Comments on: "You Ask…I Answer" – Should I Send Clients Holiday Cards?

By: rkoman

rkoman — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 06:34:55 +0000

I agree with a speaker I saw at the CAOC conference last year. December cards get lost in the swarm of other people’s cards. He sends out ‘New Years Gifts.’ He emphasized actual gifts, not merely cards but then they had million-dollar contingency cases. In any case, I think January is an excellent time to do stuff, compared to December. As Susan pointed out, it’s after the holidays, time to get to work, and a greeting from your lawyer may be well timed.

By: Susan Cartier Liebel

Susan Cartier Liebel — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:31:24 +0000

Precisely! Now you’ve created an event for them that both of you enjoy and you KNOW they are showing it around to their friends (potential clients). Congratulations! You took doing something you like to do and turned it into marketing fun that pays dividends. This is so important

By: Brenda Speer

Brenda Speer — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:28:31 +0000

I have a unique holiday card created every year that I send to clients and other business contacts. I come up with a concept and have an illustrator bring my concept to life. My clientele are in creative industries and they appreciate this approach. It lets them know I’m creative, too, and understand their world. Recipients often thank me for the card and ask “How are you going to top this next year?” I take it as a great compliment that they are actually looking forward to getting the annual card I send. As a plus for me, I have a lot of fun doing it!

By: Ivette Muller

Ivette Muller — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:19:23 +0000

Susan, I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to clarify a couple of things. Based on our exchange of comments on this great topic, I think I need to explain a little about what Send Out Cards is.

Send Out Cards (SOC) is an online service that allows you to pick a card, type a message (even in your own handwriting) and send it. Then SOC prints the card, puts it in an envelope and mails it for you. You even have the option of uploading pictures or custom graphics and can send a gift with the card. The cost is less than half the price of a card at the traditional greeting card store, and there are over 13,000 premade cards to choose from.

Again, based on the comments, I wanted to clarify because it seemed as though most had never heard about Send Out Cards. And the system addresses 3 of the main objections here: time (convenience), cost and personalization.

If anyone is interested, you can try out the system and send a card to someone. You can visit my website http://www.sendoutcards.com/83644 and click on my banner for a gift account.

By: Lisa Solomon

Lisa Solomon — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:33:22 +0000

Ordering cards online doesn’t mean that they’re impersonal, even if you have the printer mail the card directly to the recipient. You can always create a card with a very personalized message. For example, just the other day I sent a card thanking a client for a referral, and mentioning the name of the person referred. The recipient understands the thought that goes into including a message like that. A scanned copy of my signature also appears at the bottom.

Also, I want to clarify my earlier response to ChinaLaw. At The Billable Hour Card Store (and, I assume at Ivette’s site as well), you can have cards (such as holiday cards) printed in bulk, addressed (with your return address and the recipients’ addresses) and then shipped to you, so that you can hand-write a personal message in each card before mailing it out. That way, neither you nor your staff has to spend time printing the envelopes (or applying labels).

By: Ivette Muller

Ivette Muller — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:59:29 +0000

I agree with Julie that a personalized message goes a long way. That’s actually one of huge benefits of sending cards through SOC. You can even upload a font in your own handwriting and add your signature to each individual card.

With all these options, it just doesn’t make sense to send e-cards anymore when you can send a real one in the mail. Plus, in today’s state of the economy, it’s nice to go to the mailbox and find something for you – other than a bill! (Lisa I saw some of the cards you have available and they ARE hiliarious!)

Even if a card cost $5 per client to send this holiday season, you just simply cannot afford not to send them a card. $5, $10 even $20 is a drop in the bucket compared to all the business they have provided you and potential referrals. This is why relationship marketing is so important these days. People want to do business with people they like, and who genuinely care about them! A card, any card says, “Hi! I was thinking about you today…”

I even wrote a blog post about the importance of relationship marketing a few days ago: http://www.wahmbahm.com/business-lessons-obgyn-relationship-marketing-work

It doesn’t matter what profession you are in – everyone wants to be remembered, treated well and cared for. Customers, clients and colleagues want to know they matter to you. It is one of our intrinsic needs that begs to be fulfilled. You would not believe the difference you can make in someone’s day and life by sending them a card – any card!

Thank you all for a wonderful exchange of comments!

By: Julie A. Fleming

Julie A. Fleming — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:33:42 +0000

I’m going to go one step further and say that, not only do I prefer physical cards to ecards, but I also highly recommend physically signing each card and writing a short, personal message for your most important contacts. An impersonal, entirely typed, vague holiday card is just as bad as a spam email.

I’m also a fan of sending cards for more unusual holidays that fit your firm so your card won’t be lost in the crowd; still, you don’t want to be the only company that doesn’t send a winter holiday card.

By: Lisa Solomon

Lisa Solomon — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:46:35 +0000

@ChinaLaw, I certainly understand the issue created by having contacts who are primarily overseas.

By “tak[ing] the time to do the physical cards right, do you mean not having time to hand-write a personal note in each one? It’s true that many business etiquette professionals recommend doing that.

Other than the question of whether you are going to hand-write a personal note to each recipient, at The Billable Hour Card Store (and, to be fair, also at Ivette’s Send Out Cards store), it takes no longer to create a printed greeting card online than it does to create an e-card. Since that’s the case, isn’t it better to maximize the ROI from your investment of time by sending printed cards?

By: Susan Cartier Liebel

Susan Cartier Liebel — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:38:30 +0000

Dan, overseas clients…I would imagine given they expect to work with you through e-mail it would be ‘better than nothing’. It’s just how impressive if you even hired someone to actually send something tangible (do it right)….not even a card but something else which has the same effect. Brings the world a little closer, no? And your clients…well, I think they would be impressed and it would drive the point home, ‘reminding people you exist.’

By: China Law

China Law — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:34:26 +0000

Looks like I am going to be the only person to defend e-cards. My firm usually sends out real cards, but I like e-cards because so many of my contacts are overseas (I know cutting costs is not a good marketing argument). But mostly, I know that I would probably not take the time to do the physical cards right and even though I know e-cards are a really momentary thing, they are something and they are better than nothing at reminding people you exist.