Ideas & Tips for Celebrating the Holidays with Clients & Colleagues

Ideas & Tips for Celebrating the Holidays with Clients & Colleagues

It’s holiday time! This time of year can be busy for many businesses, but don’t let the end-of-year grind prevent your business from celebrating. Observing the holiday season can be a great way to further connect with your customers, partners, and staff.

Below are some great ideas on how to celebrate this time of year with clients, partners, and staff:

1. Send cards: Holiday cards are a great way to remind your clients about your business and services as well as acknowledge them for being a client. A card is a great way to say “thank you” for their business and their support throughout the year.

Tip: Celebrate the right holiday for your company. Some business owners shy away from acknowledging the holidays with a card for fear of offending those who do not celebrate the religious holidays. If that is the case for your business, consider celebrating one of the non-religious holidays such as Thanksgiving or the New Year. For example, consider sending a card at Thanksgiving to remind your clients how thankful you are for their business.

2. Give a Gift: A gift, like a card, can be a great method for acknowledging the client or partner and thanking them for their business and support. But it can also help you be remembered throughout the year, especially if it is something branded with your company name. For example, each year Alt Creative sends our clients a calendar magnet with the upcoming year’s calendar. It is something they can use all year, yet it reminds them of us whenever it’s used.

Gifts can also go along way to foster productivity and team culture within your organization. Sure, employees would rather have a bonus, but if that is not possible then gifts can show an employee exactly how much you care and appreciate them.

Tip: Be careful to give appropriate gifts when giving to clients and employees. For example, giving a bottle of wine to someone who abstains can work against you. Be thoughtful with your gifts so that it is accepted as a gesture of caring.

3. Throw a party. Throwing a party can not only be fun, but it’s a great way to connect face-to-face with clients and colleagues. An light-hearted and festive environment can help you learn more about the people you do business with. When a client feels like they know you and your team, it builds trust, credibility and a stronger connection. It is also a chance for you to learn more about your clients so you can better anticipate their successes and challenges.

Tip: Ditch the sales pitch. Let your event be a casual, fun way to connect with clients. A sales pitch is not a celebration. Keep the tone casual and fun in order to wrap up the season on a celebratory note.

These celebration ideas can really help your company network and cultivate relationships with those you work with year round. These relationships are crucial for business growth, but they are also the fun part of owning a business. Take a moment for yourself and those around to you reflect on the passing year and look forward to what is to come. A little effort with help you strengthen relationships and add some joy to the season!