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April 18, 2013 at 10:58 AM
Client appreciation is essential to client retention in any business. When a client feels valued and appreciated, the result will be a loyal client and an advocate for your business. To gain this loyalty, there are certain criteria that should be considered before sending out any client appreciation marketing piece.
- Does the information establish you as a credible source?
- Is it going to differentiate you from everyone else?
- Does it have a high impact?
- Does it have a long shelf life?
When measured against the marketing criteria, there are two methods that I have found to be very successful in my practice.
The historic newspaper
The historic newspaper is a genuine original newspaper from a specific date, which comes with a certificate of authenticity and is a reminder of a special time in someone’s life. It is a unique way to celebrate a client’s birthday, anniversary or retirement. It is also a very powerful prospecting tool to open doors to prospects that would normally be difficult to open. 
I had the opportunity to be a speaker at the 2012 Million Dollar Round Table Annual Meeting, and a fellow member shared his story about how he used the historic newspaper marketing strategy. He told me, “I had a very good client who was celebrating his 50th birthday, and his employees were having a party for him. I wanted to do something to commemorate his special day, so I decided to give him a historic newspaper. I knew it was a great idea, but I did not expect the response from everyone at the party, including my client. They really were in awe of the newspaper, which opened up new conversations with potential prospects.”
This unique gift was a conversation starter, which opened new accounts for him with targeted clients. More importantly, he connected with everyone at the party on a very personal level that day. The advisor demonstrated extreme forethought and was seen by everyone as thoughtful and competent.
The next time you have a client retiring, give them a box of retirement business cards. The cards will read “compliments of your firm or your name” in the lower right of the card. The minute your client gives someone their unique business card, the first question will be, ‘Where did you get this?‘ It is a great opportunity to spread your name in a very positive way.