Minding Your Business: Sept. 2001 - Giving Thanks

"You work for your customers all year long, and if it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t have a business," reasoned Erich Heinrich, owner, Avalawn Landscaping, Cincinnati, Ohio. Each year at Christmastime, his company floods its commercial accounts with poinsettias – an inexpensive investment that pays dividends in smiles.

"It’s just like people giving their girlfriend flowers – they don’t expect it," he compared. The thank-you flowers arrive at the doors of his large commercial accounts, which he contacts in advance so he can deliver them in person. With a crew in tow, he sets flowers on each employee’s desk.

KEEPSAKES. The money business owners invest in small thank-yous demonstrates a commitment to customer service and a genuine interest in their accounts. Whether the token is passed onto clients mid-season or during the winter lull in landscape services, these gifts spread a positive image, appealing to those considering contract renewal.

"Last year, when I took in the flowers for the Arby’s contract, I brought in seven or eight poinsettias for their entrance – the top of them were 2 feet wide, at least – and then I gave three or four for the president and directors to take home," he said. "With an office of 40 cubicles, you’re looking at $3 a cubicle and the large ones cost about $10 to $12. The account is $90,000, so what’s $250? It pays for itself in the end."

Heinrich’s poinsettias aren’t stamped with blatant "buy my service" tags. In fact, he separates direct advertising from his gifts, noting that thank-yous accompanied with subliminal sales pitches defeat the purpose of the flower.

"You should be thanking them for a [contract] that you received, not for one you may get in the future from them," he remarked, adding that he never attaches his phone number or address to the flowers. "That’s not a thank-you."

Instead, he attaches personal cards and plant care directions to flowers. "I don’t think you should thank someone with an advertisement," he asserted. "It’s just not as nice." Heinrich sells more services without pushing his name on thank-yous, he said.

Same goes for the flags his company stakes in commercial properties on the Fourth of July and Memorial Day. The $2 flags are simple tokens of consideration and nothing more, he said. However, the stars and stripes do stand out, and he admits that when customers wonder who put them in their landscape, he is proud to answer his company’s name. "I have better loyalty with my commercial accounts than some of my residential accounts because of some of the things I do throughout the year," he figured.

NAMESAKES. David Pitts, owner, P & C Lawn Care, Midwest City, Okla., said a combination of timing and a phone number hint on his pen set gifts earned him more sales. "Around here, when you mow the yard for the last time, you don’t see the client again until spring," he said. "Christmas gives you a middle point and gives the client a boost, so when February comes around and they need a lawn service, they remember me and they have my number. It gives me a little more advertising."

This off-season exposure and the convenience of glancing at the gift to find the phone number is an effective formula, Pitts noted. "I think in the long run, we earned 10 times as much as we spent," he said. "We kept our existing numbers and we got 15 to 20 new accounts."

Little thank-yous score big points when they are personalized. Generic gifts are about as creative as receiving a mail-order Christmas fruitcake. "Companies are starting to get larger, and [employees can] lose track of who is working for them," Pitts related. "It is good to be one-on-one with people and give them gifts they'll like. You can personalize them without spending a lot and clients feel special – like they’re the only ones you’re thinking about," he said.