I know it’s July and it’s hard to think about Christmas. However, now is when the clutter merchants send out the calendar come ons for companies to consider sending to their customers.
I call myself the king of free stuff. Every year at Christmas time, I get a treasure trove of calendars, food baskets, liquor (I don’t drink), clocks – some didn’t work- cookies, pies, notebooks, sticky notes, and even bobble head dolls.
Most of that stuff goes straight in the trash.
Companies want to recognize and reward their valued customers, but they don’t know how. Here’s a few ideas.
Collectively, recognizing customers with these gifts is an expensive undertaking. Individually, the recipients of these gifts often regard them as little more than trash.
Instead, take the entire budget and invest it into changing one life. Maybe there’s an employee’s child that needs an exotic, expensive, and perhaps otherwise out-of-reach medical treatment that the company can make possible. Or what about providing meals for shut-ins or the disadvantaged? Or a scholarship for a promising student?
The possibilities are endless and that’s where the fun begins. Involve the entire workforce in finding a worthy target. Maybe the recipient will be the deserving child or spouse from a customer relationship. It’s an opportunity to engage in conversations with customers about topics other than business and it demonstrates compassion and concern that has nothing to do with profits and sales.
Once all the suggestions are in, a committee could narrow down the choices to a select few to be put to a vote by the entire staff. One a selection is made and the gift awarded, write a summary of what was done and why. Reduce the summary to a letter and mail, yes snail mail, the letter to your customers on high quality stationery and hand address the envelopes if practical.
This is not only uplifting and meaningful for the customers, it’s empowering for your own team as well. And it will help your company stand out from the ones sending the bobble head dolls.
Let me close by saying Happy Fourth of July … and Merry Christmas!