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Why You Should Always Send Your Clients
A Christmas Card – A Word From Ian Renton

If you subscribe to our free newsletter, SmallBizTips, then you will know that we focus heavily on marketing which really boils down to two things… keeping your current clients and getting more profitable clients.

You should contact your clients multiple times a year… 50 contacts is not excessive provided you have a reason for contacting your clients. Not all of these contacts should be selling contacts. Sometimes, you simply should contact your clients just to say thank you.

The best time to thank your clients is at Christmas time. Apart from doing nothing, the worst thing you can do is send a bulk email. Did you know that less than 20% of bulk emails get opened?

If you send 1,000 emails to your clients before Christmas, then 800 of these won’t get opened. Most of the other 200 would be singularly unimpressed. I know I would be. How would you feel if you spent $1,000 or $10,000 or even more with a company and the only recognition you got at Christmas time was a bulk email?

The humble Christmas card is well worth sending. In fact, it is the least you should do. The only reason you may not send a Christmas card is if you are doing something extra such as sending a calendar. If you send at least 1,000 Christmas cards, you can expect at least 995 of these to be opened.

Sending a Christmas card to your clients is the least you should do. You should do more. There are two things I recommend you also do. Firstly, send your clients a birthday card. It will be appreciated and more importantly, remembered. Everyone likes to be remembered on their birthday and your clients know that this birthday card is just for them and no-one else. Thirdly, if your client has placed a large order, acknowledge it. A thank you card soon after the order is dispatched or after work is complete is most appropriate. If your clients place regular orders, then the best time to send a thank you card to these types of customers is at the end of the financial year.

Doing these three things will set you apart from your competitors.  It will also demonstrate to your clients that you are thinking about them and you care. Did you know the most common reason clients leave you for another supplier. It is not price. It is not the quality of your goods. It is not even the level of service you provide. Instead, it is simply, indifference. Your clients crave to be important. They want to be appreciated. I am certain that our products will help your clients want to do business with you again. This is the key to business success.

You have five reasons for trusting Australian Christmas Cards with your order. Firstly, it is value for money. Secondly, it is choice. Thirdly, it is accuracy. Fourthly, it is easy for you to order. Fifthly, you will receive your cards quickly.

Let me explain.

1. Value – We keep a close eye on what our competitors are charging and you will always pay a fair price for your cards when you buy from Australian Christmas Cards. All of our cards are high quality. They have to be. We are a high volume supplier with thousands of corporate clients who depend on us to present their company in the best possible light. All cards are 185mm x 110mmm when folded and are printed on 250gsm board. They are cast coated with a gloss finish. Many cards are complemented by gold foil and there is no extra charge for these cards.

You have three ways of saving money. Firstly, order early. Refer to the home page for bonuses and incentives for ordering early. Secondly, order in larger quantities. The more you order, the lower the unit price. Thirdly, you can order from our range of discounted cards. Our 33% off cards are very popular. We always start with a big range, but by mid December, many are out of stock. These are the same quality as our other Christmas cards. They are simply designs from last year or earlier.

There are no hidden charges. Postage is free except for a $3 charge for orders under $100. No charge for proofs or corrections to proofs. Artwork is free unless you ask us to design a custom card especially for your business. You also receive free self-sealing envelopes… choose from red, white or green. You will receive 1% extra in case you make a mistake but let us know if you need more. You will also receive free card only stickers to minimise your postage when these are requested. The only extra charges are 18 cents per card for colour printing and $20 for an extra print run or a different inside message.

2. Choice - You can choose from over 100 exclusive designs. One of the reasons we have so many designs is that we do at least 20 new designs every year. You can rest assured that the designs are modern and are sourced from leading photographers and artists. When you deal with a company like Australian Christmas Cards which specialises in corporate Christmas Cards, you can be sure that you will have a large variety of cards to choose from. You can order traditional designs, Australiana style cards, comical cards, religious cards, cards featuring the beach as well as rural scenes. You can also order Christmas cards designed specifically for various industries such as accountants, real estate agencies, lawyers, transport companies, earthmovers, the construction industry, swimming pool companies, motor cycle dealers, car dealers, motor mechanics, forklift companies, security companies, bus companies and concrete companies.

You can also choose from four price ranges. Firstly, you can order our custom or deluxe range of Christmas cards. Add your company name, logo, photo or other image to the front of your Christmas card as well as personalising the inside of your card. Secondly, order from our standard range of Christmas cards. These include our new designs, our popular industry cards and many other high quality designs. Next, you can order from our range of 33% off Christmas cards which are equivalent in quality to our standard range of cards but are discounted to leave room for many new designs in our standard range. You can also order a few cards from our 50% off range. We have a few designs here that are at least two years old but are priced for a quick sale. (Note, when ordering discounted cards you will not qualify for free bonuses displayed on the home page.)

Finally, we want your business so if the simple matter of a few dollars is important, please let us know and we will help you but rest assured, we are confident you will find that these cards offer the best value and best choice in terms of design and price.

3. Accuracy – When designing personalised cards, you want to do everything you can to get the spelling and grammar correct. You can design your own inside message online. You can also request another PDF proof. Whilst we take no responsibility for spelling or grammatical errors, our designers are experienced and will check your inside message themselves and contact you if they see any obvious mistakes. Even though, we process thousands of orders each year, our staff will take the time to see that your order is accurate. It is as important to us as it is to you.

4. Easy To Order – You can order your greeting cards online or if you prefer you can download an order form and use this. You can also email your order to sales@austchristmascards.com.au. When emailing attachments, make sure you send us TIF, EPS or PDF files that are at least 300dpi. If you prefer, you can call us on 1-800 226 202 (from Australia) or 0800 128 727 (from New Zealand) or 612 9631 3366 (from overseas).

5. Fast Delivery – Of course, it is no use making it easy to order your high quality cards at exceptional value and 100% accuracy if we cannot get them to you quickly enough. Our business has been through many Christmas rushes and we know what is the best way to get your Christmas cards to you on time every time. Sure, we will hire extra staff, have the most up-to-date printing technology and use the most efficient transport companies but what we will do for you is treat your order as important, whether it is small or large. Also, if your order is urgent, please let us know and we will accommodate you.

You can put a date required on your order form or in the additional comments of your online order. Once your order is approved or received (if no proof is necessary), your cards will be despatched within 1-5 working days. For calendars, please allow 4-6 weeks for despatch. We are in Sydney, so priority will be given to faraway orders such as overseas, North Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Once your order is dispatched, approximate delivery times are as follows:

Sydney: 1-2 days
NSW Country: 2-3 days
Victoria: 2-3 days
South East Queensland: 2-3 days
Rest of Queensland: 3-5 days
South Australia: 3-5 days
Perth 4-5 days
Western Australia Country: 5-7 days
Tasmania: 3-5 days
Northern Territory: 5-7 days
New Zealand: 5-7 days
Overseas: 5-7 days (Cards are despatched by EMS and tracked.)

Delivery is free except for three exceptions:
a) Small orders under $100. Postage is $3.
b) Orders outside Australia and New Zealand. Postage is $20.
c) You request faster delivery by Express Post, Courier or EMS. Delivery fee is at cost.

Firstly, Australian Christmas Cards provides Christmas cards to businesses all over the world, but primarily in Australia and New Zealand. We personalise Christmas cards for businesses with their company name, signatures of important staff, company logos and sometimes company photos including staff members and products. Individuals also buy personalised Christmas cards and can give their friends and relatives a more personal touch with our exclusive designs.

Secondly, we want to help you keep your customers for life. Customer retention is where the money is. You need to get profits from your customers in order to fund customer acquisition and expansion. If you only recognise your clients once a year, then Christmas time is the best time of the year to do so. However, we recommend you stay in touch more often that. I particular, to make a powerful impression on your best clients, we encourage the use of birthday cards. Our birthday cards are designed for business use and personalised with your company name and logo. Also, we recommend you acknowledge both large orders and regular orders with a thank you card which again can be personalised with your company name and logo. The best times to send thank you cards are 1-2 weeks after delivering and invoicing a large order. For your customers who order regularly, then a thank you card at the end of the financial year is most appropriate.

Thirdly, you can receive free marketing and other advice by registering for SmallBizTips. We genuinely want to help your business. Simply register your email address on the Home Page to receive free marketing and other advice.

Australian Christmas Cards is part of the Renton family group of businesses and was founded in 1964. Thousands of businesses now trust Australian Christmas Cards for personalised Christmas cards, corporate birthday cards, custom cards and related products in Australia and New Zealand as well as other parts of the world.

Back in 1964, the founder, Jack Renton, began importing stickers for accounts as a replacement for collection letters. Jack’s wife, Patience, assisted him in the marketing and processing of orders in the early years. Later, Jack’s customers requested stickers to thank their customers, especially at Christmas time. In 1976, the first Christmas sticker was designed.

Later on, Christmas cards were requested and these were first sold in 1988. At the same time, Jack’s son, Peter Renton took over the family business. In 1991, Peter embarked on an ambitious but successful project to sell Collection stickers, Christmas stickers and Christmas cards to Americans. Jack’s eldest son, Ian Renton took over the running of the family business. In 1994, Jack’s daughter, Robyn Renton, joined the family business.

Under Ian Renton’s leadership, the sales of Christmas cards continued to skyrocket so the trading name, Australian Christmas Cards, was registered in 2002. At the same time, this website was first developed.

The family business started in 1964 to help businesses in Australia collect their accounts more efficiently. You can still purchase these stickers at www.austcredit.com.au. Now, Australian Christmas Cards business specialises in helping your business and thousands of others retain their customers and increase their repeat sales through the use of thank you stickers, Christmas stickers, Christmas cards, birthday cards, calendars and more. Customer retention is where the money is and profits from retained customers are used to fund customer acquisition and growth.

Many of these products are personalised with company names, logos and even photos added to Christmas stickers, Christmas cards, birthday cards and calendars. To cater for so many personalised products, we introduced too more trading names. Renton’s Printing was formed in 2004 to also help you with personalised printing needs such as business cards, brochures, booklets, invoice books and much more. In 2009, Renton’s Labels was formed to help you with all of your custom labels requirements.

In 1974, the company Renton Management Services Pty Ltd, ABN 17 001 307 900 was formed. The owner is Ian Renton and the company trades under the names Australian Christmas Cards, Australian Credit Stationers, Renton’s Printing and Renton’s Labels.

Pictured below are the members of the Renton family. From left to right are Peter, Jack, Robyn, Patience and Ian.

Our Outrageous “Better Than Your Money Back” 60 Day Double Guarantee

We do want your business but not only that, we want you to be so happy with your greeting cards and calendars that you will order from us again and again and recommend others to our business.

You should take on no risk when you order from Australian Christmas Cards. This is why you have the option to order now and pay later. Also, you are protected by our 120% Money Back Guarantee explained below.

In the unlikely event that you are not absolutely delighted with your order, we will:

1. Give you a complete no questions asked refund to the value of 120% of your purchase price. Just return your item at any time, within 60 days of purchase, for a prompt and courteous refund, and get 120% of your money back. This is not a misprint. We’re so confident of the quality of our products and our service that we are prepared to put our money where our mouth is.

If you prefer, we will order and pay for one of our competitors to fulfil your order for you.