To do well in business, a business owner must show his customers that he cares. And just like in the personal world outside of business, we show that we care with gestures as simple as greeting cards. We especially need to consider the advantages of taking the time to write a note by hand because of the informal and cold methods of communication that we use today on a regular basis like emailing and faxing. Sure, these methods work well for the sake of convenience, but they lack the warmth that will make a customer keep coming back to your business. So consider these guidelines when preparing to send out a business greeting card.
Consider the usefulness of greeting cards during the holiday season. Nothing says that you care more than if you send out a greeting to your favorite customer or even all of your customers at this special time of year. However, because of the recent bouts of political correctness and the growing diversity in our nation, we must consider the particular cards that we send carefully. If you want to use a card with a nativity scene, for example, consider the effect it might have on your business based on those customers who might not believe the same as you. Be ready to pay the price of lost customers if you insult them with such a greeting card.
Do not be afraid to send out holiday greeting cards just because you fear insulting your customers though. I recently received a greeting card from my dentist which ultimately reminded me of my need to visit her. I ended up calling her to make the appointment which I had forgotten about, and in the end, her greeting card led to more business for her office.
If you are going to send out greeting cards, follow the number one rule of card etiquette: use personal handwriting. Try to write the note yourself, but if you cannot, at least sign the card yourself. Doing so demonstrates your genuine care for your customer, based on the time it took you to write that note out by hand.
Also make sure that you have your customer's correct address and correct name spelling. I personally hate when I receive a personal card from someone who claims to know me well but cannot spell my name correctly. It just hurts. So double check the spelling and the address.
In the not too far gone past I had an employee who neglected to check my name's spelling on a greeting card, and by now you know how I feel about that. To add insult to injury, the employee never signed the card with his own handwriting and he used a company printed label for the envelope. Nothing says, "You're just a number", like a company printed envelope.
Remember your purpose for writing a greeting card in the end: make the recipient feel warm and cared for.
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