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Self-Employment Benefits Resource Centre
December, 2012
Volume 10 – Issue 12
During this Holiday Season
may you be blessed with the spirit of the season -- which is peace
the gladness of the season -- which is hope
and the heart of the season -- which is love
Blair Smith, Pirjo Swerdlyk, Ania Berezowski, Kristen Barscello Spithoff,
Karen Ristanen and Carol Daniels
Blair Smith, Pirjo Swerdlyk, Ania Berezowski, Kristen Barscello Spithoff,
Celebrations
and Congratulations
Karen Ristanen and Carol Daniels
Congratulations to the following SEB participants who have successfully completed,
for the 2012 year, the business-planning phase of the program and are now officially
Read morerunning
at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_success.html#ZU35W4P5KtOZ9xDc.99
their own business!
”
Malcolm Ranta – Northwest
Wellness Consulting
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Randy Suggashie – Information Recovery Advisory Service
Kandarp Vyas – Mota HR Consultants
Nic DiPaolo – Auto Doctor
Darcy Jardine – Jardine Photo Art
Allen Richert – Act II – Event Management Group
Shawn Waruk – Wired for Sound and Video
Ryan Lehto – CG Labs
Kyle Ranta – Ranta Contracting
Jason Prinselaar – Prince Roofing
Lawrence Anderson – Expert Painting
Bernard Cullen – A+ Plumbing & Heating
Joe Vescio – Affordable Contracting and Repair
Greg Alexander – Shop’n’Send
All the best to you!
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Self Employment Benefits Resource Centre
Christmas Card Tips and Etiquette
Should you send business Christmas cards to clients and customers?
Yes! Not only are Christmas cards a tradition, but sending a business
Christmas card lets your clients and/or customers know that they are
important to you. And that’s important in terms of furthering a
relationship.
However, as furthering a relationship is the goal, you don’t want to
endanger that relationship by offending the recipient of your
business Christmas card. Here are the ins and outs of choosing and
sending business Christmas cards to help you avoid embarrassing
Christmas card gaffes.
What Kind of Business Christmas Cards Should I Send?
Send only business Christmas cards of high quality. Quality shows and
the quality of the Christmas card reflects on the sender. Sending
cheap Christmas cards will make you look cheap. Start with a good
quality business greeting card to show that you value your clients and
colleagues. Skimping on your selection can be interpreted in a
number of ways. Your recipients might take it as a sign that business
has not been good or that they aren't worth a little investment. Buy
the best Christmas cards you can afford.
You should only send handmade Christmas cards if you are an artist.
For the rest of us, sending handmade business Christmas cards only
makes us look inept or too cheap to buy Christmas cards.
Update Your List. Make sure your list is up-to-date with correct
names and addresses. If you do this on a regular basis, it does not
become a dreaded holiday chore. As you gain new contacts
throughout the year, take time to add them to your database for your
business greeting card group. This way you won't embarrass yourself
by sending the card to the old address.
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Self Employment Benefits Resource Centre
Christmas Card Tips and Etiquette – Cont’d
Send only business Christmas cards that are tasteful. You may think the Christmas card with a naked Santa
is hilarious, but this is not the time to try and find out whether your client has a sense of humour. Stick with
traditional themes and messages to make the best impression.
Be aware of your clients’ 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”.
Inside the Business Christmas Card
Besides signing your name inside the business Christmas card, hand-write a brief personal message. Don't
just write something such as “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” above your signature; try to extend
and personalize the message. For instance, you might write, “Hope 2012 is the best year ever for you and
your family, Joe!”
Using a company stamp makes it convenient to put your business information on the inside of the business
Christmas card. Place your company information below your signature. If you don't have a company stamp,
include a business card with your business Christmas card. Because your business card will quickly become
separated from the Christmas card when the recipient opens it, it’s a good idea to print the name of your
business below your signature as well.
Addressing the Business Christmas Card
Handwrite the address of the recipient on the card’s envelope. Using computer-generated labels is tacky
and makes your business Christmas card look like a mass mailing. (If you have a lot of business Christmas
cards to send out, remember that you can get someone else to address the cards for you.)
Titles should always be used when addressing your cards. Address your business Christmas cards to “Mr.
and Mrs. Ken Taylor”, not “Ken Taylor” or “Ken and Sarah Taylor”. Stick to titles rather than professional
initials. For instance, if Ken Taylor is a doctor, the correct address is “Dr. Ken Taylor”, not “Ken Taylor,
M.D.”.
If you’re sending your business Christmas card to a couple with different last names, the form of address
should be “Mr. Allen Williams and Ms. Alice Smith” if the couple is married. If the couple is not married,
their names should be written alphabetically on separate lines as in:
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Self Employment Benefits Resource Centre
Christmas Card Tips and Etiquette – Cont’d
Ms. Alice Smith
Mr. Allen Williams
(Traditionally, the man’s name always comes first in an address unless his wife outranks him (which is
always the case ;o) ) or if the couple is not married, her last name precedes his alphabetically.)
Properly, business Christmas cards should be sent to the client’s business address unless you know the
person socially. If you are sending a card to a person’s home address, you should include the spouse’s name
in the address.
The trick to sending business Christmas cards is sending them in time to arrive during the holiday season.
For cards that are being sent locally or nationally, December 15th 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.
These tips will further help you use business Christmas cards to build a relationship with your clients and
prospects:
Don’t forget to thank your suppliers for their business over the last year. A box of chocolates for the staff in
the bank, post office or supplier’s office can be greatly appreciated.
Decisions and Christmas tend not to go together, so postpone your appointments for closing sales until the
New Year.
Think of your local charity by making a small donation and giving something back to your community.
Set yourself a budget for Christmas gifts. Once you have a budget and an idea of how many people you
want to give gifts to, you can decide how much to spend on each gift. If you decide to send Christmas
presents to individual clients, consider purchasing in bulk. A case of wine for instance will work out a lot
cheaper than buying single bottles.
Buy next year's cards now and after Boxing Day, when they are at least half the price.
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Self Employment Benefits Resource Centre
Lead
Contact information
Blair Smith
Contract Administrator
[email protected]
Pirjo Swerdlyk
Business Advisor
[email protected]
Ania Berezowski
Business Advisor
[email protected]
Kristen Spithoff
Business Advisor
[email protected]
Karen Ristanen
Resource Centre Officer
[email protected]
[email protected]
Carol Daniels
Resource Centre Officer
[email protected]
[email protected]
Our Mission:
The JumpStart Resource Centre exists to provide meaningful, practical and personal support for
entrepreneurs of the Self-Employment Benefits program.
Our Vision:
To enrich the lives of clients by teaching them the required business skills and knowledge to
develop a successful business and providing them with support and encouragement they need
to realize their dream of becoming successfully self-employed.
This project is funded by Employment Ontario. “The opinions and interpretations in this
publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of
Canada.”
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