By John Remsen, Jr.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s that time of year again. That’s right, the holidays are right around the corner! I can tell because holiday catalogues — featuring everything from cheap, generic holiday cards to extravagant gift baskets to just about everything you can put a logo on — are starting to arrive by the truckload here at our offices in Atlanta. This year seems to be worse than ever.
As a marketer, I’m starting to put some thought into figuring out what, if anything, I want to send to clients and friends of TheRemsenGroup this year. Should we send cards? What about gifts for our really important contacts? How many should we send? And, at the end of the day, does any of it matter? Do people really care if we send them a holiday card?
For law firms, the sending of holiday cards and giving of gifts raise a host of politically charged and complicated issues such as client ownership and database management. At times, I have to sit back and chuckle as I watch law firms scramble to get their mailing lists in order and go through the painful ritual of deciding who gets what from whom.
Our “Marketing Tip of the Month” is actually ten tips about holiday cards (and so much more) to help you market your way through this busy and stressful time of year.
#1) Get Your List in Order
Whether you intend to send cards or not, find the time this week to review and update your complete list of marketing contacts. I suggest that partners should have at least 100-150 such contacts, and that associates should have about half as many. Delete persons who are dead or no longer relevant to your marketing pursuits, and make sure that all contact information — employers, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses — is current. No list, you say? Start building one today. Of course, you should be adding new contacts as you meet them throughout the year.
#2) Steer Clear of the Holiday Clutter
Many marketing gurus advise professional services firms to steer clear of the busy holiday season when it comes to sending cards and such. They say it’s not a smart use of marketing dollars because you get lost in the shuffle. Instead, they suggest alternatives like Thanksgiving or New Year’s cards. Not a bad idea, at all. And the same can be said of client holiday parties this time of year.
Yet despite this wise advice, many of us will end up sending cards and gifts to clients, friends and referral sources. “We’ve been sending holiday cards for years. It’s just something we have to do,” I’ve heard more than one marketing-savvy lawyer say.
#3) If You Must Send Holiday Cards, Make Them Stand Out
To be appreciated and maybe even remembered, your holiday card must stand out in some way from the dozens of other generic and oh-so-forgettable cards that flood our in-boxes as Christmas Day approaches. Hire a good graphic designer to create a sharp, original, branded, attention-grabbing card. Make it fun. Get creative. (It’s OK. Lots of law firms do this. Trust me, it’s OK.)
If you decide to go with cards from a catalogue, buy the good stuff. Cheap cards look cheap, and they make you look cheap, as well. Also, be sure to mail your cards early — by December 1st at the latest — so they arrive long before the stacks of others that will appear later in the month.
And what do I think of e-mailed holiday greetings? Can you say “delete”?
#4) If You Must Send Holiday Cards, Please Sign Them
If you can’t find the time to write a short greeting and sign each card personally, then don’t bother sending them at all. In addition, it’s not a bad idea to give each envelope that extra special touch by addressing them by hand and using seasonal postage stamps.
Nothing says “I care about you and your business” more than a bland, unsigned card foil-stamped with the firm name on the inside, stuffed into a non-descript white envelope with the recipient’s name smeared across a mailing label slapped to the face of it, and then run through a postage meter along with 1,000 other cards on December 22nd.
#5) If You Must Send Holiday Cards, Check with Your Partners First
Last year, one of our clients sent TheRemsenGroup six holiday cards. No kidding. Six. They were all the same exact card and four were unsigned. And I’m just a consultant! I can’t begin to imagine how many cards general counsel from the firm’s top client may have received.
By all means, the firm must find a way to coordinate its efforts in order to eliminate the embarrassment of excess duplication, staggering amounts of returned mail, and — my personal favorite — sending cards to dead people. Many firms have card signing parties so that certain cards can be signed by multiple persons. More globally, this predicament speaks to the need for a master mailing list (or database) of some sort. Every law firm should have one, but that’s a whole different topic.
#6) Give Nice Gifts to Your Top Ten Clients and Contacts
Determine who belongs on your VIP list and give them something really nice, accompanied by a hand-written note. One of my clients gives fancy wine baskets to its top clients…and — get this — the lawyers are required to hand-deliver them! Nice touch and the clients love it. I know of many firms that work with vendors to set up a pre-determined collection of branded gift items from which gift-giving lawyers can select.
#7) Ditch the Big Client Holiday Party and Have Several Smaller Gatherings Instead
First, refer to Tip #2 above. But if your firm must have a holiday party for clients, consider having several smaller gatherings instead. Put some thought toward the guest list, the theme, the setting, gifts, etc. Make these more intimate events as interesting and memorable as possible. I’d much rather see a law firm host several smaller dinner parties in partners’ homes than throw a big, out-of-control event at the office for hundreds, including many complete strangers and free-loaders.
#8) Buy an Expensive New Suit for the Holidays
Go out and buy yourself a new set of clothes for the holidays….something really nice. You’ve worked hard all year and you deserve it. My mother always said to buy the best you can afford and suggested items that are traditional, classy and timeless. Good advice. Like many moms, she also said you can judge the character of a man by looking at his shoes. So make sure your shoes are polished in case you run into her!
#9) Party With Purpose
Like most professionals, you’ll be invited to your fair share of gatherings this holiday season. Some will be purely social. Have fun. But others will have business implications. Make sure you know which is which and, when it comes to holiday parties involving business, keep in mind that your primary purpose is not to eat, drink and be merry. Rather, you are there to build and enhance important relationships. With that in mind…be selective about the events you attend, arrive early, bring plenty of business cards, work the room, watch your manners, follow up with a few people and don’t get drunk.
#10) Just Forget About It
And maybe — just maybe — the best way to approach the holidays is to get away from it all and enjoy a week or two of “R&R.” Take some much-needed time off. Consider a week in the Bahamas. How about Christmas in Paris or New Year’s Eve in Rio? With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, will anybody actually notice your absence come the first business day of the new year? Probably not.
Whatever you decide to do for the holidays, now is the time to start planning. As far as I’m concerned, Tip #10 is looking better and better! Enjoy the season.
About the Author
John Remsen, Jr. is President of TheRemsenGroup, a marketing consulting firm that works exclusively with law firms to help them attract and retain the clients they want. He is Past President of the Southeastern Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association and is a frequent speaker and author on law firm marketing topics. He can be reach at 404.885.9100 or JRemsen@TheRemsenGroup.com.
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