Tips for Treating Your Clients During the Holiday Season

Despite good intentions, giving clients gifts at the holidays can be a prickly path. Yes, sending gifts is known to drive emotional engagement, which can increase revenue by 5% in addition to boosting goodwill and strengthening relationships. But, the wrong gifts can make everything go awry. How do you ensure your giving ways have the intended effect and make your clients feel special and excited? Here are some tips. 

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Listen All Year 

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If you’re just now thinking about gifts for client recognition, you’re a little late to the game. You can still absolutely send something meaningful (see the next section below), but aim to start earlier next year. Here’s what we do. All throughout the year, our account team is on high alert for any comments or conversations that reveal more about our customers. 

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Someone mentions that their child is highly allergic? We note it. Someone else talks about their goal to learn to golf? We write it down. By the time we get closer to the holidays, we review the information we know about our customers. We might send the person whose child has severe allergies a gift basket full of allergy-friendly products so we can feel good about their whole family enjoying it. For the avid golfer, we may cover a tee time at a nice, local golf course. You get the idea.

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Most customers don’t even remember sharing these tidbits with us, and the gifts are a wonderful surprise that show we’ve been listening - and that we care. 

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Let Them Choose 

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Let’s say you haven’t been ahead of the game in keeping note of customer preferences, hobbies and factoids. That makes giving clients gifts a little bit harder, but not impossible. In this situation, one of the most thoughtful things you can do is use a service that allows your recipients to select their own gift. 

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There’s a wide range of options for this, and they’re all pretty cool. Some offer a variety of baked goods and treats to choose from, while others give choices ranging from clothes to gift cards to experiences. If you spend a few minutes researching, you’re bound to find the one that fits your budget and style, while delighting your customers. 

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Consider The Value

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When all is said and done, just remember that the best gifts reflect your desire to honor your relationship with your client and give them something of value. You can send gifts that have your logo on them, but just make sure you’re not using the gesture as an excuse for advertising; clients can see through that and it doesn’t feel very good. Instead, make sure that they get true value from what you send their way. 

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Have some fun while giving clients gifts this holiday and give generously. You’ll never regret investing in these important relationships and bringing a smile to your customers’ faces. Happy Holidays! 

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Ready to work with a marketing agency that loves to bring our customers joy? Let’s talk!