Let’s face it.
When you get a “gift” from a vendor or partner and it has their logo embroidered all over it, it doesn’t feel like a gift at all. Does it?
It feels more like that company is using you as a walking billboard to promote their business.
The cool kids call this swag. We hate swag.
A true gift should be meaningful to the recipient and should be given with no strings attached.
And giving something personal is the purest way to accomplish this.
In fact, giving a personal gift is one of the seven key ingredients in a successful gifting program to help you acquire new clients and retain existing ones.
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
This includes things like customization, one-of-a-kind gifts, and gifts with unique origin stories.
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 employees, browse their social accounts to determine their interests and hobbies. 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. If their spouse or other family members are able to use the gift, you will ingratiate yourself further in their hearts and minds.
Continuity Theme
Try to create a theme or pattern with your gifts. In this way, you can make sure that the employees are looking forward to getting your gift. Multiple gifts can snowball an emotional impact on the employees.
Here are 7 personalized gift ideas that you can give to your clients.
Cutlery
Cutlery makes a great personalized gift because it is easy to engrave. Almost all households have a knife set that they use and give almost no thought to.
Now, imagine your client uses a beautifully designed cutlery set with an engraving that has their name engraved on the side of the knives or an inside joke that the two of you share.
Every time they go to prepare their food, they will think fondly of you and the relationship that you’ve grown over the years.
Another reason that cutlery makes a great personalized gift is because everyone in the client’s house will use the gift.
If you can get your client’s spouse to love your company, you will have no better sales advocate.
Refresh Glass
If you’re looking to give a gift that is sure to be a conversation starter around the dinner table, then look no further than a customized Refresh Glass set.
Refresh glass takes old glass bottles and turns them into beautifully designed glassware that can be used every day.
And you can get each piece of the set engraved with your client’s last name.
Like cutlery, each member of the household will be using the glassware so there is a lot of buy-in from your client’s inner circle.
Glassybaby
Glassybaby is another glassware company that we’ve really grown to love.
Each glass, rocker, and candle is hand-made by a professional glassblower in their Seattle shop. So when you give a Glassybaby as a gift, you can be sure that you are giving a one-of-a-kind item.
You can also customize the glass with your client’s logo or name.
Does it get any more personalized than a customized one-of-a-kind, hand-made, glass set?
Leatherology
As part of an overall gift-giving strategy, luggage is a great choice.
First of all, you can personalize it. A nice piece of luggage from a company like Leatherology can have your client’s initials or your client’s logo making it a one of a kind piece.
Second, you can make luggage part of a continuity gifting strategy and give a complete set. First you can give a duffle bag, then a backpack, then a brief bag, then a wallet holder, etc.
And finally, good luggage lasts forever. It can be passed down from generation to generation.
Aura Frames
One of the most personalized gifts you can give to someone is their memories for the world (or their office) to see.
An Aura Frame will allow your clients to upload pictures from their phone in real time, curate the pictures into albums, and eliminate any duplicate or blurry pictures.
So, if your client only wants to see pics of their grandchildren during Christmas, they can very easily create an album to do just that.
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.
A virtual experience can be extremely personalized to your individual client’s needs. For instance, if your client loves to cook, you can gift them a virtual cooking class. If they love wine, you can gift them a virtual wine tasting class.
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.
LSTN Music Accessories
We’ve included LSTN music accessories here because for us, personalization also includes unique origin stories.
When you give someone a LSTN Music accessory, you can be assured of two things:
First, it is made with a sustainable material such as Zebrawood.
And second, proceeds of each item you purchase will go to helping someone purchase hearing aids so someone can hear for the first time.
To date, the company has donated over 50,000 hearing aids through the proceeds of their headphones.
Final Words
We have seen the best success with gift-giving when it is approached as a no strings attached marketing endeavor designed to build relationships with your best clients.
We want to give gifts that your clients will love, not swag that they’ll throw away the moment they receive it.
You want to give a gift that will make them think fondly of you, not turn them into a walking billboard for your company.
By gifting highly personalized gifts like those listed above, you’ll be sure to build lasting relationships with clients.
Schedule a call with us to create an Employee Christmas Gift strategy.
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