Category: Business Christmas Cards

As a Human Resources Professional, it is not uncommon to be asked about what is and is not proper etiquette. Proper greeting card etiquette, to me, starts with what the recipient sees on the envelope. If you’re like me, you probably select exquisite Christmas cards that contain your name and display your company’s logo along with a heartfelt message. Let that card have a chance to shine by making sure you have the correct spelling of your recipients’ first and last names. If there is a mistake on the envelope, it is likely that the receiver of the card won’t fondly remember what was inside the envelope.

I know this personally because I have a difficult last name that begins with the letter I, and it often gets confused for an L, depending on the font that is used. When I receive business greeting cards from someone who I am not familiar with and my name is misspelled, in my mind, it is usually a reflection of the sender’s hasty card-sending efforts.

When I am sending business greeting cards to my vendors and employees I always have someone else in my department do a final proofread just to make sure that the spelling I have on file is correct. One incorrect letter can be seen as a missed opportunity and a failed chance to extend a holiday greeting with a positive, lasting impression.

The Gallery Collection is very proud to have made a SUBSTANTIAL donation to Soldiers’ Angels. We have donated 280,000 holiday cards / Christmas cards to be sent to ALL of our troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan thanking them for their service to our country. AND, we are including a blank greeting card for them to WRITE HOME!

Here is the card that is now completely produced and is enroute to California for inclusion in the Holiday for Heroes care packages from Soldiers’ Angels!

As you can see, the cards are custom personalized Christmas cards (holiday cards) with the Soldiers Angels logo and emblem. You can click the thumbnails to see enlarged images and read the inscription we made just for the men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And here is the “blank” Christmas card for the troops to write home on!

 

 

 

 

Soldiers’ Angels motto is “May No Soldier Go Unloved” and their credo is:

May no soldier go unloved,
May no soldier walk alone,
May no soldier be forgotten,
Until they all come home.

 

People I meet inevitably say, “You work at a greeting card company? Really? Which one?” And inevitably I explain, “Well you wouldn’t have heard of us, but we are the leader in Business Christmas cards.” I go on to explain we are The Gallery Collection by Prudent Publishing and that our website is www.GalleryCollection.com, but before I get to that point, I always have to explain what Business Christmas cards are. “It’s simple,” I say. “You know those cards that companies send to each other at the holidays? The ones that say Happy Holidays from all of us at Acme Corporation.” Everyone understands pretty quickly what Business Christmas cards are once I explain it like this. However, what I think most people never quite realize that is terribly obvious is that Business Christmas cards or Corporate holiday cards or company Christmas cards (whatever you want to call them!) are really for the most part used as thank you cards. People in business like to take a pause, exhale and say, THANK YOU! Or at least smart business people do! Certainly the holidays are a religious time, but more so they are a time to reflect and to say thank you.

Sometimes I really love this expression and other times I just hate it. I love it when it helps me to see the wisdom in sitting down, forgetting the daily grind for a moment and gazing out into the future in a productive way. I hate it when I realize after the fact that yes, I took the time to gaze out into the future but I didn’t follow through and I didn’t plan to make the vision happen. I hate that feeling of unknowingly planning to fail.

So what in the world does this have to do with Corporate Christmas Cards and Business Holiday Cards? Well, actually it has a lot to do with them. To send a holiday card or a gift takes a little preparation and a little foresight. It takes a bit of planning and barring this planning, well…in today’s world you can still be successful is what we are unfortunately being trained to think. We can do everything and anything at the last minute it seems nowadays…Or can we…?

Yes, actually, we can do a lot at the very last minute, but the effort suffers. The joy, thought, and emotion are diminished and worse yet we are training ourselves to flirt with failure. In fact leaving things to the last minute is planning to fail. We do often pull it off in the last minute, skirting failure, but it’s simply just unhealthy and it’s certainly no way to run a business.

So, if we do pull it off and order our Holiday cards at the last minute are we worse for wear? Have we succeeded without flaw, impact, or damage to ourselves or our firm’s reputation? Sadly, the answer is no. Real damage is done. Failing to plan ahead and purchase your Corporate Christmas cards and Business Holiday cards can result in real damage to you and your company.

We order from our competitors every year. We see the problems with quality, shipping, timelines, and customer service. At The Gallery Collection by Prudent Publishing we don’t operate that way. We produce all of our cards 100% in the United States. Our designs are all exclusive works completed by our artisans and available only from us. Our paper stocks are thick and rich, not flimsy and curling. And we fulfill our promise to do a good job imprinting your cards and sending them on time.

Well shucks! I told myself I was going to try and write something that didn’t sound like an advertisement. It’s hard! Our product is so nice. We try so hard. We beg customers to order early so that they can be prepared so that they can plan to succeed and succeed as planned instead of flirting with last minute harried preparations and failure.

I guess I should just wrap-up. Please plan ahead. Please don’t plan to fail. Please order your Christmas cards soon. We want to do a quality job of imprinting and personalizing your cards with your company name. We want for you to take this opportunity to thank your customers with a simple, thoughtful, and low cost option. You really don’t need to torture them with another inedible fruit cake or fatten’em up with more chocolate and candy.

Maybe I’ll write a bit more later on some of the problems we have seen over the years with competitors, service, quality, and their high prices and fake discounts?

Until then…

What’s the proper etiquette for sending out Holiday Cards? Choosing Holiday Cards for your business shouldn’t be a nightmare, and you can take several precautions to make sure it doesn’t turn into one. Get yourself organized ahead of time. Determine exactly how many cards you need and order a few extras so you don’t find yourself short, or worse, not being able to send cards to all your business associates.

In deciding how to personalize your greeting cards, try to remember the point of sending them in the first place…you want people to realize you thought of them during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. The last thing you want to do is offend anyone so stick with a design or scene that is generic rather than specific. Here’s something important to keep in mind – some of your customers and clients may celebrate Christmas; others may celebrate Chanukah or Kwanzaa; and some may believe the season is all about Santa Claus and gifts. “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” applies to all rather than choosing a card that reads “Merry Christmas.”

Try to keep the personalization on your Business Christmas Cards simple and basic. A message of one or two lines should be sufficient…most people are too distracted to read a long-winded card around the holiday season. If you don’t have a ton of recipients to send cards to, it would be a nice touch to add a personal note in addition to your imprinted message. But more times than not, this is not realistic. Let’s face it, we’re all a bit short on time especially around the holidays. So consider having your signature imprinted inside your cards. This extra touch will surely impress your customers or clients.

Lastly, try to have them all ready to go in the mail no later than the first week of December to beat the rush (the post office will thank you!) but more importantly your recipients will be impressed by your attention to detail, great organizational skills, and warm holiday wishes.

Would you buy a good customer a cup of coffee?
>Of course you would!

Should you thank your customers for their business?
>Of course you should!

Sending customers business Christmas cards thanking them for their business is just common sense and costs less than a cup of coffee! Smart businesses send cards to their customers. Even smarter businesses send cards to their customers and their prospective customers.

Aren’t YOUR customers your competitors’ prospective customers?

If you aren’t sending your customers business Christmas cards, no worries…your competitors will wish them well for you. Don’t find yourself saying “shoulda. coulda. woulda.”

“Normal” Cup of Coffee – $1.25
Starbuck’s Cafe Grande – $3.75
Look on your competitor’s face when THEIR customers mention how nice you are for sending a business Christmas card – priceless

Does anything get you in the Holiday Spirit more then receiving a holiday card from a business that you are a frequent customer of? Think about it. In the midst of all the holiday cards that you expect from your friends and family, isn’t it a nice surprise to receive a Business Christmas Card just for being a good customer? Every Christmas, the deli down the street sends out Christmas cards to their best customers. Now, this is just a small local deli, however, that makes their gesture even more special because I know they must be on a limited budget, and they consider their customers worth spending extra money on. Every year, when I open up my Christmas card from that local deli, it’s a nice reminder that they appreciate my business.

There are all kinds of large corporations where every customer is nothing but a number. Businesses can spend so much money trying to generate new customers that the current customers can get lost in the fray. I think I speak for most people when I say that as a loyal customer, it’s nice to be rewarded every once in a while. It gives extra incentive just to re-enter a store. In some stores, I’m forgotten the second I walk out their door. Business Christmas cards can help to eliminate that feeling. Those holiday cards from the deli make me feel like if I stop going there, they’ll notice and I’ll be missed as a customer. Business Christmas Cards can make you feel like more then just a profit. And really, who are you more likely to give your business to: a company that forgets you as soon as you walk out the door, or a company that takes the time to keep your information and makes an effort to keep in contact with you?

In a world increasingly overloaded with choices, decisions, offers, and in-your-face advertising, I’m more likely to conduct my business with people and companies that give me a good feeling, as well as a good deal. Business Christmas cards are a great example of a little thing going a long way in value, and not just where your wallet is concerned!

Competitive offers so often seem to be six-of-one and a-half-dozen of another. But, if one of those offers is always accessorized with a smile on the face and in the tone of voice, my choice is not random. I prefer to choose the “good attitude” in both my business and personal life.

When I receive a beautiful Christmas Holiday card from a business associate, it’s an example of his good attitude toward me, and it’s a pause in my day that makes me smile. So, I figure, when I send a business Christmas card to my business associates, I’m extending that same good attitude toward them. I hope I’m also prompting them to choose me over my competition every time they can use my services!

While we’re on the subject, it’s good to remember that co-workers and employees can make or break your whole performance. If you’re successful and happy in your work, you probably already greet these individuals with a smile, no matter how your personal day is going. Sending them a business Christmas card at holiday time is another one of those extra little gestures that means a lot to the relationships you have on the job.

It amazes me that some businesses will spend a small fortune on media ads, but then pinch pennies when it comes to small, personal and meaningful gestures that really get my attention. I’ve resolved to do better than that; my business Christmas card mailing list grows every year… and so does my business!