Plan Early and Beat the Holiday Rush!

This holiday season I will plan to ship corporate holiday gifts ahead of time. Horror story. Last year I thought there was no hurry and that I would get real deals by waiting until mid December to purchase gifts for my clients. Client gifts of gratitude for their business is very important and if you falter to send a holiday gift you have botched the customary gift that has come to be expected yearly. Don't forget how important and necessary these thankfulness tokens are. Three years ago I decided to forego the gifts because of a budget crunch. Thinking it made very little or no difference I felt quite smug about the amount of money and time and problem I would save for this extra frivolous expenditure. Was I ever wrong. In fact many of us were wrong. The other firm people I meet with weekly all talked it over and were in agreement that one year couldn't make that much difference and we were quite smug about our money saving tactics. In my business my principal competitor is someone who has tried to get my clients but I've always received their trust. Unfortunately for me he decided to take the risk and send out gifts early. The next year I found I was losing some of my clients because they had decided to take a look at other businesses that could deliver the same or same service. As we approached new customers many of them had already signed up with the rival companies and my laid back and trusted style that I would easily keep clients was slipping away. I had to work really hard to keep the clients I had and put in a lot of time and effort for the next few years to get some of my primary companies loyalties back. Maybe it wasn't just the holiday present, but the next year I took note. Listening and asking questions of close friends and relatives about what made them loyal and things that made a change I noted that follow up letters of thanks,phone calls, and gifts aren't just tokens they are are reminders and stamps of assurance for the clients. So two years ago I made sure I had money for gifts at holiday time planned. I started looking for gift ideas and sent them out the first of December. What I observed was that I immediately got cards and calls from clients. They loved them plus mine were the first gifts to arrive at their office. My secretary and I were talking and she pointed out the gift we got at Thanksgiving one year with the note that here's your first holiday gift to take pleasure in. Since it was the first and only gift at that time it did make a big difference. Most gifts of food, gifts baskets, and cards come that last week before December 25 and although we appreciate them they sometimes get tossed in and mixed up and we can't remember exactly who gave what. Besides personnel are bringing in treats and food for each other all week. So my secretary and I started talking and analyzing that the first gifts that come in are the most recognized and appreciated and you normally remember them. That brings me to our plan for this year. We have already contacted a basket business to send out holiday gift baskets to be delivered no later than December l. Why? Because last year we thought we'd purchase them later and they were sold out of the one we really wanted. Since we have clients in 10 states we had failed to note that many would not arrive on time because of shipping days needed. We gave up after checking about sending flower arrangements or poinsettias which seemed useless for a few days in the office. As a last resort we scrambled to get gift cards for area restaurants or bakeries near each client. It took way too much time. We were able to find some gift cards in food market, but they were not the right denomination. We also felt uneasy that the exact amount we were spending was totally obvious, putting a dollar value on the client. But we got the cards sent out. It was fine and at least we sent a gift. However one of the more vocal and brazenly honest secretaries called to thank us and did say she preferred the gift baskets because she was the one who had to order and go to the bistro to bring back what was ordered with the gift card. She also made it clear that to feed everyone they had to add more money. Yikes, not a good plan. This year I called Baskets by Rita the first of October and placed my order for gourmet gift baskets and Christmas in Colorado Gift Baskets to be delivered just before Thanksgiving so they will arrive that first week of December. They explained to me that they have to order all holiday products in August and September to have enough stock to not run out in addition suppliers run out early. We're feeling really smug. Our clients will know these are gifts of appreciation, there are food items to be shared by all, they come packaged fantastically giving that WOW factor and our card and gift will be the first one they get and will be hanging around the break room all holiday season. It won't get misplaced with all the other gifts. Since there is not a dollar amount attached you are not blatantly telling them what money amount they are worth. Plus my secretary is so happy because this is a slower time for us and she was able to make all preparations in a more relaxed way. We came across another money-saving hint for giving holiday gifts. We will have baskets shipped to 9 other states, but the majority are in the Denver area. My secretary has arranged to save some of the shipping and delivery costs by going to pick up most of the baskets and deliver many herself. We've added a wine and cheese FAC the first Saturday in December in our office for clients and we'll give most of them out then. If not, it would be good for me to take them and give them myself and make the personal call. The lesson of the story is do not underestimate the power of the holiday appreciation gift and order early.

A Gift For a Wonderful Wife!

So how is your favorite team doing this season? It is football time again and for those of us who cherish football we live for this time of year. Not only is it gorgeous weather to go to games but we begrudge the fact it has been a long dry season in the sporting world since Superbowl time last year. Hopefully each of us is looking at the teams, playing fantasy football and making predictions. For guys it offers a piece of interaction for any place we find ourselves. There is also the unfamiliar and best hopes for our favored football team to do well this season. Everybody seems to be talking about the replacement refs and how soon will regular football refs be back on the fields. It is way too easy to get so annoyed about it that you find yourself ranting and raving. That is what has been happening at my residence. I whine and moan and groan and am short tempered with my wife and she does not deserve that. She is such a wise football wife that to get angry is not the manner she handles things. She incredibly uses good will and humor. I am so lucky. After this weekend and my horrible mood I did not merit to get anything for my birthday yesterday. I was in Denver and she had a beer tub gift from Baskets by Rita delivered to my hotel. Since one of my favorite teams was the Denver Broncos the tub she ordered was a Bronco one and she wrote a excellent message using her awesome humor to help get me level-headed. It was great. I called her and decided to have flowers sent the next day. I often do that. So since I'm gone for a week, I called the lady at baskets by Rita and she's sending a New Grand Gourmet Gift Basket to my wife. Good move on my part cuz my wife will not expect it. We guys are not very creative or good about gifts but I am quite darn happy and pleased with myself. My stepfather is a diehard Green Bay Packers fan so I sent him a sympathy basket. He will appreciate it and really get a kick out of it. My mother was raised and is loyal to the Giants, have been raised in NYC, so I'm having a Congratulations basket sent to her arriving the same day. Can hardly wait to talk to my parents. They are always coming up with gifts and ways to help my wife and me so this would be great. This ref strike has certainly got everyone talking. The good news is that it gives friends something else to talk about besides politics. Our secretary really gets on all of us though and she says we should be feeling sorry for those poor replacement refs. Without them we couldn't watch any football at all.

Getting the Most Out of Your Company's Employees

A chief of a corporation in the Colorado area provided an interview to a friend's son, a graduate business student, preparing his thesis. The young man asked questions about marketing, budgeting, and the best market techniques. The conversation and questions also including business pitfalls and challenges, protecting assets and the problems and practices in increasing sales. The CEO mentioned that managing a firm's long-term investments had always been at the heart of his energy and determining stakeholders was important. Weighing alternatives in every aspect was his solution to the question about best decision-making practice. The 60 minute interview was almost over when the graduate asked his last question about what was the biggest liability and what was the biggest asset in the company. After blundering through a list of financial jargon, the CEO stopped unexpectedly and thought carefully before saying that all of that was secondary because the employees could be the greatest asset or they could be the greatest liability. The folks working for you can make or break the company. Simple as that. The CEO then took our friend's son out to lunch and they continued to talk. The conversation included examples from the CEO's working experience when he worked at a restaurant through college and when he managed various establishments. He had many examples of how good workers actually made the company money and the managers and owners did not always know it or recognize it. At the same moment, a impolite or incompetent or an employee with a bad attitude could ruin not only the sale at the time, but later. They discussed about the television show Undercover Bosses where CEOs pretend to be new employees on the ground level for a week to actually get some in field experience and insight. The CEO admitted that he had thought of doing that. The two of them throughout lunch talked about different episodes and came to the conclusion that employees do make or break a company. And usually what they want most even more than money or raises is to be dealt with respectfully and to have their efforts acknowledged. They want a thank you of some kind whether it be just a sincere thanks, a gift card, money, a promotion of a gift. The graduate revealed that his mom who had been an administrative assistant had just quit her job the week before saying she had just had enough. Her boss not only did not see what she had done but did not seem to care about rewarding anyone. When she recommended he give gift cards he said that was fine but she would have to give them and write the note and he put her on a small budget. After a year she suggested they give time off to employees but he refused saying. She observed morale was extremely low and he did agree and she was to come up with something. She told him to come into the next morning meeting, which employees hated, with food. He told her to get some cheap donuts from the bakery. She started just standing up to him and said no, he needed to spend some bucks and get quality pastries or food and quality coffee boxes from the Panera Bread down the street. He delegated her to do it and to be sure it was there on time. It did the trick and employees liked it. She needed a different idea for the mid afternoon meetings. So when she saw the huge basket delivered next door with all kinds of treats for employees she was impressed and contacted the basket company, Baskets by Rita. For the same money they put together a large basket with goodies to put in the break room for everyone to enjoy. It was big and they delivered it to her that day. The boss walked in with the Rocky Mountain Gift Basket and there were cheers from the once tired employees. The student made an appointment the next day with his adviser to change his thesis topic to center on the importance of appreciation and acknowledgment for employees contending that they are the most valuable long term investment.

Special baby gift

Superb idea for sending a unique, cute, adorable and unusual baby gift is to order a baby girl or baby boy welcome wagon. The cute small red wagons carry lots of baby gift stuff that are practical for recently born babies. Knowing that it is always pleasure to send something unique for the new baby is a real challenge. Usually individuals call the medical center gift shop for the same, monotonous gifts they have. They have the usual blue and pink floral arrangements which are nice but do not last and are difficult to bring home. That type of baby gift is soon forgotten. They also have baby gift baskets but you may find that the parents have already received at least one or more from the hospital gift shop. Asking the gift shop worker does not provide you that visitors have popped into the gift shop and purchased the same gift. I was embarrassed to stop in and order a cute basket and went up to her room to see two identical baskets from other people. That meant I had to go back down and exchange it for something really common in the gift shop. The most awful part was that it definitely took the excitement of my gift giving away. They were apologetic as was I apologetic and embarrassed. When the the gift shop person just rolled her eyes about wanting to exchange it, I had just had it and told her I wanted a refund. In the parking lot of the Denver hospital I met a guy and gal carrying in these adorable pink baby girl and blue baby boy gift red wagons. That is exactly what I had wanted to walk in with something that caused the couple to ooh and aah about. I just flat out halted them and asked where they got them. They had ordered them from a basket store near the Denver hospital called Baskets by Rita. Cut little welcome baby wagon that were the fantastic birth gift. They were definitely special baby gifts and useful and enjoyable. They told me Baskets by Rita also has a big brother/sister line of baskets that they gave one time. I got on my iphone and promptly called Baskets by Rita and ordered one of the little red wagon as a baby welcome gift for the newborn. It was effortless to arrange to have it delivered to their house when they got home from the hospital. When they got home with the new baby and got the baby welcome wagon, they immediately called me and said I just had to come over to see the new baby and the adorable wagon. So from now on the hospital gift shop will not be my first choice for sending gifts or flowers.