The Christmas season is typically a time of giving. And some receiving. Frankly, I learned to start dreading the annual gift-purchase-and-giving “tradition” because it became so…expected. And mundane. And OLD. I bet a lot of you are feeling the same. Stuck in the same old cycle.
Sometimes we bought 200 gift baskets to send to our “best” clients. Sometimes it was donations in their name, sometimes boxed chocolates. But be honest… when you followed up with a visit or call, didn’t you usually see a big stack of similar gifts? Yours got buried. You didn’t differentiate yourself. It became a cost with no ROI.
Over the years, I actually tested out the effect on my teams achieving their targets… by NOT giving gifts, versus giving gifts. And do you know what? NOT giving gifts at Christmas had no impact on us achieving our goals.
So how do you set yourself apart?
I have a suggestion.
Many of you would balk at this and want to resort to the same old gift basket, because “everyone else is doing it”. Well, you need to think differently.
Try putting some thought into what your client needs next year to help their business or personal goals. Then provide him/her with a report that addresses that concern. A white paper, e-book, article, something you research and send over because you thought it would help them.
Some other thoughtful ideas could be a 1 year subscription to blinkist or an industry specific journal, perhaps online access to Harvard Business Review. Think outside the box, but think sources of information.
You can also include a seasonal greeting card or email, but the true value is the information you’re providing.
If you get them something that really hits their pain point… you’ll be in a good spot when you call and ask “Hi Mary! Happy Holidays! How did you like that article I sent over… especially the part about xyz? Does it make sense to set up a time to talk about some other ideas that expand on that? Maybe before you get into the craziness of the new year…”
Set yourself apart with your selling process. It’s worked well for me and my teams. It’s a winning long-term strategy.