How to Help Buyers Who Procrastinate
I admit it: When it comes to the holiday season, I’m a procrastinator. Here it is mid-December and I’ve yet to even talk to my art director about designing an e-holiday card, let alone contemplated a more meaningful way to show my appreciation to clients and supportive colleagues. My intentions are good, but as a typical crazy-busy small business owner, I struggle to keep up with it all. (At least I know I’m not alone. If I were, companies like Maple Ridge Farms wouldn’t have the systems in place to help people like me this time of year. And, in case you’re wondering, yes, I’ve called upon them more than once in recent years to save the day at the 11th hour.)
One of my 2014 business resolutions is never to be under the gun with corporate holiday gift-giving again! In an effort to solve this problem once and for all, I came up with a list of what I need.
Give me ideas in the summer. Think of it as a twist on the “Christmas in July” sales you see in the retail world. Once you mention that I’ll get early-bird discounts if I plan ahead, you’ll have my attention. In fact, feel free to send me a Maple Ridge catalog bundled with a bottle of suntan lotion the week before my vacation. I’ll pack it along with my magazines and books!
Tell me what other buyers are doing. As a kid at dinnertime, I was told, “Mind your own plate” when I remarked that my brothers weren’t eating their vegetables. But I think it’s helpful to be aware of what similar-size and/or type businesses are giving to their employees, customers, and colleagues. Spending guidelines in particular would be useful. We don’t hesitate to ask colleagues what CRM software they use or who designed their website. Why shouldn’t we get a feel for how they are saying thank you?
Give me planning deadlines. Many years ago I was responsible for producing content for four 28-page college recruiting magazines. Initially, I was overwhelmed thinking about brainstorming ideas, research, interviews, and writing. Once I prepared a schedule for handling these tasks, the project became manageable.
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The first week of January is also a memorable time to show your appreciation for both the past year and the year ahead.
When it comes to clients’ projects, we live by deadlines. I have no idea why I never applied this rule to holiday gift-giving. Starting next year, I’ll schedule deadlines for brainstorming/review of gift ideas; date gifts must be selected; date list of recipients must be finalized; date I want the gifts to arrive; and so on.
Have a backup plan. This has been a busier year for us than in the past. If next year is even busier, and I truly feel I can’t schedule proper planning time to handle gift-giving in a timely manner, I’m going to plan to say thank you a different time of year. I’ll never forget the year my friend Elana sent a Valentine’s Day gift in place of a Christmas gift. It’s been probably 10 years since she did this. Telling, yes?
I think the first week of January is also a memorable time to show your appreciation for both the past year and the year ahead. So if you have clients who haven’t planned for year-end gifts, and they are panicked, tell them to relax. There is plenty of time to plan and deliver a gift in January.
Cathy Cain-Blank of CC Marketing is a periodic contributor to the Maple Ridge Farms blog. Her company creates email communications and online resources for promotional products distributors and other small/midsize businesses.
