Video Professor

You know that time of the year. Time to take out the red ribbons, the mistletoe and the plastic Christmas tree and decorate the home and office. As the lights twinkle around the receptionist’s desk and the cards begin to pile up from other companies, did you remember to send yours out? Business Christmas cards are not like family Christmas cards. You aren’t required to send some over-smiley portrait of you and your office staff, but if you want to build good business relationships, business Christmas cards do require a little bit of thought and a nice note.

Whether you are trying to build a relationship with your clients and future business partners or you have some longstanding business contacts in your Rolodex, business Christmas cards will convey to the recipients that you took time out of your day to acknowledge them personally. And really, all that time and effort goes a long way!

When sending them out, remember not to go too far overboard with glittery and fancy cards or labels, stickers and messages. You needn’t spend the time writing out the addresses or the return labels by hand because really, everyone knows you have an office to run. If you really want that handwritten effect, talk to your assistant or secretary.

In all of the business Christmas cards you send out, make sure to include your business card. Never underestimate the number of Johns people know, and just because you think you are 100 percent memorable, everyone else might not. As well as sending your business card, write the name of your company underneath your signature in case the business card gets lost somewhere after opening.

While the envelope may have labels, make sure that the note inside the business Christmas cards is handwritten. Keep it short, keep it sweet and make sure to spell the recipient’s first and last name and company name correctly. You can imagine how it would feel to send out all your business Christmas cards and realize that you spelled some of the recipients’ names wrong, embarrassing. A note along the lines of, “Happy holidays and all the best in the New Year, John!” is perfect. It’s not too long, it’s not too short, and you include their name. This being said, be aware of the recipient’s religious beliefs. Not everyone celebrates Christmas. If you know that a client or customer has different religious beliefs, choose and send a holiday card appropriate to the client’s beliefs, or choose and send a holiday card with a more generic holiday theme and message, such as “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings”.

Finally, make sure to send the business Christmas cards in time to arrive during the holiday season. For cards that are being sent locally or nationally, Dec. 15 is a convenient cut-off date for having your cards in the mail. If you’re sending business Christmas cards internationally, they’ll have to be in the mail much sooner.