In these tough economic times everyone is hungry for business. If you’ve tried to score graphic design gigs you are up against some serious competition. Websites like 99designs, Elance, Guru, and literally dozens more that launch year after year trying to gain market share. You have hundreds upon hundreds of graphic designers who want the same business you want.

The best way to rise above the crowd is to show appreciation to your best clients. At first sight this approach is slightly counter intuitive. You maybe thinking, “Why would I spend more time, effort, and energy on a client I’ve already acquired?” Well the truth of the matter is this approach has multiple benefits:

1. More business from current clientsSaying thank you to a current client by actually sending them something will create a wow factor in their mind. None of the other people they have worked with have ever given them anything in return for the business. For example, you could order a bunch of wine gift baskets every Christmas and send them out to your top 25 clients. The wow factor can make the difference. Humans are emotional beings, and what evokes emotions has the power to fix your brand on their minds. Find more about the lasting impacts and benefits of sending business handwritten thank-you notes on https://simplynoted.com.
2. More referrals from current clientsAfter they receive your wine gift baskets along with a personalized thank you note attached, do you think they’ll be more likely to refer you? Chances are if they needed graphic design work done they have friends, family, or co-workers who will need work done in the near future. Your name is sure to be mentioned!
3. More brand awareness possibilitiesWith every gift that gets sent out be sure to include a business card along with some kind of contact information clearly laid out. When ordering your Christmas gift baskets you can always personalize them with additional packaging. Adding a cool little promotional package to be included just raises your brand equity that much more!