Client parties are a fun way to connect with your clients and thank them for their business and referrals. Also, they give your clients the opportunity to meet and connect with other great people in their community. Many agents use the spirit of the Thanksgiving and holiday seasons to plan a festive fete for their very best clients. If you’d like to celebrate the season with your clients, develop your relationships and show them you appreciate their business, start planning your party now.
How to Plan a Client Party
- Pick a date. Before you do anything, choose a date. The period between Thanksgiving and the New Year is a busy time for most people. Pick a date you think will work best for most people.
- Choose a theme. Will you have your party at a venue or host it in your home? Are you planning to invite all of your clients or just your top referrers? Do you want a big party or a formal sit-down meal? Will you invite children or make it an adults-only affair? Answering these questions will help you decide the overall scale of your party. If you’re having your party at a local venue, be sure to reserve the room as far in advance as you can.
- Send a Save the Date to your guests. Since people’s schedules fill up fast during the holiday season, send these out several weeks in advance.
- Hammer out the details. Now that you know the scale of your party, you can start planning the other details, including finding and hiring a caterer, booking a band or DJ, looking into decorations, etc.
- Check in before the event. As the date draws closer, call your clients to confirm attendance and call those who haven’t responded.
- Have fun. Often when we plan an event, we get so wrapped up in the details that we forget to enjoy ourselves. Remember, it’s a party! Have fun, thank each of your clients, and remind them you’re not too busy for their referrals.
- Send a personal note after the event. Be sure to thank your guests again for attending. It’s also a good idea to send a note to those invitees who couldn’t make it, to say you missed them at the event and hope they can make the next one.
Don’t have time to plan a party? Plan to pop by instead.
If the idea of planning a party makes you break out in a sweat, stop by your top clients’ homes or offices with gifts of appreciation, such as baked goods or festive wreaths, or practical gifts, such as ice scrapers or antifreeze. Some agents even invite their clients to stop by their homes to pick up these gifts of appreciation. Just pick a day and give your clients a call to invite them over.
Whether you plan a party or plan to stop by their home, you don’t have to break the bank to show your clients how much you appreciate them. It’s truly the thought that counts. Get social with your clients this season and foster the good cheer that translates to referrals in the coming year.
For more information, visit www.buffiniandco.com.
