Widgets, saw one of those mugs, your supplier’s company would come to mind.
Finally, if you have business relationships that are almost entirely associated with the owner of the company, or a specific employee, consider a gift that is custom printed with that person’s name on it.
You really have a great opportunity available to you to make a positive impression on your clients as 2015 draws to a close. Act on it. It will pay dividends in 2016.