Holiday Connections and Client Development

It's that time of year again: baskets of goodies arrive in the office daily, be-ribboned bottles of wine sit alongside deal trophies on partner desks, doorframes festooned with holiday cards brighten the halls. All but the Scrooges among us pester the marketing folks for help with distributing some memento to the clients and referral sources. There's no shortage of advice about the best ways to "give." Sara Holtz has some great ideas at ClientFocus this month, the ABA has a podcast, and most legal publications have some advice as well.

But if you ask 10 lawyers for advice on the topic of giving and networking with clients and prospects during the holiday season, you'll probably get 20 conflicting bits of advice, and an equal number of criticisms of them. Last year I wrote in Attention Shoppers about my ideas for how I connect with my clients and referral sources. What works for me, though, doesn't necessarily resonate with everyone.

Consider looking at holiday connections and all of this advice with one over-arching perspective: how do you want your connections/prospects/clients to feel about you when they receive the gift or greeting? People will quickly forget what you did or what you gave them; what people will remember is how they felt about you. Consider an approach with a view to the emotional reaction you want your contacts to remember long after the holidays. Do you want them to feel appreciated, valued, special, unique? Then choose a gift or acknowledgement accordingly. Many holiday greetings or client gifts do just the opposite (e.g., spam email greetings, bottles of wine, "gifts" in the form of charitable contributions to your favorite charity). Do you want them to remember their relationship with you as innovative, creative, forward thinking? Then choose a gift or greeting that is truly unique. Do you want them to remember you as a person who gives freely of your time? Then a leisurely lunch, or an invitation with spouses to the theatre or a sporting event, would be a good ticket.

There is no "one size fits all" approach to holiday giving, just as there is no single client development idea that works for everyone. Use holiday greetings as an opportunity to build your brand, not just an obligation to fulfill and check off the to do list.

Happy Holidays!

Cynthia