The holiday season is upon us. Whatever your business may be, we all have to get wrapped up in this season in some form or fashion. Most people, even in the business to business community, are looking to feel the warmth of the holiday spirit. Does your company connect with your customers to make them feel especially welcome or do you give the brrrrr….. feeling to your clientele?

If your business has a storefront, does your window display offer a warm, ‘come on in’ kind of feel? Coaching your staff to be pleasant and welcoming, offering tastes of the season, creating seasonal smells and sounds inside all are known to create an increase in sales and satisfied customers.

Some companies never actually ‘see’ their customers. If you do business strictly on line or through direct mail – have you updated your website and materials to reflect the change of season? Presenting a new look, one that is festive, colorful and inviting, creates a curiosity for people to read through the material or browse through the pages of your website.

For businesses with busy call centers – it is important that each caller be greeted as though they were the first and only caller of the day. Maybe create a different type of greeting that is related to the season or the day. Keeping that smile in the voice of your staff is important as they are greeting tired and weary purchasers. If the warmth and welcome can be felt through the phone lines – that bonus item that is offered may be purchased!

Creating a comfortable, fun and warm atmosphere for your customer to linger, browse and purchase will make YOUR holiday wishes come true!

It happens all the time. We get busy with the day-to-day activities of running our businesses (mine happens to be helping clients create fabulous customer experiences for their patrons!) and we forget to remind our customers about all the other services we can provide for them. Then one day we find ourselves in conversation with a client and they tell us they just signed a contract with one of our competitors for a service we are very capable of providing! Our first reaction is usually utter amazement then we usually get angry at ourselves for not being better communicators. The responsibility for letting our clients know about all the products and services we provide rests squarely on our shoulders.

How do we do this? I suggest using a multimedia approach. Some of the tools I like to suggest to clients for keeping in touch with their customers are newsletters and e-zines,  well timed and targeted phone call campaigns, direct mail that includes postcards and letters, and websites that are up-to-date with case studies and testimonials of our most recent accomplishments for our customers.  These are all a part of the ongoing sales process that should be a part of your marketing plan to your existing customer base.

I like the 3-3-3 approach. Make a list of three customers you want to contact. Develop a script that highlights three things your company has done in the last three months that have resulted in success. Now pick up the phone or drop them a line and tell them about it. It may just result in increased business and profitability for your organization!