Month: January 2010

Use Corporate Thank You Cards to Express your Appreciation

In these challenging times, purchasing and sending corporate thank you cards may be the last thing we have on our minds; when in fact, this is the time we should be sending them. What better way to let your customers and colleagues know that they are appreciated – not just in good times, but even more so in times of economic turmoil.

Expressing thanks and appreciation shows that you value the faith that your customers and colleagues still have in your product or service. I don’t know about you, but when someone takes the time to thank me, it shows me that I am indeed appreciated. This in turn plants a seed. When I know that something I have done is appreciated, it makes me want to repeat the action. By sending thank you cards, we are leaving a lasting, positive impression. By not expressing our appreciation, we are also leaving an impression, and we can all guess what that would be.

Design #095AY, Filigree Thank You Card, is distinctive and elegant. It is a buff colored card with the words “Thank You” done in gold foil. Behind this is subtle, pearl filigree. This is bordered with the same pearl, accented in two corners with a delicate design. This graceful and stylish card is a great way to say express appreciation.

Design #095AY - Filigree Thank You Card
Design #095AY - Filigree Thank You Card

For another option, consider design #691AY, Thank You Elegance Thank You Card. This simply stated, but reflective thank you card clearly conveys the message that you are sending. You may decide to choose a greeting and add a personal imprint or you might decide to add a handwritten note. Either way, the message that you are truly grateful will be clearly expressed.

Design #691AY - Thank You Elegance Thank You Card
Design #691AY - Thank You Elegance
Thank You Card

Office Birthday Celebrations and Business Birthday Cards

What’s more fun than an office birthday party! Send around an e-mail sign-up, we’ll have a pot luck and put up some decorations around the honoree’s desk. We’ll pick out some business birthday cards and have everyone sign. Offices are like families. We never really know how true this is. The reality is, sometimes the staff is all the family a coworker has. So we dive in with relish and happily proclaim the day (making sure the timing is okay with the boss!). Here are some ideas:

– About a month ahead of the date ask the person about their favorite treat or snacks. This also gives them a heads-up because not everyone enjoys a surprise and not everyone comes in to work on their birthday. It doesn’t have to be a frosted cake. A pie, brownies, cookies, bagels with toppings, or fruit and veggies for the health-conscious are always appropriate. Everyone loves chips and dip, or an ice cream cake can also provide a unique touch. Birthday cards signed by all top off your mini-party presentation.

– Try a theme approach. There is nothing more enjoyable than a luau day at work or using simple place settings that look like an outdoor picnic. Try a western chili birthday contest for lunch (bringing in your favorite recipe from home). Everyone looks forward to it and the chance to wear something related to the theme that expresses their unique personality.

– A time saver is to combine birthday celebrations for the month and take care of several birthdays at once. If in-the-office parties are not encouraged go out to lunch as a group for a pizza or share a six-foot sub.

– Home-made decorations are fine. Or decorate with individually wrapped candies so the birthday person can share with others throughout the day. Even M&Ms can be personalized as a special treat.

And from the management perspective:

– Allow a dress down day for the occasion.

– Order take-out for your employee to enjoy themselves or share with others.

– Let them go home early for the day.

The point from both perspectives is recognition and team-building. We all want to be acknowledged and valued for just being who we are. No one is unimportant.

Recognize your Employees with Business Anniversary Cards

Anniversaries are a milestone whether personal or business. Sending business anniversary cards is a wonderful way to recognize the importance of your employees. Design #401AR, Anniversary Balloon Wishes Card, is a light-hearted card. Pastel balloons and streamers float along glossy paper stock with good wishes for a Happy Anniversary. This design is sure to bring joyous feelings to employees on their special day. Making someone feel special is a great way to show employees you care.

Design #401AR - Anniversary Balloon Wishes Card
Design #401AR - Anniversary Balloon Wishes Card

A “Happy Anniversary” sentiment-filled banner, accompanied by bright stars of varying colors makes design #634AY, Anniversary Wishes Card, the perfect design for your business anniversary cards. The variegated nature of the foil will show slight differences in each card. This design is both classic and joyful suiting the tastes of all recipients. We often have a hard time determining whether the card we want to send is appropriate for a man or a woman. This thought does not need to cross anyone’s mind that selects design #634AY for their employees. The smooth ecru paper stock compliments this design. Anyone would be happy to have the day they started with the company remembered in such a tasteful way.

Design #634AY - Anniversary Wishes Card
Design #634AY - Anniversary Wishes Card

Never Feel Sheepish About Sending Greeting Cards

My twelve-year-old was doing a report on sheep. As I read it over (she is still at the stage where I am allowed to see her work), it struck me that the word “carding” took on a different meaning for me.

Technically the term carding means to cleanse, disentangle, and collect together (as fibers) by the use of cards preparatory to spinning. When I thought of the hundreds of times I sent greeting cards for one occasion or another, I realized that I was carding too.

Get well cards are an attempt to “cleanse” a person of illness. Similar to prayers, they help the sender to express a wish for recovery, and at the same time help the recipient to feel cleansed and refreshed in the knowledge that someone cares.

Sympathy cards help us to disentangle some of the emotions that explode upon us in times of trial. Even if it is just for a moment, they take our thoughts to a different place – a place where we can reflect upon the thoughtfulness of others and feel some semblance of peace.

Birthday cards gather together all of the fun and joy of celebrating most everyone’s favorite day.

Finally, I thought, these greeting cards are also preparation for spinning the thread that will become the story – the story of recovery, moving on, or subsequent birthdays for all of the people who are remembered with the greeting cards in their lives.

It’s Not Easy Choosing Business Sympathy Cards

It would be difficult to find practical instructions in any etiquette book for choosing and sending business sympathy cards. When a close personal friend loses a loved one, or when someone we have personally known dies and we want to reach out to that person’s grieving family, we act on instinct. For these personal expressions of sympathy, we phone and we visit, and we are often used to making a special trip to personally pick out a suitable sympathy card. Or, perhaps we write a personal note of some length. Or, maybe we just go directly to sending a floral arrangement or fruit basket.

When selecting business sympathy cards, however, we are preparing ahead of time to offer condolences to and about a variety of people with whom we may have only a passing acquaintance. We are also making a selection that will reflect upon our company and the many differing people affiliated with our company. And yet, the very reason for sending a card lets us know that a brusque, business-like style would be inappropriate for the situation.

What to do?! I suggest consideration of one of the two sympathy cards I’m about to mention. Both are of a very dignified size and quality. Both designs reflect simplicity and gentility, which are soothing elements in the expression of condolences.

Design #341AR, Sympathy Lilies Card, strikes a sensitive balance between formality and gentleness. Its embossed framing leaves a clean white margin. The hint of soft lavender in the frame is also used to add three-dimensional shadowing to the lilies. The graceful curling petals and leaves are deeply sculpted for, not only visual depth, but a tactile sense of comfort. The natural shades of green and muted yellow, with coral-colored anther on the stamen, provide an easy focus for weary eyes.

Design #341AR - Sympathy Lilies Card
Design #341AR - Sympathy Lilies Card

A tad more formal, design #376AY, In Sympathy Card, is softened with a flowing gold foil script. Set on creamy ecru matte-finish card stock, it has a subtly embossed fine double framing. A muted contrast of marbleized pearl rectangle backs the facial script, for a sense of greater depth. This is a very correct and dignified representation for your company’s expression of sympathy to business associates or clients.

Design #376AY - In Sympathy Card
Design #376AY - In Sympathy Card

In either design, your use of a simple verse that is not overdone or presumptuous, with your company name clearly imprinted below the verse, will be entirely proper and welcome. A handwritten salutation or very brief note and/or single personal signature will warm your sentiments when the situation seems appropriate.

Why Business Anniversary Cards are the Best

I love anniversary cards! And, business anniversary cards are the best! I’ll tell you why. If you’re someone who’s blessed with loving family, caring friends, and congenial co-workers, you may find yourself just a bit jaded about receiving lots of birthday cards and Christmas cards, and even get well cards when you’re ailing.

If you’re married, you pretty much expect to exchange anniversary cards with your mate. But, how many wedding anniversary cards are sent to you every year? Odds are, if you’ve been married for over a year, unless you’re celebrating a special anniversary such as your 25th or 50th, you are receiving few or none outside of your own household. However, that’s not the only type of anniversary you might be celebrating!

For instance, a wonderful realtor helped me to find my current home. I hope to live in this house for the rest of my life. I remember the realtor’s name but don’t know which agency she may now be working with. I’d be pleased to recommend her to others. If she had thought to send me business anniversary cards each October to note my happy purchase, not only would it make me feel great, it would also let me know where to send my house-hunting friends.

Employment anniversaries are something of a big deal where I work. That’s probably because it’s such a great place to come to every day that it’s common for employees to stay for decades, and for them to work so conscientiously that they are encouraged to stay. One means of encouragement is the business anniversary card each employee receives annually to mark their date of hire. These cards are proudly displayed by each recipient. Not only is there a hand-written note in each to denote which anniversary is being acknowledged and to whom, but all of the company’s executive officers along with the recipient’s department managers writes his or her own personal note and signature. This seemingly small gesture means a great, great deal.

588AR – Sparkling Balloon Birthday

Companies that send business birthday cards to its employees are not only sending birthday wishes, they are promoting good feelings and a sense of belonging. But what type of card should a business select? Funny or serious? Vibrant colors or more subdued? This depends on the group who works there. Keep in mind several factors when selecting company birthday cards to send out. Younger employees might want to receive more festive and spirited cards that say it is time to party and celebrate; whereas older or more conservative workers might want cards that are somewhat sophisticated and don’t scream out that it is their birthday.

Design #588AR, Sparkling Balloon Birthday Card, is a colorful card picturing three balloons tied together with gold foil string and a bow. The colorful middle balloon has a navy blue background with bright red, orange, and purple stars and swirls and reads “Happy Birthday.” This center balloon is surrounded by two others, one glittering orange, the other pink with a galaxy of gold foil-outlined yellow stars encircling the trio of balloons. This is a birthday card that says have fun on your special day and enjoy being another year older!

Design #588AR - Sparkling Balloon Birthday Card
Design #588AR - Sparkling Balloon
Birthday Card

Two Birthdays and Lots of Birthday Cards

Business birthday cards are a great way to bring a little bit of sunshine to the recipient. Every year I look forward to receiving the company birthday cards that I know are waiting for me when I come into work. Since I have been with The Gallery Collection, I have gathered eight years worth. I haven’t been able to part with them. I enjoy pulling them out every now and again, still getting a chuckle when I read some of the messages from my friends and colleagues. Now some people are happy to have just one birthday, but I however, have two. How can that be you might ask? Let me explain…

I was born February 10th (the year is not important), or so I was led to believe. I even have my hospital birth certificate to prove it – footprints and all! So imagine my surprise when I went to City Hall to obtain a copy of my legal birth certificate, only to find that I was celebrating the wrong date of birth. The clerk asked me to write down my name, mother and fathers names, and my birth date, which I dutifully did. She went into another room and a little while later, came back with a huge black binder. Not only did she have this big black book in tow, she also had a very stern look on her face. I was only 14 at the time, so I was scared to death. I wasn’t sure what I could have done to warrant that look.

The clerk looked at me with this accusatory look and said that I had written the wrong date. I said, “No, I really was born on February 10th.” “No,” she said, “You were born on February 11th!” She then proceeded to shove the book in front of me and pointed to the birth date. It did indeed read February 11th and below that in what was clearly my mother’s handwriting was her signature. So much for proofreading!

Of course, I went home with my copy of the legal birth certificate and immediately handed it to my mother. My poor Mom was flabbergasted to say the least. From that day forward, I have had to use the 11th as my legal birth date. Mom was having none of that and refused to give me my birthday cards on any other day but the 10th. I used to explain this to anyone that would ask me when my birthday was. Now I just give them my legal birth date and let it go at that. However, when any of my family members ask me which date I plan to celebrate, I always answer with the following – “Both, of course!”