How do I thank thee?

Donna M. Gray,

While the holidays, starting with Thanksgiving, are still some weeks away, companies all over the country are beginning their annual quest to find the perfect way to say thank you to their clients. Not only do they want to make a memorable impression, they want their thank you to be enjoyed and useful.   

Along with sending out holiday cards, one of the most common ways to show customer appreciation is to give them a holiday gift. Whether it’s a basket of fresh, home-baked cookies, zucchini bread, a hot apple pie, or a logoed padfolio and a pen personalized with the client’s name, giving a gift that says thank you can help a company to stand out from all the rest. 

According to the promotional products industry, if food gifts are your company’s preference some of this year’s hottest holiday food gifts include custom imprinted tins that hold fresh popped popcorn in different flavors, gift boxes with milk or dark chocolate that can be customized with a corporate logo, and custom boxes of sweet and savory treats.

No doubt every day should be customer appreciation day. While giving gifts of food and/or items to use in the office is a good thing when possible, one of the best ways to say thank you is just to say it — thank you.

Here are a couple ideas for saying thanks:

  • Send a handwritten note. This can be a standard thank you note, a birthday card, or even a postcard with alerts about upcoming important functions. This may be considered “old school”; however, it’s even more appreciated in today’s digital world.
  • Pick an unusual holiday to remember customers, like Chocolate Cake Day on January 27th, Love Your Pet Day on February 20th, and of course, Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to show how much you love your customers with a card and some candy.
  • Share your knowledge. Host a continental breakfast or a sandwich, chips, and apple bag lunch featuring a speaker and a current topic of interest, or host a “wine after 5” event so your prime clients can network with each other.
  • If your client is part of a corporation, there may be a limit to how much they can accept in gift value. Always check with their HR department.

A company can usually find cost effective ways to show their frequent, loyal customers how very much they are appreciated. Get ready for the big season of showing customer appreciation with the big question — How do I thank thee?

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