As the holidays approach, we usually think about special connections with other people. We commonly think of friends and family first, but other relationships -- even those of a commercial nature -- may be very important as well.
Providers of professional services are unique in the level of intimacy they have with their clients. That’s why confidentiality is so prominent in their codes of ethics. Doctors literally know their patients inside and out. Accountants are fully aware of their clients’ financial situations. A person can tell his or her lawyer something that they can’t be compelled to tell even the highest judge in the land. Now that’s intimacy!
But doctors, lawyers, accountants and other professionals shouldn’t expect holiday greeting cards or an invitation to client New Year’s Eve parties. Customer-business relationships don’t normally work that way.
Still, there’s nothing to stop professional service providers from acknowledging their relationships with their clients during the holiday season. In fact, given the depth of these interactions, it is especially appropriate.
Customer appreciation is good marketing strategy because it shows that you value the relationship with your client. True, a holiday card, a calendar, or some other thoughtful yet reasonable gesture of best wishes from a dentist won’t make or break anyone’s holiday season. But such tokens of goodwill are a reminder to a client that he or she is more than a tax number or a medical file. It’s marketing with a personal touch at the time of year when we give a bit more thought to our humanity.
And who knows, maybe next year you’ll get a fruit cake in return.
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