Author: Henry L.

Corporate Holiday Cards Equal Smart Business Sense

What says “I love your business” like receiving Corporate holiday cards?  I am not sure if some companies realize how important it is to send their customers Christmas cards. As a customer it so nice to be recognized with a note of holiday cheer. It feels great to be acknowledged and appreciated.

A few companies were really using their heads when they made their decisions on what to send; they chose Calendar cards. These cards not only include the customary holiday wishes, but address and phone number of the business as well!  Last year, after the holiday season ended, I put all these special cards in my kitchen drawer. As the year progressed, there was no doubt about which companies I would give my repeat business to, as I had their information right at my fingertips!

Personalized Christmas Cards for the Entire Holiday Season

A few years ago I started working for a company that designs, prints and personalizes holiday and all-occasion greeting cards. I had never thought about buying personalized Christmas cards even though I mail out between 60 and 80 Christmas cards each year. But once I placed an order for personalized cards, I was hooked. Preparing my cards for mailing was so easy and saved so much time. The return address, personal imprint and signatures were already there, and with the peel and seal envelopes sending out my cards was a snap. The hard part was deciding which beautiful design, greeting and color I wanted.

I usually browse through the Gallery Collection website while making the difficult decision of selecting a card from the many lovely design offered. Believe me; the website does not do justice to the actual card itself. Last year, however, as soon as the new designs hit the plant my decision was made. The rich browns, yellows and golden hues of a landscape scene immediately captivated me. A brilliant yellow sun set over a golden landscape, capturing and mirroring its glorious reflection in the stillness of a lake. Taking a close look, one notices the surrounding banks and the glittering boughs are laden with snow. The colors vibrantly shout late Autumn, and bring to mind thoughts of Thanksgiving. The card states on the front ‘Season’s Greetings.’ This phrase, along with the presence of snow and the brown hues make it the perfect card to embrace the entire holiday season.

That was when an idea hit me. I work a lot of hours during the pre-Christmas season, and therefore tend to procrastinate in sending out my cards. I have, in fact, mailed them out during the Christmas week on several occasions. So I selected a greeting that would encompass Thanksgiving, the holiday season, and the New Year. I added a personal line sending loving thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful Christmas. Now my cards needed to be sent out prior to Thanksgiving, when things aren’t quite as hectic. All of my cards were mailed on time. The rich card with its golden tones looked elegant against the golden liner of the envelope.

A few days after Thanksgiving I was pleasantly surprised by a stream of positive feedback from family and friends. When you receive a card early you tend to spend more time looking it over, and everyone I knew apparently had the time to look at this one. Once my brother and sister-in-law got over the fact that their Christmas card would not be the first to be received this year, they complimented me on how beautiful mine were. Sending a card perfect for the entire holiday season was perfect for me!

Business Christmas Cards Keep The Conversation Going

In this crazy world of everyone being in a rush, and nobody seeming to have time to stop and smell the roses, I have found a great conversation starter that everyone seems to enjoy, and it keeps the lines of communication open between me and my customers.  Want to know what it is?  I simply ask them, (usually at the beginning of the checkout process).  ‘So, did you receive my business Christmas cards this year?” And since I usually already know the answer will be “yes”, I am quick to follow up with a “Thank you for your continued support”.  This also opens the door and you would be surprised how many people keep talking afterwards.

This little step also brings a smile to their face, and now that I know that this customer is a happy one, they are much more likely to return to my store.  So, if you have a business and are looking for ways to drum up business, definately consider sending out Christmas cards this year, and be sure to use my special trick to engage the customer while improving customer service. Your customers and your bottom line will thank you!

Birthday Cards in the Business Environment

While some people think it is cute, others think it is funny, I think it is … unfortunate.  What, you may ask, am I talking about?  I am talking about my birthday.  The one day that is special to each one of us, I have to share with, of all people, my husband.  We have the same birthday – not year, just birth date.  So, not only do I get “combined” gifts and “pooled” festivities but I also get shared birthday cards from family and friends!  Nothing is special to just me on my birthday … except when I go to work.

When I go into the office on my birthday, there waiting for me at my desk are birthday cards, addressed only to me (and not my husband), from my coworkers and managers.

This is when I feel special.  Business birthday cards are a great way to bring the occasion of a birthday into the workplace and nothing says “Happy Birthday” better than a card.  Giving birthday cards to employees, coworkers and even business associates is a great way to extend your birthday wishes to those people in the business environment.   It can help to build employee morale and create goodwill.  It can also be a great opportunity to congratulate an employee on a special accomplishment. Sending a birthday card to a business associate provides a way to express your birthday wishes and, at the same time, convey your appreciation to them for their business.  It can also provide a vehicle to offer an incentive such as a discount or premium to help celebrate their birthday.

Birthdays are special. It is a day in a person’s life that should be cherished and celebrated. When you are at work on your birthday, the use of a business birthday card can be a great way to accomplish this!

The Same Company Christmas Cards Go Unnoticed

I have purchased company Christmas cards for many years from The Gallery Collection and every year each person who receives them comments on how beautiful they are. I used to believe that having my name imprinted on the card was too impersonal, but then I realized instead of wasting my time writing my signature, I could write a personal message instead which then in turn makes them my personal custom Christmas cards.

Each year I use the previous year’s leftover cards to send to new names on my Christmas cards list, but last year I inadvertently sent the same design to a vendor two years in a row. However, she  still made the same nice comment about the card and totally forgot that I had given her the same card the previous year. Truly, she made such a fuss about how beautiful the card was both years, I think she didn’t want me to know that she knew it was the same card!

Corporate Christmas Cards and the Ideal Business Model

I would mention my name and business if I was not so paranoid about online identification disclosures. However, like any industry, my small courier business needs exposure, it needs to be “out there” for people to see and take us into account. What does that have to do with corporate Christmas cards? It’s simple…

My business is as big as me – a couple of family members and a handful of vehicles. So how do I keep afloat? I work hard; I adapt and provide a better service at the best price possible. My marketing budget is $0, so I market myself, my personal touch and offer a friendly carrier to hand your packages to, and I offer the same treatment to every person that I get in touch with. That’s how I’ve stayed profitable and in business through the current financial ordeal; mainly I’ve kept my customers loyal and they have recommended my business to others.

But what does that have to do with The Gallery Collection? Simple, in my company’s most profitable year, I decided to go all out and celebrate; 2008 was my best year of business in the nine years of my company’s existence, so I planned to show off with the best quality business Christmas cards I could find. I googled it and found The Gallery Collection. I was ready to make a big marketing investment (a couple hundred bucks) and taking into account the fact that my Latin family keeps growing, these Christmas cards would serve dual purpose as my personal and business Christmas cards for the holiday season. I’d show how successful I am by sending impeccable personalized Christmas cards to my family while giving my customers a beautiful card to remember me by.

Believe me, the cards were nice. I chose a beautiful design, personalized my greeting, and all for a very affordable price. However, genius me managed to make a typo on my online order, which I did not catch but thankfully a nice rep from The Gallery Collection did. When I got Linda’s call saving me hundreds of dollars, or at least many embarrassing moments, I saw that I had not invented a new business model – The Gallery Collection also believes that service can set their business apart.

I know I’m not the only courier my customers can call upon when the time comes, but they do. And The Gallery Collection is not the only corporate Christmas cards publisher, but I have not seen better looking cards and have definitely not received better service. So you know for certain who I’m turning to this year for my Christmas cards.

Christmas Cards Help Stretch My Happy Season

Christmas Cards herald, what was always to me, the happiest time of the year.  That first card to arrive by mail, usually the day after Thanksgiving, from the one early bird sender of my acquaintances, was often the first thing that really confirmed it – Christmas was officially coming!

You may say, and I’m sure you would be right, that stores are trotting out their Christmas sales and decorations earlier every year.  To me, that seems more nagging than festive.  Sometimes I can see a reason for it: for instance, if Hanukkah is early that year, early sales and Hanukkah decorations allow equal opportunity for all holiday shoppers.  Christmas, Kwanzaa, and the New Year, however, are celebrated on the same calendar dates every year, starting way late in December.

Why am I seeing Christmas decorations everywhere before we’ve even reached Halloween?  Am I the only one who thinks it looks tacky enough to see the dregs of last-minute Halloween costumes, candies and decorations, mixed in with the occasional and obligatory cardboard pilgrims with turkey-shaped candles?  Adding insult to injury are the hastily added mechanical Santas, trees, ornaments, stockings, and cotton “snow” that have apparently been gathering dust in storerooms all summer.

And, yes, I know that I have to think about ordering my custom-made, personalized Christmas cards well before Christmas, but that’s my personal choice, not something that’s forced on me everywhere I go.  And, isn’t it enough to hear Holiday music everywhere you go during the traditional four-week Advent between Thanksgiving and Christmas?  Why must we listen to it for eight weeks?!  (Composers take note: clearly, we need more Halloween and Thanksgiving songs.)

While I find that receiving Christmas cards over the course of a month helps to stretch out the joy of the holiday, I hate seeing the commercialism stretched to the point of warping.

Now… if you really want to get my goat, we can discuss the sad, dirty, sagging, bedraggled outdoor Christmas decorations that are such an eyesore long after the holidays have passed…

Sending Business Birthday Cards Is Still the Right Thing

Who would think that something so small with a few words of expression could light up someone’s day? Receiving business Birthday cards from your employer says a lot, especially in today’s economy. We all read or hear about the struggles of everyday life, whether it is in business or your personal life.  In the era of “cutbacks” it’s nice to know that my employer shows thoughtfulness to his employees by recognizing our birthdays.

It was made even more special when my boss walked up to me while I was working to personally hand me the card with his birthday wishes.  I felt appreciated for the work I put for the company.

Not only was it a nice gesture, but the card itself was beautiful!  It was a tropical beach scene (just where I wanted to be) but yet it had just enough sparkle on it that it made me smile and I will never forget that day as I still have the card. Three years later and still working at the same company even though my boss has retired, the tradition is still carried on by receiving our annual birthday cards.  I still look forward to it every year.

I have great birthdays!

Business Christmas Cards for an Entrepreneur

When I was laid off a few years ago, I decided to start my own business (I’d always thought about it, so I figured it was finally time to go for it).   At first, business was slow but steady, but my clients were great.  I was so happy to have survived the first 18 months of business ownership that I decided to send out personalized business Christmas cards thanking everyone for their loyalty.  They were so well received that I’ve continued the tradition every year since (and Gallery Collection never disappoints with its beautiful selection of designs).  I’ve also begun stocking up on assorted birthday cards so there’s always one handy when a client’s birthday approaches.

When I first started out I was fortunate to be able to quickly develop a very loyal client base.  Fast forward several years and my company is still doing well.  I know that I’m only able to do what I love because my clients continue to put their faith in me through repeat business and referrals.  Every year I get so many compliments and expressions of appreciation for the birthday and Christmas cards I’ve sent.  It reminds me that going the extra mile for my clients is as important as providing excellent service.  More importantly though, I know that my small gesture makes my clients feel good so I will continue to send Christmas cards (and birthday cards) to them every year.

Get Well Cards Turned my Frown Upside Down

Ever have one of those weeks? You know the ones that I’m talking about – where everything that can go wrong does. It’s almost like being in quicksand. The more you try to do, the further down you go. I had one of those weeks recently and it turned out that  get well cards was all it took to get me turned around. I know that sounds sappy, but it’s true.

I had a really big presentation at the corporate office in Cincinnati that Monday so there was enough pressure on me already. Then it hits me, my dog of 12 years became very sick. His name was Randy. I say “was” because my little pooch passed away a couple days after the presentation. It turns out he had an issue with his kidneys and they started to shut down.

The Cincinnati presentation did not go as I had planned, with most of my ideas getting shut down. I get home to find Randy very sick. My sister was taking care of him, but there was nothing she could have done. The vet said there was only a matter of days left before I had to make that decision nobody wants to make. So there it was the end of our great run. Randy had gotten me through a lot of hard times – girlfriends leaving, friends flake out – but a loving dog never leaves your side.

I took off Thursday when Randy passed on; I guess it was my day to reflect. It’s hard to lose a part of your family. So the next day you do what everyone else does…get up and go to work, living your life like you’re “supposed” to do. As usual, I got off the train and took that 10-minute walk.

That 10-minute stroll was one of the saddest walks of my life. Then I arrived at my cubicle and saw get well cards from everyone at work. Never could a piece of paper have meant more to me. To know that everyone around me cared enough to think about the loss of Randy made it all the more special. There’s something about people caring that just brings hope to you. So yes, a card can turn your frown upside down.