Giving Thanks to Customers

[gemsmom]

With the holiday season approaching, I was wondering what some of you do to thank your customers. I have never sent out cards or gifts, but I would like to do it this year. I was thinking of breaking the list into groups, depending on what they have spent. One group consisting of those who have spent $10,000 and over; another for those $5,000 to $9,999; $1,000 to $4,999; and $999.00 and under. I was considering cards only for the lowest group, and perhaps something more for the larger spenders, but I'm not sure what- flowers, candy? Do you send Thanksgiving or New Years cards? I have a considerable Jewish clientele, and I don't want to make an error and send the wrong greeting.

I would like to start on this soon. Any ideas, suggestions, and advice would be very helpful to me.

[Sherry Gray]

Pamela, last year I sent 100 wood block prints on handmade paper. The artist had float mounted them onto acid free board and they were small enough to fit into a large card. I didn't use Christmas cards because of the chance of offending someone, but bought plain cards and hand wrote a note inside. I used the pos to figure out which were my highest paying 100 customers. It was a big hit.

[B. Newman]

We purchase calendars from Comda Calendars and send them as a "note of thanks" to the majority of our customer list. We also send them (as long as they last) to any web/mail order customers with their order.

I have also done "special gift" gift certificates to very special customers. But I have customers all through the year thank me for the calendar. They are good size calendars with room to write on the spaces.

Betty

[David N Waldmann]

We send things at Thanksgiving. It has varied from year to year, but generally a card for the "smaller" customers and more expensive gifts for "bigger" customers. Since we are in Vermont we tend to use products from or made in Vermont, though not always. One of our most popular has been a package we put together ourselves by going to a place like The Vermont Country Store (http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/) and picking up Maple Syrup, Vermont Common Crackers, Pancake Mix, etc. We have also had some nice coffee mugs made - Cloth and Clay (http://www.cloth-clay.com) have some beautiful ones - and include some Green Mountain Coffee Roasters coffee. Sometimes we take the easy way out and use a gift company such as Grafton Village Cheese Company (http://www.graftonvillagecheese.com) (next town over from us) or The Popcorn Factory (http://www.thepopcornfactory.com).

As an aside, I assume you'll notice Pareto Principle (80% of your sales come fron 20% of your customers) in putting together your list if you break it down into sales groups.

[wpfay]

Pam,
Something I've mulled over, but haven't acted on is a plan to give my "better" customers small framed mirrors made from the leftovers of their jobs. I've probably got 40-50 small mirrors just laying about the shop...one of the "keep busy" projects I have for my employee... and I really think I might get more bang out of them if I were to wrap them nicely and send them as presents. If I could coordinate it so I give them a small framed mirror from the same moulding they used on a frame job, all the better. I also like the timing of giving these at Thanksgiving. Takes the possibility of a religious gaffe out of the equation and might just trigger thoughts of getting something framed in time for the holidays.
The framed mirror is also very business specific, so there won't be any doubt about whence it came. The gift box is a great idea, (and I hope to be able to get to that level with Mr. Waldmann by Thanksgiving 2004, Yum!) but I think we have the opportunity to do something unique to the business, like the small prints Sherry mentioned, that will be more personal.

[Emibub]

Hey Wally, I have been doing just that. Last fall I decided to build a bunch of small frames for mirrors to use as free gifts. It was completely my idea by the way. They are anywhere from 3x3 to 5x5. I tied ribbons around them and let my repeat customers pick one of their choice. It was realy well received. For the past few months when I have leftovers from a customers project I have been cutting a matching frame out of their leftovers. I put a ribbon around that and just include it when they pick up their orders. I have to say people have been very touched by the effort. It takes very little time and costs nothing. I only do this with my better customers and of course with the nicer ornate woods.

Someday it would be nice to construct little boxes out of moulding and give those as gifts to special customers.

[Mike Labbe @ GTP]

This will be the first year that we'll be able to do gifts, and we've been thinking of Fruit Baskets with candies and other goodies for the best volume clients - around Thanksgiving. This is a universal holiday and it hits just before the big shopping season.

For customers that have spent under $1000, we don't know what we'll be doing yet. (Maybe a card with a company pen or something) I look forward to seeing everyones ideas!

Mike

[ 09-12-2003, 02:11 PM: Message edited by: Mike-L@GTP ]

[printmaker]

Originally posted by Sherry Gray:
Pamela, last year I sent 100 wood block prints on handmade paper...It was a big hit. Congratulations, Sherry!
What a wonderful, unique, and oh-so-appropriate gift! smile.gif

[Bill Henry-]

I don't mean to sound cheap or nothin', but why not give them something that will bring them back into your shop? … like a gift certificate.

If they don't redeam it, you haven't lost anything. If they do, you've cemented your relationship. If they give it to a friend, you've got a new customer.

We've considered calenders, but 1) they only last a year and b) most of the commercial giveaways are pretty cheezy, and I doubt that too many people would use them. (I never hang the one I get from my insurance agency).

[Meghan MacMillan]

I enlist the help of a local florist and have sent floral arrangements, flowering plants and occasionally fruit/gift baskets.

That's the top tier. I send cards also, around Thanksgiving. I don't include an offer with this. It's really an expression of my gratitude for their business. I don't want to seem hungry.

[Sherry Gray]

I love, love, love the mirror idea. I have been making them out of leftover moulding but they don't sell as fast as I can make them. So this year I'm doing mirrors as gifts. Thank you for the great tip.

[David N Waldmann]

Originally posted by Bill Henry:
We've considered calenders, but 1) they only last a year and b) most of the commercial giveaways are pretty cheezy, and I doubt that too many people would use them. (I never hang the one I get from my insurance agency). You need to change insurance companies ;)

We've done calenders in the past. But they haven't been the "commercial" ones. The most recent one we sent was a <u>Vermont Life</u> calender. Our name was not on it (well, part of it was, that was the idea....), we just figured that people would remember where it came from. One time we bought nice calenders and printed up labels that we put on them - that was probably more effort than it was worth.

[B. Newman]

The calendars we use are very nice (in fact, I thought about sending Bill one, he'd love mine!)

They are about 11x11, (11x22 with the picture.) We have a choice of scenes from different parts of the country, Norman Rockwell (which is our best,) Faith Passages, and a whole bunch of other choices such as Family Circle cartoons, exotic cars and recipes to name a few.

Our info is on the bottom flap which stays the same and is visable all year.

Many of our customers have told us that they look forward to getting these since the spaces are big enough to write stuff on.

They say they put them in the kitchen! Do you know how important that spot is?!

Betty

[lyoncat]

I like the calendar idea. Art Business News sent me one this past year, and it is hanging next to my desk.

I have gone so far that if a good client is coming in around the holiday season, I buy them a special wine, or a box of chocolates. For my Jewish clientele, I buy a Kosher wine. They really love the thought. Even if they don't drink, they probably have friends who will during the season.

I send out 'Happy Holiday" cards, with no specific religious conotation.

[Reynard]

I send the occasional Christmas card.

Why all the ***** footing around over Christmas?I,m glad that its still seen as Christmas in Britain and that we haven`t started importing the "happy holidays" rubbish.


The first thing that wrecked it was the commercialism and greed.The second thing was the denial of the reason behind the "holiday" in the first place.

[gemsmom]

Chrismas is not a favorite holiday of mine, mostly beacause I am so busy making sure I have everything done for my customers, there is little time for me to enjoy it.

But, this thread is not about that. My customers have been supporting me for almost twenty years. I have never taken the time to tell them in a special way, or even a small way, "thank you". Many of them have been extremely loyal. Others spend a great deal on money in my shop. I think a card, or a small gift, wouldn't hurt.

Christmas is only as commercial as one lets it be commercial. Don't give in to the hype, then that is all it is, hype.

[lyoncat]

And as mentioned, the 'holiday' season is is when I make the most sales, hype or not.

[ 09-25-2003, 03:11 PM: Message edited by: lyoncat ]

[Rebecca]

I make my own soap (lots of expensive ingredients with unusual botanicals and heavy on the essential aromatic oils), wrap them nicely, and give them to the steady client galleries and framers.

It seems to be popular - have had requests for purchase!

Rebecca

[ 09-25-2003, 11:26 PM: Message edited by: Rebecca ]