The Tasteful Thank You

While helping you brainstorm ways to thank your customers for their patronage this year, we left a few people out. These are people that you may see everyday, but often forget to thank for their hard work and dedication to your business' success. They may be the ones that get the most face time with your customers or the ones who fill out the paperwork and make the phone calls so you don’t have to. I’m talking, of course, about the members of your team, your back office, your staff.

It’s important to not only give thanks to your customers for their loyalty, but also the members of your team. If you’ve got a workforce as small as one or as big as one thousand, their hard work helped your business to survive or maybe even thrive in these tough times.

It is often tough to give gifts to both employees and customers without stepping out of bounds. Many businesses impose rules on their officers and their purchasing department concerning the gifts that they receive. Want a way to thank your whole accounting department, or the entire purchasing department of your best customers, without breaking the bank, and without singling out one individual? Give a gift to the whole department - one that can be shared. That way you let everyone know that you recognize their effort.

We sell those classic popcorn tins everyone knows and loves. You know the kind, the giant circular tin, seemingly never ending. This gift is a classic for a reason. Flavored popcorn is one thing that never goes out of style. These tins come in all shapes and sizes and can be given as a gift to the whole department, or on an individual basis. This gift is good if you’re leery of any food allergies you’re not sure of. I don’t think Stan in processing would appreciate a gift of cashews that will just make him break out in hives.

I love giving sweet gifts as thank you gifts: chocolates, cookies, candies. I love anything that gives a sweet reminder to my wonderful team. What better way to celebrate making a sales goal than with cookies iced with positive reinforcement? Anything from “Way to Go Team!” to “Congratulations!” can be printed on these delicious treats. Other foods, like lollipops, chocolate bars, bags of nuts, and even those popcorn tins can be a great way to express your appreciation. (I keep a stock of cookies on hand to thank those who send referrals my way.)

These are great things to do in the office, but are you looking for something people can take home with them? My daughter’s terrible caffeine habit is well known to her boss (as is the caffeine intake of her coworkers.) For a special thank you to her and her coworkers, their boss gave them a small bag of delicious, gourmet coffee. This is something she savors, reserving a scoop or two for weekends and holidays (or vacation time.) A variety pack was created for each employee, containing some coffee, some cappuccino, and hot chocolate packets (which were the first to go… let’s just say the sweet tooth runs in the family.)

Let’s get creative this year for our gifts for our employees! These food items can go a long way as gifts and can be imprinted in sweet icing, on a bag, or on a tin. Please browse the links and email or call us with any questions on products. Let your team know that they can have their cake (or cookie) and eat it too!
Mmmmmmmm.

Steve
www.raggo.com