The Why, When and How of Sending Client Greeting Cards
Sending cards is often an overlooked and untapped approach to creating rapport and trust with your best clients. Advisors who send cards to their preferred clients are on the right track. And, for those of you who currently send cards to your clients, there may be a few things you can do to enhance the impact of what you are already doing. In other words, if you are open to some suggestions, we’ve got a few.
Now, for those of you who view sending cards as an unnecessary business activity, we encourage you to read on as well.
Many of us live in a busy time; in a busy world ~ where time is a valuable commodity. One result of this fast-paced environment is that we often don’t take the time to adequately acknowledge the important things that happen in our clients’ lives. There’s also a good chance that the people in your clients’ lives are equally busy and may not take the time to acknowledge the special times either. Sad: but true. Here’s an opportunity to slow down, acknowledge and celebrate important events with your best clients in a sincere and meaningful way.
Before we go any further, it’s important to remember that this strategy is not intended to be applied universally to all of your clients. It is a practice management strategy designed specifically for your preferred clients: the people you know, appreciate and enjoy working with. This makes it a strategy worthwhile and fun to implement.
When Should You Send Cards to Your Clients?
The first step in creating consistency around sending client cards is to determine exactly when you want to send them. There are many different opportunities to send cards. This includes, but is not limited to:
- New Client Welcome Card
- Birthday Cards
- Anniversary Cards
- Thanksgiving Cards
- December Holiday Cards
- Moments of Truth Cards (i.e. ‘Congratulations on New Baby’, ‘Congratulations on Wedding’, ‘Our Sympathy in this time of Loss’, etc.)
- Thank You for the Introduction Cards
- Other, as you see appropriate for your clientele
There is clearly no shortage of opportunities to send cards to your clients. What’s important is that you identify which occasions you want to consistently acknowledge so that you create a pattern of predictable business activity.
We recommend you send the following cards to your clients:
- New Client Welcome Card
- Birthday Cards
- Thanksgiving Cards
- Moments of Truth Cards
- Thank You for the Introduction Cards
The New Client Welcome Card sends a warm and welcoming personal message to your clients. This reinforces they have made the right decision to move forward and work with you. It should be hand-written and signed by the advisor.
Birthdays are a special day for most individuals. Sadly, as we get older the excitement and enthusiasm of our special day can dwindle away to the point where it feels like any other day. Make a statement. Make your clients feel special. Send a card that they would enjoy receiving.
We highly recommend sending Thanksgiving Cards instead of December Holiday Cards, which often lose impact due to the sheer volume of activity at that time of the year. Furthermore, the holiday cards of service providers and professionals can come off as ‘canned’ and ‘insincere’. In other words, it looks like another company going through the motion of getting their holiday communication out so they can ‘check it off their list’.
Remember, it’s not just about making contact with your clients – it’s about making a positive impact on them. To stand out from the rest, send a Thanksgiving Card and include an inspirational quote of thanks – there are many available on the internet and in books. You can also take the opportunity to add a line about how much you appreciate working with them – in essence thanking them. Not only will your Thanksgiving card be unique, but it can cause your clients to reflect on the meaning of Thanksgiving – which is important. That alone, can have a significant impact on your favorite clients.
Moments of Truth involve all kinds of events happening in the lives of your best clients: some of them good and some of them not so good. Either way, if they share something important with you, you need to show them you heard it. Everyone on your team needs to be listening for moments of truth.
Last, but certainly not least, each time you receive an introduction from a client, you should send a “Thank You” Card. The key to a successful card in this case is that it goes out immediately – before you’ve even determined if the introduction will become a client – AND that you never thank them for “the business” or “the referral”. Those words reflect that an introduction is about you ~ and it’s not. It’s about your client trusting you enough to share their experience with someone they know and ultimately introduce you to that individual. This is the highest compliment you can receive. Thank your client immediately for their ‘continued trust and confidence’ because that’s exactly what they are demonstrating.
What Kind of Card Should You Send?
The second step in creating consistency is the actual look and feel of the card itself. When you are going through the effort of sending a card, make it a nice one. You don’t want your cards throughout the year to look like a hodge-podge of cards that you’ve picked up here or there. We also don’t recommend you use firm cards with prominent ‘logos’ just because they are free. To help in the decision-making process, ask yourself “How would I feel if I received this card?”
In order to create additional consistency around the ‘card sending process’ choose one type or style of card provider. For this I always recommend my friends at www.lavishcards.com. In addition to beautiful all-occasion greeting cards, they can even personalize cards with your teams’ name and logo to add to the positive impressions and branding you are trying to achieve as your relationships unfold.
Lavish Cards offers the most popular and effective type of photo cards which are typically done by one artist or photographer, but offer a wide variety of themes, colors, scenes, etc. The card itself is of standard size, look and feel – but what makes it unique is the different picture on the front of each card and the individual scripting inside it. So in essence, they receive different cards for different occasions – and yet they are the same in many respects. This creates a high level of consistency and professionalism.
Furthermore, the high quality art or photo approach to cards can have a longer shelf-life and a bigger impact than traditional cards. This is because typically people who receive “Birthday Cards” or other “event” type cards clearly stamped on the outside will have these cards cleared off their mantels and desktops within 7-10 days of the event itself. When you send a nice ‘art’ or ‘photo’ card – where the event greeting is identified inside the card – it can be mantel worthy for weeks, maybe even months…especially if you’ve chosen a picture that resonates with your client. This is exactly the kind of detail that would make you “mention worthy” to your clients’ friends and families.
What Should I Write in a Card?
Keep your card scripting simple, legible and appropriate to the event and the individual. Reach out to us for sample card scripts.
Is There Anything Else You Should Know about Sending Cards?
Yes! Whenever possible include a hand-written address and postage stamp on the envelope. Nothing screams ‘mass mailing’ like a postage meter stamp across the top right corner of an envelope. You’ve come this far, so make sure the last few details continue to exude the personal touch intended.