Sending holiday cards to customers, creates good business relationships.
When companies send holiday greeting cards to clients and customers, it usually serves to convey both holiday cheer and an appreciation for their business over the past year, as well as continued good will for the future.
These clients can consist of single individuals or groups of people. In all likelihood, they will hold a diverse array of religious beliefs. Whether it is warranted or not, members of a particular faith group may object to a holiday message containing language or sentiments specific to another faith that they may strongly disagree with.
Should a message containing this type of language be sent to a member of a different group, the potential exists to alienate that person and may even offend them to the point of harming their business relationship. This is the exact opposite outcome that the message is meant to achieve.
This may not be an issue for companies with a client base whose religious affiliation is well known, but this is the exception rather than the rule. In the majority of situations, a company will have a difficult time determining what religious groups are represented in their customer groups. As a result, greetings that communicate the message of one faith group over all others, however sincere, may foster resentment and lead to problems with that customer.
One solution is to craft an individualized message for each faith group. Because a company may not always know the religious persuasions of each of their customers, this approach can be problematic. A message intended for one group could very well be sent by mistake to a member of another group and lead to problems.
To avoid this problem, the safest solution is to develop a single greeting that lacks any overt religious terminology. Regardless of the writer’s personal viewpoint, the company’s holiday message would be written in general language that would not alienate members of any particular belief system. There is little chance of offending a client since if the message is framed in this manner.
As the old saying goes, “You can’t please all of the people all of the time.” This is especially true when it comes to matters of faith. Developing a holiday message that resonates with people of all religious faiths can prove to be a challenge. But a well-crafted message that steers clear of divisive issues and expresses your appreciation and good will can go far in building and maintaining good business relationships with people of all faiths.
Do you send holiday cards to your customers? If so, which ones?
Join the discussion by leaving a comment below and please spread the word by sharing this post with your friends.
Stay up to date on our latest posts by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter or by subscribing to our RSS Feed.
