Get “Sales Mileage” from Your Holiday Cards!

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‘Tis The Season To Be Sales Smart . . .

T.O.M.A. Principle:
“Start Counting the People Who Count Versus Counting The People You Reach!”

Every fall at this time of the year I get astonished looks from my audiences when I tell them to STOP sending holiday cards to their clients. That’s right, STOP sending holiday cards. Instead, super charge your holiday sales and START sending very personalized holiday cards that utilize TOMA (Top Of Mind Awareness) principles that will get you noticed!

Think of it this way. As fall arrives, most (please note that I said MOST, not ALL) salespeople, companies, and entrepreneurs DREAD the thought of HAVING to send holiday cards to their clients or clientele. Those who dread this task are often consumed by the daily grind of business. They WILL not (or DO not) want to take the necessary time it requires to really supercharge their Holiday Touches. Yet, you can implement some simple and practical ideas, starting today, so you can have the best holiday season ever.

But before we begin supercharging our Holiday Touches, let’s put some STOPS in place!

STOPS

STOP using holiday cards that have your name or company name pre-printed on them.
STOP placing business cards or marketing material in your holiday cards.
STOP using the insensitive and boring white mailing labels.
STOP using a metered mailing machine for postage.
STOP waiting until the last minute to send your holiday cards.
STOP using United States flag stamps for your holiday cards.

As we supercharge our Holiday Touches, I want to bring to your attention some major philosophies that I need you to understand and embrace.

First, understand the game you are in. When sending holiday cards, you are up against the busiest time in the world for mail. The more holiday cards that are sent, the less effective they become. You, just like everybody else, are competing for your clients’ attention. If you want to win your clients’ attention, start sending them 4th of July cards (in July, of course!) instead.

Second, you must stop treating all your clients the same way. Some of you watching this video or reading the article have client database numbers that vary from just a few to thousands. The challenge that you face is to stop treating the entire database the same way. Regardless of your database numbers, treating them all the same way is highly ineffective. Nor is it a way to utilize proper time management skills.

From someone that thinks Christmas is a waste of time - you have just about convinced me to follow your lead with emphasis on the New Year rather than Christmas.

– Roark, United Kingdom

In an effort to get you to work smarter, here is a rule that you can apply and make work for your database numbers. Take the top 10% of your client base … you know, the 10% that REALLY means the most to your revenue. That is the group of clients you want to target with PERSONALIZED holiday cards!

So, if you have 100 clients, you’ll send 10 cards out. If you have 1000 in your database, then you’ll send 100 PERSONALIZED holiday cards. If the 10% figure doesn’t work for your circumstances, then figure out the percentage that does work.

You keep hearing me state: “PERSONALIZED HOLIDAY CARDS!” That’s correct, they must be personalized. If you don’t personalize them, then don’t send them. It is that simple. Why would you send a very impersonal card to a client when it has no TOMA (Top Of Mind Awareness) … huh? Hint: You GUILT yourself into sending the cards because it is the holidays. STOP the guilt – stop sending lousy holiday cards!

Okay, now let me give you your STARTS to a supercharged and effective Holiday Card Campaign.

STARTS

START your Holiday Card Campaign on November 1st.
START identifying your Top 10% (or your Top Clients) that you will be sending cards to.
START using a different type of pen or marker that will make the client take notice of your written message.
START buying significant Assorted Holiday Cards. I found a great assorted holiday card collection – 30 handcrafted cards – for less than $19 a box.
START buying your Holiday Stamps from usps.com. Save time, buy online!
START becoming aware that some cards might take two 41-cent stamps.
START looking for cool Holiday Stickers you can use on the envelopes.
START searching for “Holiday Stickers” in Google Images for a variety of ideas.
START mailing your cards so they will hit mid-week, not on a Monday. If you mail on Tuesday, December 4th, your cards should arrive by the end of the week. If that date is too early, mail on Tuesday, December 11th. If you mail any time after the 11th, you had better plan on a minimum of 7 days for delivery.
START remembering that you are competing with the rest of the world’s Holiday Cards.
START demonstrating courage to NOT USE a return address on the card. The curiosity of no return address will entice your client to open the card first before any other mail.
START being AUTHENTIC when writing your notes. You could start your note by writing “Just a short holiday note to say it has been a pleasure having you as a . . . . “

STARTING on November 1st, START your one-card-a-day campaign.

The one-card-a-day campaign looks like this:

Daily, starting on November 1st, handwrite a short and personalized note inside the Holiday Card to that client. Your note might be just a couple of sentences or as much as a paragraph or two. The main idea is that you handwrite it and personalize it. After finishing your note on the inside of the card, seal it and handwrite the client’s name and address on the outside of the envelope. Add your Holiday Stamp and your cool Holiday Sticker. Place in a secure area or box. Repeat all these steps the next day. PRESTO – after 30 days, you will have 30 Holiday Cards PERSONALIZED! If you need more time to complete your list, continue this pattern through the first half of December, and that will give you about 45 personalized cards.

Now, what to do with the other 90% in your database? That’s simple: Send them a nice Holiday Electronic Card via e-mail, one that you can send to all of them with one click of the mouse. Remember, these are the clients who are important to you, but are just not as significant as the other 10%.

You can certainly modify these ideas. One of my students who is a successful financial planner modified her program for this method of operation: Her top clients received a huge block of Hershey’s chocolate with a personalized Holiday Message. Her secondary clients received a smaller Hershey’s Kiss with a personalized Holiday Message. (See http://www.hersheygifts.com) The rest of her database received a special Holiday Electronic Card.

Another client a few years back personally delivered customized calendars to his Top 20 clients … unannounced, I might add. He took the time to “just show up” in the late afternoon, and many of his clients were pleasantly surprised. This technique he attributed to a best ever December business because the Law of Reciprocation took over with the result that many of those who received the customized calendar freely gave him more business or referral business.

The biggest payoff rests with the fact that you went the extra mile to reach out to your special clients. Your thoughtfulness was distinctive. You took the time to do something special for them. Believe me, when the onslaught of non-distinctive Holiday Cards start hitting the mail, your cards and envelopes, if done as I have outlined in this article, will stand out from the pack! Furthermore, when they read your personal comments, they will certainly take notice of your effort, and their esteem for you will rise to higher levels of trust and appreciation. Better yet, when that client is ready to enter into your market – or they hear of someone who is – they will automatically think of you.