Last December I surprised myself. I had a long list of maybe fifty or so people to whom I was planning on sending greeting cards. Current clients, past ones, a few solid prospects, they were all on the list. Problem was, I was busy with work and every time I looked at that long list of names I felt overwhelmed.
As the holidays drew closer and closer, I seemed to have less and less time for this daunting task of buying, writing and mailing out cards – not to mention accompanying gifts. So one mid-December day, I just said, “Ahhhh, forget it.” And that was that.
Last year was the first year since starting my freelance business that I didn’t buy a single gift for a single client. What’s more, I didn’t bother to send out a single card.
Am I a cheapskate? Nope. I can spend money with the best of ‘em.
Ungrateful? No way. I believe strongly in gratitude and spend time every morning appreciating my life.
Am I a Scrooge? Uh-uh. I celebrate Christmas and I look forward to it with child-like giddiness every year!
I think last year I just faced up to the fact that sending presents and cards to clients during the holidays doesn’t really DO anything.
Now don’t get me wrong I haven’t always felt this way. I used to spend hundreds of dollars on clients at this time of year. Bottles of wine, chocolates, hand-picked selections of fine imported beers.
Heck, In the past I’ve even had CUSTOM Christmas cards designed and printed. (Freelance designer Katie Kelly does a spectacular job with these kinds of things if you’re interested).
But last year, facing a major December time crunch forced me to take a hard, honest look at the VALUE of spending all this extra time and money.
I asked myself, “If a client has a project come up in March, will the fact that I sent them a holiday greeting card and a bottle of hooch three months earlier really factor into their decision to call me?”
You must agree, the answer, of course, is “No.”
So there. Last year I relieved myself of the enormous time-wasting task of going out and buying gifts, and writing and sending cards. I also kept several hundred dollars in my pocket.
And guess what? Nothing bad happened. I still got projects, I still got phone calls, and I still enjoy great relationships with my clients.
In fact, letting the holidays quietly slip by last year was such a non-event, with zero reprocussions that I’m doing exactly the same thing this year.
I believe there are better ways to show your appreciation for clients.
Like sending them free information, going the extra mile on every job you do, and generally treating them like gold, frankincense and myrrh all year long.
What do you think of this attitude? Am I a Scrooge at heart? Or one of the Wise Men?
And what are you doing this year to acknowledge your clients?
Do you use the holidays as a way to get in touch because you truly think it’s a valuable thing to do?
Or are you sooo ready to just forget the whole thing, if only you knew there was someone out there who decided to do this and whose business didn’t immediately fold up as a result? 
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Pete Savage is co-editor of The Wealthy Freelancer and not such a bad guy. In fact, he does give out gifts, like Direct Mail Secrets for Freelancers – a FREE 45-minute teleseminar for subscribers to Pete’s SAVAGE Marketing newsletter. Sign up for free at http://www.savagemarketing.com/. And to all a good night…
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I actually think sending clients a card to wish them Season’s Greetings means a lot. As a web designer, I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback and returning clients by this small gesture so it might depend on the industry and folks, but I know it makes a big difference for my business.
Have you considered making a donation to a non-profit in your clients’ name(s), and then sending them a simple card or email to let them know what you’re doing?
I understand your frustration with the lavish way you were doing things before. But I think you’re cutting yourself off from a valuable and genuine way of staying in touch with your clients and prospects. And with the tough times that some are going through now, and that all of us may be facing next year, nurturing existing relationships seems really important to me. My answer to your question (“If a client has a project come up in March, will the fact that I sent them a holiday greeting card and a bottle of hooch three months earlier really factor into their decision to call me?”) is “Yeah, it probably will”, based on my experience.
This year, I am making a donation to FeedingAmerica.org in the name of my company and clients. I’ve picked 50 top contacts and sent them a custom-designed card (since I’m a graphic designer who specializes in print collateral) that’s based on this donation. (The card also includes a web link to a pretty terrific chili recipe.) I also plan to do a simple e-card version of my printed card, and send that to a larger group of contacts using Constant Contact.
Maybe it depends on your industry, and on the individuals on your contact list. But I wouldn’t skip the opportunity to stay in touch with contacts in a genuine (and more budget-friendly) way.
Thanks for the comments! Regarding the charity donations in client names, hey, who can argue with that? It’s a wonderful idea! And don’t get me wrong, clients sure will appreciate a nice gift or a beautiful card arriving in their hand, who wouldn’t? But the fact is, whenever a freelancer gets a call back and offered more work, the reason – the REAL reason – is because he or she either delivers quality work consistently, or stays in touch with a lead nurturing strategy that delivers real value to the client, either by sharing tools and information that make their job easier. Holiday gestures are a nice touch, sure. But my position is that they don’t have the lasting impact that we freelancers like to think they do. I think it’s a far better use of time to create a special report, an industry survey, a helpful how-to guide, or some other high-value tool that the client can use to help make their job easier or bring them closer to their business objectives.
Now… having said all that… Kathy, and N, I can see how designers might want to capitalize on the opportunity in order to design a beautiful card that showcases design skills. THAT I buy. Hard to argue that being a waste of time.
Here’s my take on this issue. Most people send ONE piece of communication to their clients every year — right around now. But that’s all they do. They put all their efforts (and gift-giving budget) into this one “touch.”
I say do whatever you’d like. But don’t make Christmas the only time you send a card or small gift to your clients. Make it a point to stay in touch throughout the year with value-added info and small tokens of your appreciation (no one sends handwritten thank you cards out of the blue anymore…why not???).
In my opinion, such genuine and consistent efforts will leave a longer-lasting impression than a once-a-year gesture.
I consider the holidays – both Christmas and summer vacation – as opportunities to communicate with clients – past and present. For instance, in early December, I send current and past clients a short, personal email message letting them know when I will be shutting down for the holidays.
If they are current clients, I give them an update on anything that I am working on or assure them I will be delivering anything they are expecting before I shut down. I wish them happy holidays and let them know I look forward to working with them in the New Year. If they are previous clients, I say I hoped they have had a good year, remind them of the services I offer (or any new services, like the training I now do), wish them happy holidays and let them know I am there if they need me in the New Year.
This kind of communication seems to generate good will, and occasionally it generates new business. I do something similar in the summer with my vacation alert.
I’m of the opinion that if you keep in touch with clients all year long, skipping the holiday greeting is no big deal. For one thing, your holiday gifts and cards can get lost in the clutter. And being a person who celebrates the religious meaning of Christmas, I dither back and forth – do I send a Christmas card and risk offending someone, or send a “holiday wishes” card, which seems a little empty to me. In past years, I’ve sent special cards of appreciation around Valentine’s Day and Thanksgiving, when my greeting will likely be the only one.
No gifts! I’ve always hated Christmas and birthday greetings from commercial interests and associates. To me, Christmas and birthdays are private matters, and to receive (and give) Christmas and birthday greetings and gifts from business associates has had almost the opposite effect of what was intended when it comes to me. It is such a transparent marketing maneuver that I automatically discount the value of the message and/or gift (although, I confess, I do eat or use the gift!). I’ve always thought I was just an ill-tempered contrarian. Glad to hear there’s another curmudgeon out there!
Good service anytime, all the time is what counts in the end.
Michele Jiménez
This season, I used the online custom greeting card service at USPS.com. The postcards my clients received thanked them for their business and informed them that I’ve made a donation to FreeArtsMinnesota.org. In addition, I invited clients I assist often, but rarely see face to face, to lunch. Since one creative team was too busy to attend, I sent them a large basket of chocolate treats to enjoy during their weekly team meeting. Cheers, -Melanie Lundheim
Pete, did you also take the last can of Who Hash and even the log for the Who’s fire
I see your point, but I always think it is a good idea to send a card at least. I don’t think “bad” things will happen per se, but doing it can’t hurt and may even help solidify the relationship a little more. I use a service called Send Out Cards.com and have set up campaigns with customized messages for Christmas cards. The messages are customized based on if the person is a client, referral partner, solid prospect, etc. I have used the same campaigns for a couple of years. In about 10 minutes I sent out all the campaigns this year. This isn’t as perfect is sitting down and hand-writing all my cards, but it is a card and the quality is really good.
Pete, even you have to agree that a mere 10 minutes isn’t too much for a Grinch, even a busy one
Michael – fantastic Grinch reference! I’m grinning from ear to ear… but… ahem… AUTOMATED Christmas cards???
Is that really staying in “touch”? Doesn’t sound very touching to me. Kudos to you for streamlining this laborious task but… am I the only one who thinks this kinda waters down the sentiment… just a little??
Pete – I struggled with the idea of automated vs. not doing it at all, but I decided that sending something, even automated was better than nothing. The font they use does look like handwriting and the message inside is mine. However I concede the point that it isn’t AS good as handwriting each one.
Most of my referral partners that received it thanked me at the last meeting they saw me at, so I guess I could argue that it worked even if it was automated.
I have found GiftTree.com is great place to go for client gifts. I never go without sending a gift during the holidays. I also try to send a few cards and gifts throughout the year. So far I have been successful.
I have to agree with Pete for a number of reasons. I stopped sending both personal and professional cards several years ago.
One, I found that when I RECEIVED them from other companies I had dealt with, I did not think “Oh,isn’t that nice.” I thought, “Oh another sales pitch.”
Two, like Pete, I found it a waste of time that did not affect my business in the slightest.
Three, call me a tree hugger, but I just found it an environmental waste.
Four, I felt the money could be spent in much more humanitarian ways, so I went to Christmas emails and donations to the Salvation Army.
I did the same with my personal cards for reasons 3 and 4. I am noticing with each passing Christmas season, I am getting fewer and fewer cards in the mail and more and more people switching to emails and donations.
In a way, it’s sad to see a long time tradition pass, but in this environment, I really feel that it is best. My two cents…………..L