One of my awesome clients asked a great question the other day… thought I’d share it here…
She wanted to know whether she should send holiday greeting cards or gifts to her speaking clients. Should she ask for repeat business or for hiring her in the past?
Here’s my answer… you might consider doing something similar if you want to stand out from the proverbial crowd.
Rather than Thanksgiving or Christmas cards, I send out “Happy New Year” cards to my web design clients. It’s quite unique, and much better remembered than the big pile of cards they get in November & December from ‘everybody else.’ Rather than promoting for more business, I just thank them for allowing me the privilege of working with them as they grow their business.
THANKING current clients is very gracious — and when it’s time to do additional website work (or getting hired for a workshop or keynote), they’re more likely to remember that graciousness. It’s less pushy, and it emphasizes the valuable relationship, rather than new contracts or more money.
In my “former life” of fund-raising, we used this technique every year, and our donors loved it. It made them feel special.
What’s In It For You? Believe it or not, very few speakers make an effort to say “thanks.” Be different and you’ll get more repeat speaking business. It’s all about being unique.
Known by some in the speaking industry as “the Butterfly Herder,” Cynthia works closely with emerging professional speakers as they grow from speaking as a hobby to getting paid to speak full-time. In addition to creating websites for professional speakers, she consults in the areas of online presence & credibility, public relations, and content & product creation. Visit her website at www.SpeakerWebsites.com.
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