Law Practice Today

If you have not thought about sending holiday cards and gifts to your key clients and referral sources, you are already falling behind in your holiday season marketing.

“Bah, humbug!” you say to this effort?

Well, consider some research I found about cards and gift-giving. If you agree with it, and I think you will, my best practices for both then follow.

• Cards and gifts are a regular occurrence, even expected, for heads of state.
• They create and cement alliances, allegiances and partnerships," according to The Psychology of Persuasion.

But cards and gifts also are the “red-hot center of holiday hell,” says the Journal of Consumer Research. Why?

Cards and gifts are a torturous endeavor because they are anxiety-creating. The reason: senders are generally “highly motivated to elicit desired reactions from recipients,” the Journal said.       

The key is that whatever you do must “reflect the recipient’s perceived value of relationship,” the Journal concluded, adding that the proper gift must surprise the recipient and demonstrate familiarity with their tastes. (Give a wine enthusiast a subscription to Wine Spectator, the leading vino ratings magazine, for example.)

If you’re convinced now that gifts and cards are a good idea, here are some suggestions for proper distribution of them this year.

First, create a list of your top clients, balancing them in terms of fees paid, potential fees, referrals made and potential referrals they could make on your behalf.  Also, list your existing and potential co-counsel and referring lawyers.  Add in other professionals and advisors and you’re off to an excellent start.

Send them all a holiday card.  Under no circumstances should your card have just your firm’s name at the bottom or lack a signature and personal note. Recipients will judge your card in direct proportion to the effort they think you put into sending it.

Last year, I was sent a card with signatures of attorneys pre-printed on it. Unsigned cards are nothing but ads in the guise of holiday cards. How distant and disappointing it is to receive them.

Another I obtained had the lawyers names signed with auto-pen software. That’s an all-time low in my experience. It’s how politicians send their self-serving direct mail to masses. If you want your clients to think of you as they do a politician, I guess that will work but I can’t imagine that’s a desirable response.

Say something relevant to the relationship, or at least jot down their name. How about: “Bob— hope to see you soon. Regards, Amber.” An abbreviated message at least this shows you thought about the recipient for a moment. Otherwise, they could fairly assume they got a card out of a stack you (worse, your assistant) signed.

Does this all take time? You bet.  I know lawyers who spend an entire day at it.  And, it’s worth every moment because a card or gift is far more than just a card or gift, as the research shows.

“Bah, Humbug?”  How about: “Order now!”