The end-of-the-year holidays are here, and what better time to show gratitude to your sales clients than with a unique holiday gift? But what should you get them? Before you start shopping, there are some important best practices you’ll need to consider.
You’ll also want to think about how you can give gifts that set you apart from the rest. No one needs another generic knickknack, but all your clients will appreciate a gift that is thoughtful and personalized. And the more unique your gift, the more your clients will think of you in the new year. Luckily, we have some holiday gift ideas to inspire your creativity and originality!
Before we dive into them, let’s pause and consider the best practices you should follow when giving out gifts this season.
Review These Best Practices:
- Confirm and respect the client’s rules and policies. There is almost always a value cap, and often everyone in the department needs to be able to share or receive the gift. Stay within the most stringent organization gift acceptance policy.
- Consider affordability for the entire client team you work with – don’t leave anyone out. Include the receptionists, gatekeepers, and anyone you or your staff interact with on a regular basis.
- Show your client you care enough to do something extraordinary, thoughtful, and personal.
- Protect your reputation. Gifts can backfire if deemed inappropriate or outside normal etiquette. You never want the gift to be perceived as a bribe or an attempt to curry favor.
- Ignore shameless self-promotion and branding, because then it’s not a gift, it’s marketing. If you do include your logo on the gift, it should be discreet and tasteful.
- It’s always a good idea to demonstrate your gratitude.
- The package matters, so make sure it arrives in one piece and looks great.
Now that we’re on solid footing regarding best practices and guidelines to adhere to, let’s dive into the fun part: choosing a unique holiday gift for your clients!
Try Out These 15 Gift Ideas:
- Recipe Card Tin: From my family to yours, or your team to their team. You can also include an unusual or unique ingredient, or a specific tool needed to prepare the recipe(s).
- Hand-Crafted Treasures: These could include ornaments, wreaths, button floral arrangements, or an office cubicle hook rack. Local artisans, craft fairs, Etsy, or Minted have loads of unique ideas and products. If you are a crafter, the gift can be truly special by making it yourself.
- Treasure Box or Goodie Bag: Bring them for every individual on your client’s team. Include both edible and non-edible items for every taste. The non-edible item should be a useful memento.
- Video from Your Team: Film your team stating why they enjoy working with the client. Your client will love this personalized video gift!
- Photo of Your Client Service Team: Share a shot of them at a whiteboard working on the client projects.
- Gourmet Food Tray: Get one for the entire department! Don’t forget to include non-edible goodies for long-lasting remembrance.
- Catered Lunch: Bring food to their workplace for the whole team. Remember to include non-edible keepsakes!
- Personal Letter: Write out your gratitude in a letter. Bonus points if it’s hand-written. And send it via snail mail!
- Discount Code “Gift”: For example, you can provide a code for a percent off during the holidays, or to use in the new year.
- Done-for-Them Templates: Shared a handy template they can use every day.
- Primary Product Line Gift: Give them a physical or virtual item related to your primary product line, such as exclusive samples or a collection.
- Activity Basket: Provide baskets for the client team and/or their families. Fun activities can include holiday trivia, crosswords, sudoku, board games, and even yoyos. Go wild!
- Repurposed Mementos: Repurpose items unique to your industry. This could require planning to hire a local artisan, but your exclusive gift would be distinct and memorable.
- Bulbs or Seeds Wrapped in a Bowl: The green thumbs out there will love this, especially once the plants start blooming. But even if they don’t want to plant the bulbs, they may want to keep the bowl, making it a good gift for nature types and non-nature types alike.
- Company-Wide Event: For an experience everyone will remember, consider arranging an event or party for the whole team, department, or company. This can be tricky, due to conflicting schedules and a potentially high cost, but it may be a good option for you.
We hope these 15 holiday gift ideas have been the inspiration you need to go out and buy – or even make! – the perfect presents for your clients. A little thought and creativity goes a long way, so consider how your gifts can stand out. Don’t forget the best practices that will guide you in choosing the right presents. Happy holidays, and let us know what gifts you gave this year! We’d love to see and hear about them!
Amanda Whitbeck is Vice President of Operations at Petite2Queen. Since earning her master’s degree in Global Entertainment & Music Business from Berklee College of Music, Amanda has played key roles facilitating growth at start-ups. She’s also worked in diverse sectors of the music industry, from live events promotion to entertainment journalism. She brings her expertise in music business, writing, and website development to Petite2Queen.