Use humor to address tough economic realities this holiday

Everyone knows times are tough, so why not laugh at what we can't change?

That's exactly the idea behind a line of holiday greeting cards just released by Order of St. Nick, a company that specializes in edgy, funny greeting cards. Their new collection uses images and verses to hit at today's worse financial issues, from foreclosures to high gas prices.

One card deals with a lost 401K and offers the recipient a timely wish:

"Have a Great Depression and a Subprime New Year."

Another shows a Depression-era child rejoicing because Christmas dinner will feature squirrel instead of rat. Check out the whole line at Depressing Times.com.

These cards might be a good way to get a laugh out of customers stressed by recent events in the stock market and at the supermarket. But you have to be careful in your choice of recipients. Sending a subprime mortgage themed Christmas card to an employee or client who has just lost their home would be cruel, and we often don't know who is facing that issue.

If you decide to go for humor, but want a slightly lighter touch. A reindeer tangled in Christmas lights or a stack of cheering penguins might bring a smile to a recipient's face without a tear in their eye.

And right now a good laugh or even a small smile might be exactly what your clients and employees need.

Don't wait until the last minute!

It's December 20th. The business holiday cards you ordered three days ago in a last minute panic have arrived. You tear though the pricey overnight rush delivery package you had to pay extra for. You open the box and there you see hundreds of lovely cards with an idyllic rural winter scene -- and your company's name misspelled on each and every one.

What are you going to do with 600 pretty Christmas cards that proudly call your business "Shakespeare's Booksnore." It's 5 days until Christmas, Hanukkah has already started, and the New Year is almost here. It's too late to send them back, wait for a reprint, and then sign and send 600 cards.

Don't let this happen to your company! Mistakes can and do happen, and any good greeting card printer will replace the misprinted or otherwise unacceptable cards at no charge. But that won't help you when the cards arrive too late for a fix.

Today is October 24th. Two months from today is Christmas Eve. Have you ordered your company holiday cards yet?

G.Neil, my personal fave for company greeting cards, has some great specials right now. And they really do a nice printing job too. Very clean, no smears or stray ink spots (I am a fanatic about clean printing!) But wherever you order, order NOW! It's almost Halloween! Can Hanukkah and Christmas be far behind?

Is a corporate holiday gift a good idea? You bet!

As businesses compete for fewer and fewer consumer and even B2B dollars, the race is on to make your company stand out from the crowd.

Sending a company Christmas card or business Thanksgiving card is certainly one way to reach out to customers. But what about those really special customers? Or that market segment your business is trying to break into? Is a corporate holiday gift a good way to stand out from the crowd?

If you choose the right gifts, the answer could be yes!
Here's a case study...

Sue and Stan's custom construction company had always been number one in their area. Then a combination of decreased home owner spending and some new, lower cost competition combined to put a real dent in their business. And the holidays were just around the corner.

Of course they would send out company Christmas cards to past clients and people who had expressed an
interest at the local home show over the summer. But there were a handful of really wonderful clients who had not only used Sue and Stan's services in their own homes, but had also referred quite a few clients to them over the years.

For these special customers, they decided to add a corporate holiday gift to the usual card to let these special clients know how much they appreciated their on-going business and referrals.

After looking around, they decided on a small but elegant desk clock and calculator combination. They took advantage of the free engraving to add a message of thanks that related to the gift..

"When it's time for home renovations, count on S & S Custom Builders"

They sent these holiday gifts to 30 of their best clients, along with a gift certificate good for $100 off a new project with each referral who scheduled their own home renovation or custom building project.

The result of their investment of about $600? In the following 4 months -- 18 new projects for just over $92,000 in net profit.

A side note...the company Christmas cards sent to 150 people contacted at the summer home show yielded another $80,000 plus in projects booked for the months following the holidays.

In this season of silver and gold, are you using holidays cards and gifts to keep your business in the black?

Quality pays when it comes to business Christmas cards

A story from one of my readers:

I got a sample in the mail from one of the business holiday card companies I've been seeing a lot online. Their prices were so low, and money is tight, so I wanted to see what I could get for my money.

Thank goodness for samples! Had I ordered these cards sight unseen, I wouldn't have been able to send them to my clients. Yes, they had a tiny price. But they were also cheaply printed on thin and flimsy paper. They looked like they belonged in a dollar store, instead of in a corporate office!

Clearly, sending out a business holiday card is more than just getting something into the mail. You also have to consider the message your card sends when recipients open the envelope. Before you order, think about:

Paper weight. Thin paper feels cheesy. Is that the message you want to send about your company?

Print quality. Crooked, smeared or bleeding colors make your company Christmas card look cheap. And while you may need inexpensive or affordable business holiday cards, you certainly don't want cheap holiday cards.

Image clarity and appearance. Look for a well designed, attractive image or graphic for your company Christmas cards. Tacky designs send a tacky message about your business.

Unless you're trying to send a tongue in cheek message about the company Christmas card tradition, I'd recommend you deal with a company that knows what quality means. Two of my favorites are listed on the sidebar to your right.

Saving a few cents per card isn't worth the risk of making your company look cheap. Go for the best...your business is too important to do otherwise