Q: Is
it a good idea to send gifts to customers this holiday season? This
has been a tough year for us, and we're not sure if we should
take on the added expense. What do you think?
A:
Gift-giving is an excellent way to make a personal connection with
your customers or clients, and it can play a strong role in
building long-term relationships. While some
companies may go to the extreme with lavish gifts and parties,
according to entrepreneur Corinne Dalby, giving gifts doesn't
have to be expensive. Her company, Media Specialists Inc., makes a
practice of sending gifts to 300 of its best customers four times
per year--spring, summer, fall and at holiday time--for a total
cost of just about $1,000.
Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Media Specialists (877-622-0077)
distributes professional audio and videotape and equipment,
computer data cartridges and magnetic opticals to broadcast
facilities, production houses, corporations and ministries. With
the help of her four-person staff, holiday gifts are created by
lining clear video boxes with Mylar, stuffing them with different
kinds of candy and tying them with a decorative bow. Since most of
her customers are in the video business, "They just love
it," says Dalby.
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The boxes may only cost 50 cents to $1 each, but customers have
come to expect the gifts, which Dalby delivers personally to local
customers and ships to others nationwide. It's this individual
connection with customers that makes Dalby's company stand out
and her gifts so well-received--even expected and missed when
absent.
Last year, I didn't send my gifts out after 9/11 and during
the following economic crunch, and I had customers get very upset
about it to the point that they started using someone else as their
supplier," says Dalby. Since then, she has resumed her
quarterly program.
Etiquette Counts
The cost of your own holiday
gift program will vary based on the number of customers or
clients you have and your type of business. But to keep it
affordable, you may want to send gifts to your best customers and
cards--signed by you and your staff--to the rest. The key is to
reinforce the connection you have with the people on your holiday
list, so sending a holiday card imprinted with your company name,
but lacking a personal signature, is a faux pas.
To avoid other breaches of etiquette,
it's best to stay away from religious or even Santa images and
focus instead on the spirit of the season with nondenominational
cards and gifts. And some major companies have no-gift policies, so
before sending holiday gifts, you may need to confirm that your
customers can accept them.
Share the Spirit
Online shopping can take some of the sting out of the
time-consuming task of selecting the right gifts. It's fast,
and you won't have to wade through the holiday shopping crowds.
This year, there are so many brick-and-mortar retailers with fully
functional presences on the Web, in addition to the proliferation
of quality e-tailers, that now you can buy anything for your
clients--from inexpensive gift baskets to monogrammed golf
clubs.
You can even contribute to your favorite charity while adding
nothing to your gift budget at sites such as GreaterGood.com,
where you can shop from more than 100 leading online merchants,
including Sharper Image, L.L. Bean and Harry and David, and up to
15 percent of your purchase costs will go to the charity of your
choice. You can support the Humane Society, The Nature Conservancy
or Special Olympics, for example, or you can enter a specific
organization in GreaterGood.com's database and search to see if
they are affiliated. What better way to share the holiday
spirit?
Kim T. Gordon is an author, marketing coach and media
spokesperson-and one of the country's foremost experts on
entrepreneurial success. Her newest book, Bringing Home The Business, identifies the
30 "truths" that can make the difference between success
and failure in a homebased business. Kim offers one-on-one coaching
by telephone to motivated individuals, providing practical
marketing advice and budget-conscious strategies unique to your
business. To receive free how-to articles and advice, get
information on coaching and appearances, read a book excerpt, or
contact Kim, visit http://www.smallbusinessnow.com,
a huge site devoted exclusively to marketing your small
business.
The opinions expressed in this column are those
of the author, not of Entrepreneur.com. All answers are intended to
be general in nature, without regard to specific geographical areas
or circumstances, and should only be relied upon after consulting
an appropriate expert, such as an attorney or
accountant.