People tend to get a lot of cards at Christmas. They’re not likely to remember yours for more than five seconds after opening it — unless you make yours stand out from the crowd. Here are a few tips:

• Slip a small gift inside your Christmas card. This could be a Christmas gift certificate, a pre-Christmas shopping offer, or a voucher for an hour of your time. It could be a voucher for a free meal – what deals can you strike with local restaurants? Or be different: send something everybody needs – a pack of A4 batteries! Attach a humorous letter or card with something like ‘To add a charge to your life’ or ‘Extra energy for the holiday season’.
• Don’t send a card – send help! How can you send your customers something really useful at Christmas? Here are two suggestions. One, send them a brochure of useful tips to make sure they have a prosperous new year. Two, send them a CD or a download full of useful advice. For example, if you’re a real estate agent, your could send your tape or link with a cover letter saying: ‘This Christmas, I’ve decided to do something different. Instead of sending everyone a Christmas card I’m forwarding this audio. On it I’m going to outline some of the things you can do to keep your house at optimum value – so should you decide to sell, you’ll get the maximum price.’ (Tip: If you decide to do this write a little script first, then try to record it all in one go. Try to sound happy and pleased – the sort of person they’d want to do business with!)
• Send a fax instead of a card (its unusual to get a fax now, but don’t send those electronic cards coz many are scared they’ll have a virus). Prepare some appealing art work first to catch their attention. You could use the same art work on a poster with a pithy quotation. They’re likely to put this on the wall – and remember where it came from.
• Keep in mind that ours is a multi-cultural society. Although many people take holidays over the Christmas period, some are members of non-Christian religions or don’t talk about Santa. This year, try sending out greeting cards that apply to everyone, based on the theme of ‘The Season of Goodwill’, ‘The Festive Season’ or ‘Happy Holidays’.