Yes, It’s time.
Well, it certainly is if you want to do it right without last minute stress.
Generalizing here, but so many times we have the greatest of intentions to:
- Send personalized gifts to key clients;
- Send personal greetings to key contacts;
- Do something unique in the community;
- Send a creative animated on-line greeting card; or
- <Fill in the blank with your great intention>
But, unfortunately exigencies of the day get in the way, time slips by and you are left running around at the last-minute settling for something that could have been done at a much higher-level of quality had the project been given proper focus and attention.
Raise your hand if this resonates…
Below is a step by step process to guarantee you “win the” holiday card/client gifts season. Put these tips to practice making this year’s holiday messaging as a success.
Here you go:
- Set your goals:
- For the purpose of illustration, assume you want to do the following this holiday season:
- Send personalized gifts to certain contacts;
- Send personal greetings to a different set of contacts; and
- Send a blast email to all other contacts.
- For the purpose of illustration, assume you want to do the following this holiday season:
- Create your guidelines:
- Identify what characteristics each contact bucket has, for example:
- Gift recipients = Revenue greater than $X, or Practice area = emerging growth area
- Personal Message Contacts = Clients, referral sources, other lawyers, key vendors, etc.
- Other contacts = everybody else.
- Identify what characteristics each contact bucket has, for example:
- Fill your buckets:
- This is the time-consuming part, but an exercise that will continue to bear fruit in the future if you have the discipline to keep the information updated.
- A database is optimal, but there are many different options available to capture this data and keep it current.
- This is the time-consuming part, but an exercise that will continue to bear fruit in the future if you have the discipline to keep the information updated.
- Set your budget:
- You don’t need to break the bank here, but you also don’t want to have the recipient of your gift to wonder what a cheap (fill in the blank) you are either.
- Also, try to personalize each gift.
- If you do not have a clue how to personalize your gift for a particular contact, set a goal to get to know them better, and quickly!
- Set your timeline:
- When you see the associated tasks, you will understand why NOW is the time to start this project planning.
- If you get inspired, consider recognizing the multiple upcoming holidays in this process.
- Your contacts will take notice!
- If you get inspired, consider recognizing the multiple upcoming holidays in this process.
- When you see the associated tasks, you will understand why NOW is the time to start this project planning.
- Create your project task list:
- Allocate responsibility for each required task: a short list for example
- People need to review their contacts for bucket allocation
- Somebody must buy the gifts
- Somebody must pick out the cards
- Somebody must craft the email messaging
- Somebody must shepherd the entire process
- Allocate responsibility for each required task: a short list for example
- Manage the project to completion:
- You can expect what you inspect and this is definitely a project, so schedule regular project updates.
- And finally, reward those participants that made the project successful.
- A little recognition goes a long way!
So, what is the first step of this project journey, well you just did it by reading this email.
Now take the second and third steps:
- Schedule an internal meeting. Have everyone read this blog post first, and come prepared with ideas; and
- Call us for help if you need it!
Happy Planning!