‘Tis the season for gift-giving – the traditional time of year for showing gratitude and appreciation to our favorite clients. In our frenzy to find the perfect gifts for family and friends, we often forget those angels who keep our business alive. Or we get confused and stressed over what to get them. So here is a list of 10 fun holiday gift ideas – for every client on your list!

1. Magazine subscription:
   Your clients will think of you throughout the year when they receive your thoughtful gift every month. A sure winner – O, The Oprah Magazine (and right now it’s only $5 for a year!)
2. A great design book:
   Who wouldn’t love a great book with inspiring ideas for the home? Look at Domino: The Book of Decorating (a room by room guide to creating a home that makes you happy). The book has great tips and photos, and the cover is pretty so your clients will probably want to display it.
3. Give an experience:
   Excitations offers gift certificates for unique experiences in major cities. A great unexpected gift for the client who has everything.
4. Personalized M&M’s:
   How fun! Choose your colors and print a personalized message on m&m’s. They come in great gift packages. You can still get delivery by Christmas (see their details).
5. The Cookie Bible
   With large photos of every cookie and hundreds of easy-to-follow recipes, this fun cookbook is a winner for clients who love to bake.
6. An unusual home accessory:
   Uncommon Goods has some really cute accessories, and lots of other unique gift ideas.
7. Magic, anyone?
   For a great stocking stuffer for anyone, grab my husband’s book, Tricks With Dollar Bills. This is Rob’s best seller, especially at holiday time.
8. For the wine enthusiast:
   A bottle of wine is nice, but there are many other unique ideas for wine lovers: bottle stoppers, cork cages, decorative wine racks… Google “wine gift ideas” and you’ll see many sites with unique gifts.
9. A bouquet of candy:
   A delicious alternative to flowers, this is a cheerful, yummy gift. Here’s a page I found with lots of pretty, fun ideas: Candy Bouquets
10. Show your appreciation with a gift of gratitude. And grab one of these books for yourself, too. Practicing gratitude will bring more joy and abundance into your life. I can personally attest to it!
    
    Here are 3 great choices:

• Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings: 101 Stories of Gratitude, Fortitude, and Silver Linings
• The Secret Gratitude Book
• Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude

Enjoy your gift giving, and have a great holiday!

‘Tis the season – to be jolly, joyful, and full of stress.

Every job must be completed before the holidays, and it’s your responsibility to see that everything goes perfectly. ‘Tis the time of year when most home fashion professionals are overloaded with work. How can you enjoy the holidays when you have so much to get done for other people? And how can you possibly be expected to also promote your business during this busy time?

Most of us don’t. When we are busy with a lot of design projects, we don’t have the time to do our regular business promotions. Some designers think: “I would like to do some promotions, but I simply can’t find the time now.” or “I’m so busy, so why do I need to spend time on promoting more?” or “I’ll take care of marketing when business gets really slow.”

The problem with these thoughts is: An ultra-successful business requires consistent, steady, recurring marketing (even when we are too busy).

I’m sure you realize that placing just one ad in a local paper is not going to create long-term success; your ad needs to be seen consistently to get lasting results. It’s like building a strong foundation. The longer your promotion goes on (the longer prospects continue to see your ads), the more powerful the credibility and confidence in your company. This is why marketing experts suggest that you run your ads over and over.

If you were running a recurring ad in a newspaper, and you took it out for a few months, chances are you would have to start over – from scratch – rebuilding your foundation. This is very costly and time-consuming. The most effective way to keep your business going is to market continually and consistently.

So how do we do that when we are so busy? Here are a few ideas to reflect upon:

• Set it and forget it?
  Newspapers and magazines allow you to purchase recurring ads. Set up a long-term contract, so you know that your promotion is going on continuously – keeping you in homeowners’ minds, even through your busy rush.
• Email newsletters?
  If you send out newsletters, don’t neglect this month. To save time, you can recycle an old article (like I just did!). You don’t need to write anything new. The most important thing is to get the newsletter out!
• Just make a phone call?
  One of my favorite (and most successful) marketing ideas is calling past clients. Gather a list of your favorite ones, and call to say happy holidays. Your quick phone calls will remind clients of your products and services. And what a great time of year to do that (bonuses are received now, and homeowners are fantasizing about what to spend theirs on)!

Give yourself the gift of a long-lasting, thriving design business. I wish you happiness, joy, and success.