Giving gifts to clients and partners at Christmas as part of your overall gifting strategy can play a massive role in building solid relationships with people who will help move your business forward.
One of the biggest challenges that you as a gift-giver need to overcome during Christmas is to make sure the gift is practical the whole year-round.
There will be an urge to give your recipient a gift that is seasonal or has a holiday flare like a Christmas Tree ornament. The problem with this type of gift is that the person will only think of you when they put the ornament on the tree.
And let’s face it, after a few years of throwing it into storage, is it really going to make it on the tree in a decade?
Probably not.
If you want to stand out, be memorable, and ingratiate yourself into the heart and mind of your recipient, you need to understand the 7 keys to a great corporate gift.
The 7 Keys to a Great Corporate Gift
- Practical
Make sure your present is beneficial to the recipient. A gift that can be used daily (or at least 3-5 times a week) is unquestionably more valuable than a fancy item that practically has no use.
- Personalized
To stand out from the crowd, offer your gift in person, along with a customized message describing why you chose the item and why you felt they would enjoy it.
- Best-in-class
It’s a gift. You absolutely can not compromise the quality in any way. So, try getting a product of the highest quality within your budget. Longevity should be your topmost priority in this case.
- Luxury
To find an appropriate gift for customers, browse their social accounts to determine their interests and hobbies. Then, perhaps get them something they wouldn’t buy for themselves but would appreciate a lot if given to them.
- Handwritten Notes
Don’t underestimate the value of personalizing your message by hand-delivering it or penning a handwritten note clarifying your intentions. Notes are always a way to add a special touch to anything.
- Including Inner Circle
Another point to remember when you’re giving a gift is how you can make it useful for the recipient’s family. Try to be thoughtful and maybe listen to what they say.
- Continuity Theme
Try to create a theme or pattern with your gifts. In this way, you can make sure that the customers are looking forward to getting your gift. Multiple gifts can snowball an emotional impact on the customers.
So, let’s see if we can find some gifts that your recipients can’t wait to show off to their friends when they have them over for holiday gatherings but will be used the whole year-round.
Cutlery
One of the most practical gifts that you can give to a recipient is a beautifully designed cutlery set.
This is the type of gift that will be used by every member of the household multiple times per day.
It is also a gift that you can give in continuity – meaning that you’ll have an excuse to follow up with your recipient with a gifting theme. Imagine giving a set of knives on Christmas followed by an ice cream scoop on their birthday.
And you can personalize the knife set with an engraving that says something like, “Merry Christmas! Looking forward to working with you this year!”
Refresh Glass
Refresh Glass is beautiful household glassware made from recycled bottles. These are custom engraved gifts that your whole family will use the entire year.
You can custom engrave your recipient’s glassware with their last name or the logo of their company.
Just like cutlery, these also make for great continuity gifts. You can gift a glass set, then follow it up with a custom flower vase, and then a carafe set.
These are conversation pieces that your recipients and their guests will talk about through the entire holiday season and beyond.
Cork Pops
Cork Pops can be a magical experience for the wine lover that you’re gifting. You can’t say that about too many products that cost less than $50.
Instead of struggling to uncork a wine bottle, your recipient will simply push a button and the cork is removed.
No more twisting, pulling, or broken corks that are nearly impossible to remove.
If your recipient is a wine enthusiast, then this is a gift that will be used over and over again. And each time they go to drink a glass of wine, they will smile and think of you – leaving a lasting imprint of your relationship in their hearts and minds.
GlassyBaby
GlassyBaby is customized hand-blown, household glassware. We know people who were gifted GlassyBaby and their spouses absolutely fell in love with the product.
For instance, our co-founder John Hall had this to say about GlassBaby
“I was given a Glassybaby votive from the company’s founder after we met at an event and she said she wanted to work with my company. My wife fell in love with the product and constantly mentions it to me. I’m a believer in the “Happy wife, happy life” principle, and when my wife is happy, I have warm feelings about the person who gave her that gift. I’ve worked with the founder on different projects since, and I can’t see myself ever not advocating for glassybaby.”
Varidesk
As companies shift more to a remote-first society, your partners and clients are building their home offices and optimizing their remote working conditions.
One of the most thoughtful gifts you can give to these clients and partners is a Varidesk. With the push of a button, the desk can change heights from a sitting desk to a standing desk.
A Varidesk is incredibly practical and will be used every single day.
And it can be used as part of an overall gifting strategy. You can start by giving them a desk for Christmas, followed by chair, storage units, and even accessories.
Imagine how impressed your client will be when their entire home office is furnished by the gifts you’ve given to them.
Cherokee and Texas
Cherokee and Texas specialty is customized handcrafted leather goods. You can gift your client or partner anything from a travel bag, to a leather passport cover, to an iPad case.
Each piece that you gift will be a conversation starter when your recipient goes to conferences and travels for business.
Aura Frames
Aura Frames are the perfect holiday gift, especially for your clients who are grandparents!
Aura Frames will display your photos as you take them. Imagine that your recipient’s Aura Frame is getting updated with pictures of their grandchildren as they are opening their Christmas presents in real-time.
Aura Frames will also curate favorite images and eliminate duplicate or blurry photos.
With an Aura Frame, you can gift your recipient their memories – no more sentimental, practical, or personal gift will you find.
LSTN Music Accessories
LSTN is a socially good electronics company. So not only will you be buying a conversation piece for your client, you will help someone receive a hearing aide who needs one.
Tis the season for giving.
LSTN designs headphones, speakers, earpods that are made from sustainable materials such as Zebra wood and vegan leather.
LSTN Music accessories are both practical in that you can use them every single day, are a best-in-class product backed by their lifetime support, and are a luxury item that your recipient will want, but not necessarily buy for themselves.
Finally, they can be part of a continuity gifting strategy as well. You can start with headphones, then gift earphones and follow up with a speaker set.
Hue Lighting System
A Hue Lighting System is sure to be a conversation starter for anyone who receives them. The lights change when a person enters the room, or there is a mood or energy change.
They would be impossible to miss.
And when your recipient is asked about the lights, which they inevitably will be, your client will fondly tell the person who gave the system to them.
A Virtual Experience
Give the gift of a virtual experience to someone you care about! People will always be able to think back fondly on the experiences they’ve shared with their family and friends.
And if you’re the one who contributed to that experience, you will be forever in their heart – giving you an advantage to win their business.
There are numerous companies that offer virtual experiences that can blow your team’s socks off. Everything from appreciation dinners to zoom trivia and more. Contact us 1 on one for recommendations.
Final Words…
While we suggest that you don’t gift only on the ABC’s (Anniversaries, Birthdays, and Christmas), gifting clients and partners during Christmas as part of an overall gifting strategy can be a powerful marketing tool.
By giving a gift that will stand the test of time, be frequently used all year round, and be personal to the recipient, you will be able to ingratiate yourself and your business into the hearts and minds of your recipient.
To help you put together a comprehensive Christmas gifting strategy, contact us for a one on one consultation.
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