Business Relationships at Christmas: Saying Thank You in the Holiday Season

People are critical to the success of any business and they show up in many different roles including employees, customers, shareholders, suppliers, partners, regulators, etc. The businesses that achieve the greatest success are those that place a very high value on business relationships and have a strategy that includes relationship management.

It is important to nurture business relationships 365 days per year but the holiday season provides a special opportunity to acknowledge people’s contribution to the business and to say “Thank You!”.

Keep the following DOs and DON'Ts in mind as you develop your gift plan for the coming holiday season:

• DO take action now for this holiday season. If you plan to outsource this activity be selective about who you use. This will reflect on your business. Consider on line ordering from reputable, reliable companies to lessen the workload on yourself or your staff.

• DO ensure that your contact lists are accurate with correct titles, names, addresses and spelling. If you aren’t sure of spelling, find a way to verify it.

• DON'T give beyond your means. Look to your budget before deciding on your recognition strategy for the holidays. Options exist at all price levels – starting with a nice card. Also, consider the tax implications of your plan.

• DO be aware of and respect the diversity in your relationships when designing your strategy. Select gifts that would appeal to a wide range of individuals rather than just one group.

• DO respect the gifting policies of other companies and be unquestionably ethical in all of your choices.

• DON'T exclude people who contribute to your success such as customer and supplier office staff or your own temporary or contract employees.

• DON'T put your logo on your gifts. Employees and customers get enough of the promotional stuff during the year. The holidays are a time to do something special.

• DON'T send a gift to a former client. This will be seen as an effort to win them back and wouldn’t be viewed as professional.

• DO be consistent in your employee gifting plan from one department to another. Allowing different managers to do their own thing may lead to upset in the workplace and some employees feeling less valued than others.

• DON'T sacrifice the employee recognition budget in order to increase the customer gifting budget. This will not be well received by your staff and will significantly impact morale in the workplace.

• DO exercise caution with gifts of food and beverage. Respect others ethnic and medical dietary restrictions and practices.

• DO include the personal touch in your holiday recognition efforts where possible. Get out of your office and shake employee’s hands and wish them a good holiday season. Make the time to pop in on key suppliers and customers to wish them and their staff well. This will be appreciated much more than the gift.

Leslie McHattie offers solutions for business owners looking to take the struggle out of growing their business. Sign up for her free newsletter Balanced Success to get more practical tips, tools and strategies to accelerate your business growth while protecting your quality of life.

Visit her website Success Ventures

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