I went and picked up the firm’s mail the other night, and there were EASILY twice as many letters as normal. Because, corporate holiday cards. ????

Ok, I promise I’m not a total grinch. I LOVE seeing all the Christmas cards from friends and family. But lawyer holiday cards… too often, they’re just a complete waste of postage. Like, take this for example:

Beige holiday card stating At this time of Thanksgiving, let us express our gratitude & appreciation

It’s SO GENERIC. This firm probably paid LOTS of money to send out a boatload these cards, but why? I don’t feel like I know this lawyer or their firm any better from this – you can’t tell ANYTHING about them. Points for sending a card at all, ok. But cards like this feel cold and impersonal and go right into the recycling bin. Why waste the postage?

Before you think I’m down on ALL cards and mailings, let me just say it IS possible to send out an awesome holiday card. Here’s one amazing example that was in my giant mail pile from Thom Miller:

Yeah, this is a realtor’s card, and this is EVERYTHING we should be striving for in a holiday card! The branding is clear, there’s a picture in case I can’t remember Thom by name, win. Bonus – I got a personal note from him, AND he included those super cute Twin Cities stickers (perfect for his clients who maybe just moved to Minneapolis or St. Paul and it reminds me where he works!).

It’s just perfect! *chef’s kiss*

Sure, maybe a card like this costs more than the generic one. But I can also bet it’s more WAY more effective at building a relationship with potential clients and referral partners. And that should be the whole point, right???

If you’re going to invest time and money into sending anything, make it good. Or, don’t send one at all and focus on other things. For real. In fact, I didn’t send a holiday card this year. I’ve done it in the past, but I didn’t want my card to get stuck in the giant dreaded holiday mail pile. So this year, I’m sending out a Holiday Comedown Kit AFTER all the other holiday buzz. In mid-January, my clients and referral partners will get a hot pink bubble mailer with their own self-care kit including a bunch of goodies like a face mask, a lavender-scented towel, and Epsom salts.

My goal is to surprise and delight my peeps, and I hope the comedown kit brings a smile to their faces! This is on brand for me because my nonprofit clients work hard and deserve to rest – just like all my lawyer and CPA friends who serve others – and they all know I’m all about self-care and balance.

So, did you send holiday cards? How do you make them feel unique and personal?

This was an email I sent to my Hack Your Practice penpals! Want to see more? Click here to join me!