Friday, December 11, 2009

A Goofy Christmas Mistake You CAN'T Make With Customers

Are you gearing up for Christmas gift giving? Planning what to get your top clients to show how much you appreciate them? Hold it right there - you might want to hold that gift until January! Check out this advice from sales trainer Kim Duke to see why.

"I love the decor, the songs, the cheesy Christmas specials (my favorite is the Charlie Brown Christmas), my mom's shortbread, visiting with friends and family and having mulled wine after cross-country skiing," says Duke.

"This fa-la-la-la-la atmosphere can lull you into making one of the GOOFIEST mistakes I see people making with their customers."

What Is The Goofy Christmas Mistake?

Sending Christmas cards and presents to your clients.

You know what I'm talking about here.

The dreaded fruit basket.
The frightening fruit cake.
The dried-out gingerbread house.
The Costco cheese platter.

All mixed in with 12 million Christmas cards that are strung out on a string across your client's office. Or worse - some lame e-card that says Seasons Greetings.

If you're doing this – you are breaking the GOLDEN SALES DIVA RULE:

Thou shall not BLEND IN WITH THE MASSES.


Listen - I know you love your customers. However, giving them something at Christmas when they are swamped with a bunch of Christmas goodies - does not make you stand out.

So what should you do? Send something in January.

Why? Well – the fun is over and the bills start to pour in. The credit cards are full, it is cold outside and your client is starting to feel a little grouchy.

Here's where YOU come in.

You're going to send something FUN in the mail to them – a cool gadget, a magazine subscription for their favorite hobby, a ticket to the opera – whatever would float their boat. Or you'll take them for lunch and give them the scarf you found for their Paris trip. Make it personal.

And you're only going to send it to the TOP 10% of your clients, the clients who are responsible for keeping you in business with their referrals and purchases. (The ones you'd have a panic attack over if they went to your competition)

Your client will love you for it. You will stand out in the crowd. And you've created an opportunity for starting the year off on a positive note.

Kim Duke is an unconventional, sassy and savvy sales expert who shows women small biz owners and entrepreneurs how to increase sales in a fun, easy, stress-free way! Learn more and sign up for her free e-zine at www.salesdivas.com

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