The holidays are fast approaching and if you are a business owner you may be starting to think about giving holiday thank you gifts to your clients. Why? Because we feel good giving thanks to others. But more importantly, it's good to show appreciation and thanks for those who give continued business. A bonus of a good and thoughtful gift is that it helps one stay top-of-mind throughout the year.
One key factor when looking for a gift is to be thoughtful. Gone are the days of giving away gifts with branded logos stamped all over them. Clients have enough water bottles, sweatshirts and stress balls. If you want to stand out from the crowd or make a difference in the way your client thinks about your company, then offer them a gift that speaks to who they are, what they value, and gives them something that they can use for a lifetime to come. You may not hit all these key points in one gift, but hitting at least one will ensure that you are top of mind every time they look at, use or talk about your gift.
If you have super important clients, prospects, or referral sources that you want to impress or wow beyond the normal gift card or fruit bouquet, then dive into some of these fresh ideas for gifting.
Customized Gifts for Clients or Thank You Gifts
At Bestowe, we like to get to know you and your business in order to find a perfect gift/s that speaks to your brand and clientele. Anyone can go online and buy a branded sweatshirt, but we want to help you think beyond those tired ways. Our gifting services provide you with a curated tangible gift that speaks not only to you and your values, but to those of your customers. Take for instance a gift we designed for a Realtor Client in the Bay Area. We chose home items that might make the client feel more comfortable in their new homes. To make it extra special we included only items from the area as a way to welcome them, not only to their home, but to their new community. Giving a gift with a personal connection, a connection to community and a nod to the values that your company holds is precious and tells a story worth holding onto.
If you are interested in what we can offer you, whether it's for 30 or 300 thank you presents, shoot us a note. We would like to offer you 10% off your full order if you reference this article. We handle everything for you so you can just watch the thank you's roll in from well-loved and appreciative clients. Contact Us Here.
The Client Experience Gift
If you want to move in a different direction, perhaps you want to share an experience gift with your clients. You could give them passes to the theater (and a hard to get into show), tickets on a wine tour at local wineries, a concert, or a class.
The Gift of Food
My personal favorite is giving the gift of food. This could go one of two ways; if you really like your client and live close, take them out to a nice meal. Now, if you have a lot of clients, you can't do this for everyone, so instead, give them a gift certificate to a dinner out for two at a favorite restaurant of theirs.
Another food angle is to buy them a lovely set of cooking tools with their names engraved into them. We have a lovely cutting board (as in our Host Your Heart Out gift) that just oozes craftsmanship and skill (a nod to what you might offer to your clients) and is fully customizable with personalized brandishes.
Here's the catch, I want you to think about that word "thoughtful" again. All clients are different. What if some like to eat at home a lot, if they like to cook for themselves, if they are gluten free or a vegetarian? Consider these factors when picking out the restaurant, food delivery service or product. The worst is giving a standardized gift card to all of your clients, let's say to Red Lobster (is that still a thing?) and they are allergic to shellfish. The cool thing about the physical cooking products is that it is more universal. I mean, everyone has a kitchen right?
Hosting a party for your clients
Host a small appreciation party. Plan early as this time of year can get quite crazy. My favorite type of party is inviting people to your home. This is the gift that shows that you are willing to share a piece of yourself to your clients. If you aren't comfortable with that, then your office will do. Just make sure you set up your party so that your guests feel taken care of. Serve food, drinks, have a coat check, pay for Lyft rides or valet parking if you are in a busy zone. Music is always a nice touch as well. Make it as easy as possible for them to feel doted on. We shared a nice article on hosting a great house party not too long ago if you choose to go this route. Read More
This should go without saying, but now let's talk a wee bit about personalization. ALWAYS top off your gift with a personalized HAND-written note. You may not have the best hand-writing (so have someone else write it), but nothing is worse than getting a type-written generic message. Also, I try to give all of my gifts away personally when I can. It will add that extra level of care.
If you want to learn more about our services and how we can help your company stand out with your clients this holiday season through thoughtful thank you gifts, Contact Us Here.