Monthly Archives: October 2013

12 Tips for Business Holiday Greetings

Holiday messages that relay sincere thanks and gratitude, used effectively, build visibility and relationships with business customers.  Holiday greeting cards are a good way to reconnect with past customers and rekindle sales, maintain and foster current business relationships, and create new ones.  Says Jacqueline Whitmore, author of Poised for Success: Mastering the Four Qualities That Distinguish Outstanding Individuals (2011), “Cards leave a lasting impression and let others know you’re thinking about them.”

Thus a business can gain enormous value from sending out holiday greetings each year. Customers appreciate a company that has taken the time and effort to select an attractive card, craft a personal message, and then hand-address and mail holiday cards. Colleagues and employees also appreciate messages of thanks and gratitude. Such messages can help motivate staff and maintain a positive workforce.

To send effective holiday greetings, consider these 12 tips gleaned from etiquette gurus:

  1. Start early to order cards and update names and addresses.  Ideally, update contact information ongoing, including land addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers. Read more ›
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16 Frequently Asked Business Writing Questions

1.  When are “state” and “federal” capitalized?  State and federal are capitalized when part of a proper name such as the name of a federal agency or act, etc. (for example Federal Reserve Bank but federal, state, and local laws).  The terms federal government and government (referring specifically to the United States government) are now commonly written in small letters.  In government documents, however, and in other types of communications where these terms are intended to have the force of an official name, they are capitalized. 

2.  How are “I,” “me,” and “myself” used?  Use I as a subject [Louise and I submitted our reports yesterday.] and after than in comparisons or with understood verbs [She is a faster typist than I (am).].  Use me as an object of a verb [Please put Lila and me on the expense account.] and as the object of a preposition [David assigned the project to Sam and me.].  Use myself when I has already been used as the subject—intensively [I, myself, will handle this.] or reflexively [I hurt myself playing tennis.]. 

3.  What is the difference between “than” and “then”?  Than is a conjunction used in comparisons; then (which rhymes with when) is an adverb indicating time [He is older than I am.  I will see you at dinner and return your book then.]. Read more ›

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