What do you give your select customers for the holidays?

[john1]

Hey guys, Being as small as my business is i feel it's very important to show my appreciation around the holidays to the select customers that may have ordered a decent amount of services from me.

I am thinking of giving out promotional magnetic mini-calenders made from Stouse along with something else which is to be decided. I haven't really done this before except for holiday cards in the past so please enlighten me if you think this may be tacky.

I am wondering what others may give out to their top customers at the end of the year.

Thanks!

 

[cdiesel]

Crown Royal XR last year. Probably the same this year. Can't go wrong with alcohol.

Year before last my mom baked cookies (like 300 dozen) and we sent them to everyone.

 

[Locals Find!]

+1 on booze. If you do the calendars give them to everyone who did business with you. Best way to keep your name in front of them.

 

[john1]

I'm picking a handful of my biggest customers and making them a glass etched glass with their logo and saying Thanks From and my logo real small at the bottom. A friend of mine does glass etching so he will be doing those for me.

Pretty excited!

 

[ucmj22]

+1 on booze. If you do the calendars give them to everyone who did business with you. Best way to keep your name in front of them.

I thought you gave Price increases for the holidays:ROFLMAO:
Sorry i couldnt resist. no hard feelings. didnt mean to

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Be careful with the booze though. That might send the wrong message depending on the client. Use your own judgement on that.

Typically I'll do something with their logo. That really tends to do well with them. Something with the holiday theme and their logo. That's me though and I would make sure that it's something that you can do or can very easily sub out to do as well. Might give them ideas for their customers or to do other things for them. Who knows.

 

[john1]

Be careful with the booze though. That might send the wrong message depending on the client. Use your own judgement on that.

Typically I'll do something with their logo. That really tends to do well with them. Something with the holiday theme and their logo. That's me though and I would make sure that it's something that you can do or can very easily sub out to do as well. Might give them ideas for their customers or to do other things for them. Who knows.

Exactly, Not everyone drinks and it's impossible to know if it will send the right message or not unless you know for a fact they drink.

I think the etched glasses are a safe bet, That way they can put it on a hutch, desk or use it for whatever they like.

 

[ucmj22]

I was thinking of notepads. I go through them like hot wings through an IBS sufferer. it would be pricey to get them personalized for all of the customers I would want though.

 

[petepaz]

we buy a couple of cases of wine and cookies at costco and we hand the stuff out as needed (some people/places cookies are better than booze)

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

Buy a couple of cases of the cheapest wine you can find and re label them with a top notch vintage, LOL

I don't give my customers anything, there lucky I put up with there s**t all thru out the year.

 

[john1]

Now that i am thinking, Maybe i will do etched glasses for my top customers (4 or 5) and cards for another selection that aren't as big customers.

 

[HulkSmash]

2x2 acrylic sign with stand offs, that has their logo on it.
Then a small note saying thank you for your business.

 

[TheSnowman]

If someone gave me the booze I'd look at them like they were complete morons. Go w/ the cookies. Even skinny people eat them.

 

[Locals Find!]

I like your idea of the etched glasses for the top customers and your original idea of the magnets for everyone else.

 

[rcook99]

Dye sub coffee mugs with there logo on it and a little candy in it.

 

[Gino]

This year, we are doing something different. We are putting together a rather aggressive promotion.

We're going into our 30th year in business as of today [November 4th 1982], so we're going to have something we've never done in our history..... we're having a 30% off SALE to show our appreciation of the many years of business we've done with everyone. It's starting Monday and going until until December 31st.

We had our first taker yesterday and another one today... and we haven't started any advertisements.... not until Monday. Thank goodness I already had figured that into their quotes. The one was quite hefty.
​

Some of our suppliers are also going to extend very nice discounts during this whole period.

It's a win/win situation and they're paying for their own presents, just a little less. ​

 

[Jane Diaz]

We buy glass candy jars, put their logo on them and fill them with candy. Then they can put them on their counter for their customers.
We have done aprox 2X3' PVC signs with their logo on them and framed them.
One year we found a small figurine of a sign painter on a ladder painting a billboard and we lettered THEIR name on the billboard. THAT was a hit!

 

[john1]

Great stuff everyone! I am thinking of doing smaller glasses now and do the whole candy deal in them so it can be displayed on their counters and such.

Keep the ideas coming, I am loving them

 

[Pat Whatley]

If someone gave me the booze I'd look at them like they were complete morons.

My thoughts exactly. I drink and certainly don't care if everybody else does too but it's not a big enough part of my life to keep bottles of the stuff around the house.

The main thing I can say about corporate Christmas gift giving is that unless the gift is individualized and presented properly you're better off not giving it.

This year I'm going back to my old reliable Christmas gift....GOURMET COOKIES.....1200 of them. Heck no, I can't bake for squat. I call one or our local restaurant suppliers and order cases of gourmet ready-to-bake cookie dough. I just pop the frozen nuggets in the oven, 20 minutes later they're ready to go in all their gooey, warm deliciousness. They look homemade, they're huge cookies and they taste awesome! Every year I've done them I've heard about them all year long. People get tons of "corporate gift" food this time of year and it always seems to end up meaninglessly tossed on a table in the breakroom with all the other gifts.....special cookies get hidden and savored. This year for my 10-12 largest customers I'm buying pre-made wooden boxes, having their logo laser etched into the tops, and delivering them filled with cookies. The rest of the cookies are simply stacked in dozens, wrapped in tissue and decorative cellophane, and ribboned up. Sounds like a lot of work but I can knock out all the baking and wrapping by myself in an afternoon.

Also, don't forget to give gifts to the people you have to deal with to work with the big guys. Got a secretary you always have to call to get purchase orders or a marketing department you have to call for artwork? Hook them up.

 

[weaselboogie]

I give wine, chocolate and cheese. They're going to like at least one of those.