Hi everyone. I was thinking about buying something to give my customers, but I don't want to invest in something people are just going to dump. Any ideas?
Thanks, Felix.
Posted by PKing (Member # 337) on :
Holiday Treat Platters for the WOMEN in the office is the "best" way to be remembered by the ones that write the checks!
Hope this helps
Posted by Jillbeans (Member # 1912) on :
Felix! My man! I just send them a Christmas card with a pull-out calendar or some such. And anyone visiting the shop right by Christmas gets a plate of home-made cookies. Make some of yer killa lasagna, dude! Love- Jilly
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Here's a few suggestions, depends how much $$ you want to spend and what kind of relationship you have with the customers..
hats, t-shirts, coffee mugs, zippo lighters, keychains, can coolies (those foam things for keepin beverages cold), mini mag-lites, etc.. anything that's somewhat useful, relatively inexpensive and can be either imprinted or engraved with your logo.
Sounds a little self-serving to hand out logo products but jeez.. I'd be spending the next solid month trying to pick out nice gifts for the hundreds of customers I deal with every year.
If you don't have that many customers to buy things for, a tin of cookies or the ever-popular bucket of popcorn with 3 flavors might be in order, or maybe even a sausage/cracker/cheese package - nothing says "We appreciate your business" like a few pounds of preservatives. Not too expensive and from my experiences working in places with employees, always a big hit with the staff.
Otherwise, a card with a handwritten note is always a good way to wish seasons greetings.. it may get thrown away with the tinsel but it beats hunting down a gift only for it to be tossed out too.
Posted by Mark Higdon (Member # 2990) on :
Another idea.. Every year I stop by blockbuster video and get about a 100.00 worth of 5.00 gift certificates and start at the bank all the tellers get one, you never have problems cashing those checks made out to you and your company or thier abreviated versions. or over the limit for the drive thru. Also all the gate keepers,& secretaries that make sure those messages get delivered and checks written on time. The ladies at the suppliers that make sure the order get out or shipped on time. Also for a select few customers that keep returning and spendind money on a regular basis thier favorite wine, bottle of crown royal, and smokers a decent box of cigars, a little pricie but they keep comming back with those good projects and don't beat you up on price or even ask anymore. anyway my 2 cents worth.
P.S. Good to be back in letterville hope you don't mind me jumping in.
Magic
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Take a block of chocolate about 12'' square or more. Freeze it, chuck it in your CNC router, and rout your logo in it in several rows. Take it to the bandsaw and carefully cut out the squares around each logo. Gift wrap 'em. Posted by Jackie B (Member # 186) on :
We do chocolate . . . Of course, I work for Chocoholic.com. Give me a call if you want some discounts on logo chocolates, boxed chocolates, etc. We carry nothing but gourmet chocolate - not your Hersheys stuff. It does make a good impression. You can smell it before you open the package This really isn't advertising, Steve . . . but . . Hoping to get back into sign stuff soon. Bomba-Dear at Chocoholic.com 888-246-2648
[ October 22, 2003, 07:34 PM: Message edited by: Jackie B ]
Posted by Laura Butler (Member # 1830) on :
Wayne, I like your idea. Do you sweep up the floor and put it on vanilla ice cream?
I don't give anything out except a box of chocolates to those that I get my permits from. Its amazing how quick I can get a permit through.
Posted by KARYN BUSH (Member # 1948) on :
frankly scarlet...i don't give a gift! Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
Go to the dollar store, get 20 identical jars with a top. Make labels in your shop, "Thank you for a successfull 2003" with your logo on it. Fill it with GOOD chocolate or quality nuts. Deliver it in person after Christmas. It works!
Posted by Terry Baird (Member # 3495) on :
We've given bottles of wine or grape juice with our own labels on them.
Posted by JoAnna Nouis (Member # 2838) on :
We do mainly dealership work so there are a lot of people to gift during the holidays. We do a combination of logo t-shirts and home made cookies and candy. Suit and tie guys seem to really like the t-shirts for weekend were, I can't count how many times I have run into one of our customers at the mall or grocery store in one of our t-shirts! However I have found that nothing goes further than a batch of cookies or candy in June or July. Everyone gives something at Christmas so your gift is just one of may, but showup when they aren't expecting anything and you are an instant hero! It doesn't hurt that I really love to bake and I don't have anyone here to eat all of it, so the overflow just naturally ends up in the mouths of our best customers. Posted by Peter Manzolillo (Member # 1062) on :
shucks Joanna, I'd be glad to help eat some of your baked goodies.
I give my customers tins of mixed nuts. I order from Figi's catalog and they ship them for you, which is great because this is not the type of stuff I want to spend any time on. And you definitely DON'T want me to wrap any packages....
Posted by jimmy chatham (Member # 525) on :
small calenders
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
iam do a little different approach. 3-4 weeks before xmas i get into my bookkeeping program and get all my cutomers phone numbers....and take a couple hours of doing nothing but calling them and saying "hi how you doin?,this is joe, from A SIGN MINT, hows the(insert family, dog, cat, kids, girlfriend etc)just thought id give you a call and thank you for the work/business that you have givin me over the last year and that i appreciate it, and i would like to wish you merry xmas and happy new year. now this also will sometimes get you a job that you wouldnt have gotten(being holidays)and i feel that a "personal touch" is much more seen as a good will jesture then giving pens or calendars. this is just me.....in this fast pace world, when you can take time to talk to your clients....i think they will rememeber it.
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
OP, you should send your clients bottles of your own custom fragrance: "Old Paint" Posted by TJ Duvall (Member # 3133) on :
What we really should do is send a card with unpaid invoices from the past year inside. But really just a handwritten card or letter.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
mikey was that yor nose i been sittin on??????hahahahahahahahahahahahaha ya axed fer that one...heheheheheheheh
Posted by Mike Clayton Graphics (Member # 723) on :
depends on how much biz i did with each....
up to 500 a card
1000 a gift of candy or flowers
2000 and up, a nice wine and maybe something extra.
MC
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
Felix,
What we do is go throught he files for the year and pick out the top 10 money spenders for the year.
One year we bought coffee mugs with the customer's logo on one side and their name on the other. I believe there was like 50 of those. We got them for around $7.00 each.
One year we bought engraved maglite flashlights. They were beautiful bit they also showed up 5 weeks after Christmas, This was after prepaying for them 3 weeks BEFORE Chritmas. Nice, huh?
Last year we bought select gifts for the people that were the biggest monet givers. The rest got baskets from a local bagel shop.
This year we are giving out neon clocks with logos on them. We are printing up the customer's logos and putting them on the face of the clock. Should be pretty neat.
We do send out cards to just about everybody every year. We buy some nice ones at the store and hand sign each one. Maybe this year, we will pick something out of the catalogue.
Have a great one!
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bruce Bowers: Felix,
One year we bought engraved maglite flashlights. They were beautiful bit they also showed up 5 weeks after Christmas, This was after prepaying for them 3 weeks BEFORE Chritmas. Nice, huh?
Huh? wait til 3 weeks before Christmas and expect it to be there on time? Sounds like short notice to me! Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Traditionally, I have always spent the week before Christmas bopping around a few towns and stopping in on folks, thanking them for their support.
Imagine driving around the area, full of snow covered pine trees and shaking hands with customers and friends amidst the Christmas season.
It's like standing in the middle of a living Christmas card by Norman Rockwell.
Can't top that at all and don't wanna try Rapid
[ October 26, 2003, 02:01 PM: Message edited by: Ray Rheaume ]
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
Yes, Mike Pipes... it was short notice. However, it was still the vendors prerogative to say NO instead of promising 3 day delivery, no?
He was given the opportunity and he accepted. So, does that make me the bad guy here? I think not. I asked, he said yes, I prepaid like he asked, he didn't deliver. End of story.
I know a lot of us who take on last minute projects and deliver. If we don't then we are in the wrong. We all have the choice of saying "No, I can't deliver."
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
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