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What do you send your customers for Christmas?

motion guru

Diamond
Joined
Dec 8, 2003
Location
Yacolt, WA
We have a couple of hundred customers - this year we have scaled way back on the budget for Christmas gifts / cards. We will send cards to about 80 of our most active / promising customers and only about 40 of those will get a gift of chocolate truffles with a small note.

In years past when times were good, we would spend as much as $50 for a good gift to give a customer who bought a significant amount of stuff from us.

And vendors that we would buy from (in some cases as much as $500k worth of product from several different vendors) . . . they used to send out things like a whole smoked turkey or a big sausage & cheese box or smoked salmon or stuff like that. Now we rarely see anything more than a card.

What if anything do you do for Christmas? What do your vendors send you?
 
We send them a pile of parts and a bill, a big one.

At best we get a card or a calendar.

I don't mind the calendar from a salesman, thats handy, the card thing it just drives me nuts, I just don't get it. I've never sent a Christmas card in my life and I never will, it just seems fake. If its somebody you like and they are close you call them over for a few egg-nogs, if they are far away, send 'em a rack of ribs if you like them that much, a card just says, "my secretary was bored, and I really don't want to talk to you".

BTW, I'm a bit of a scrooge, I hate holidays, just reminds you how screwed up your family is and how commercial the world is. I have great folks, fantastic girlfriend(with good folks), great grandparents, its all those aunts, uncles and cousins I could deal without.

Who hasn't had the Christmas dinner without the argument of what selfish aunt gets what when G-ma dies, and poor Gramma, is sitting right there wishing she had a shotgun.
 
I for one appreciate a card from a supplier/customer. People who have a business relationship can also be friends. So I would continue the cards. If there is a way to make small items and send them out - that is way better than a purchased gift. A simple little bit of software - a little utility - might make sense in your case Motion.
 
Discount coupons

Hmm,

I sent out 260 news letters, one for each registered cutomer for a 15 % off coupon on their next purchase. Just in time for CYBER MONDAY.

It turned out really well...MC
 
Trying to put this as politely as possible.........ya'll are missing a MAJOR opportunity here.MachinistChest has a foot in the door.....like all things Christmas,it AIN'T ABOUT THE MONEY...it's about the thought.What can you do to spark an interest?
 
my boss won't even let me take customers out to lunch. Money is tight but we are having the best year we have ever had. Just our expenses have gone up.
 
A big bill, that I want PAYING... they get good service and pricing from me all year, so they sure as hell aren't getting anything special for one day of the year.

HUMBUG
 
As an employee on the recieving end of the gift, (so far low on the totem pole of course) I have always liked it when vendors gave their customers ie my employer, pizza. lunches, even fruit baskets. Usually these get placed in the break room for all employees to enjoy. Maybe a simple box of chocolates, would be good. Something that a bunch of people in the company can get together share and enjoy I think is a lot better than a card to a guy who may not even celebrate Christmas.

Adam
 
Cards for the good ones. For the better ones that are close, we smoke some briskets and take them. For a couple of the best with employee break areas we'll bring the trimmings and do a lunch. For a couple that are distant we'll send a gift box (i.e. Omaha Steaks). I usually try to do something for the better vendor / supplier reps as well. These guys are good for some leads thru the year.

+1 for the making something. Smoking a whole brisket is not that expensive and the personal touch is appreciated. I think a $15 brisket is more appreciated than a $75 box of steaks.
 
Gift for Christmas

If you have 200 customers you should be able to afford a gift. I think a card is thoughtful & a bottle of Vishniak would really be appreciated & would show them you value their business. In the past, we only had a few customers & they loved the Vishniak
 
We have scaled back some. Everyone gets a card and the ones that frequent us a little more get some chocolate covered pretzels.
 
We send out Christmas cards to all....
Our gift if you call it that comes in August.....We purchase a full page ad in the program of the "Monterey Historic Races". There we print a company "Thank You" to all the years past customers...list is by activity with the most active at the top of the list....Have customers that openly vie to be at the top of that list.....Good for my business to say the least.

Cheers Ross
 
Holiday Gifts

I give graciously to all the support people behind the scenes, my vendors, the UPS and Fedex people............ all the ones that "make it all happen". Customers I take care of and thank all year long.

Gifts are chosen proclivity specific. UPS driver gets very nice cigars, my inland freight guy has a house full of little kids and damn little "nice", he and his wife get a gift certificate for dining out and cash toward paying the sitter.

The outside machine and his staff get certificates to local merchants.

Cyclotronguy
 
I am one man shop and have three good customers that keep the dream alive for me, so when they call and ask for a gift to give away at their Christmas party I gladly oblige,I usually donate something of decent quality that comes in a big box like a table saw or a cordless tool kit.
Remember this is no time of year to be a tightass...............Merry Christmas
 
Mari Tool

It appears that if you spend too much money at MariTool, Frank sends you a box of fancy Belgian cookies for Christmas. Much appreciated Frank!

Thanks,
Eric
 








 
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