We are well and truly into the silly season, and like most reputable businesses, you’ve probably organised little Christmas gifts for all your wonderful clients.
As a small business, we know the importance of taking the time to show our clients that they are valued by sending them a special gift and hand written card before we close the doors for a well-deserved break.
However, the thing about Christmas is the dollar value starts to add up when you’re buying for multiple clients.
We thought we would put together a guide to help others navigate through the buying season, helping you to spend realistic amounts for each of your clients.
Many companies have strict gift giving guidelines when it comes to accepting presents. Some aren’t allowed to accept gifts at all, particular local and state government clients, and if received, have to donate to the company’s social club who hold an end of year auction with all funds donated to charity. Or worse yet – they send the gift back… how awkward!
A standard Christmas gift is a nice bottle of bubbles, but again do they have a no alcohol policy and is it appropriate to send alcohol? If you are sending to a government agency or mining company (alcohol free sites, often even their city offices!), check to see if alcohol is a big no no.
A little trick we keep up our sleeve, if in doubt, gift a perishable item. A morning tea drop or fresh flowers are some of the few items that are exempt from the policy (but not endorses either). It’s because these types of items won’t last until the social club does its charity auction on gifted items so they “unfortunately” must be consumed (and enjoyed!).
Keeping all this in mind, double check the company’s gift policy each year to avoid any disappointment that the hand selected gift you’ve delivered can’t be accepted or is returned.
Regardless of the industry you’re in, if you have clients, they are investing some sort of capital into your business. How do you reward them at Christmas, by giving them a mug with your logo slapped all over it? Ummm… no!
Although you have good intentions and think adding your logo to a gift is a sweet touch – it may be seen as a promotional tactic by the receiver and will become very distasteful very quickly. It’s best to save the promotional approach for a different time of year.
Spending more money on your client’s gift than what they have invested in your services for the year is beyond ridiculous. What is the point in all your hard work if you’re then going to be out of pocket for the year? This is why you should actually work out your clients spend for the year and gift appropriately. Anything between 1-5% of spend is considered normal.
We’re generally know who tops our list as the biggest clients and biggest spends, but it’s the clients that follow after them in the list of spend that often surprise us – with their smaller but consistent spends throughout the year adding up close behind some of the bigger clients.
For clients that you haven’t done too much work for, maybe opt for a simple, smaller, gift. How about a sweet little plant, insanely scented candles and a personally written Christmas card?
For those big spending clients go for something with a little more meaning. A luxury dining experience for two to a highly regarded restaurant, or an afternoon at a Day Spa! Give them a reason to take time out, step away from our hectic lifestyles to relax and do something they may not often get to do. It’ll be memorable for them for all the right reasons.
Although they are a bit pricier, if these clients have invested lots of time and money, reward them this Christmas and they’ll know you appreciate and recognise the work flowing between your businesses.
It doesn’t matter how much or little your client spends, it’s still important to personalise every gift and/or card you send. Sending them a hamper with shortbread and a fruitcake could quite possibly be the most boring, and wasteful, gift you can send. It’s very standard and doesn’t look like any effort has gone into it.
Now, this isn’t saying you can’t/shouldn’t send a hamper. If you have clients who like a good beer after a hard day’s work or to celebrate FriYay’s, why not send them a beer hamper! But again – don’t go with plain standard beers, pick a few boutique ones that you know are good and throw in a few curve balls so it’s a beer tasting experience… not just another Corona (no matter how much we like Corona’s for a Sunday sesh!). Now that’s a great idea!
If you have clients who are all about health and wellness, why not send them a relaxing gift box with all the wellness needs they could need over their break? Or if your client loves the outdoors but is often stuck in the office, why not get a gorgeous plant delivered so they can enjoy the fresh air they bring to the office.
Christmas comes once a year, and if you have ongoing clients it’s a good idea to have a document with who you sent what, so you can look at it each year ensuring you don’t keep sending the same client a similar gift… year after year #awkward. Not only will it help keep you looking creative and thoughtful, but you can swap around your already well thought of gift ideas each year.
Whether you have one or 40 clients, you need a realistic budget and stick to it. Why? Because buying an extravagant gift isn’t the most important thing, it’s about showing your clients that you’ve taken the time to think about them and wanted to show them that they are appreciated.
In your budget include the actual gift cost, stamp costs, postage expenses and Christmas cards. Otherwise you’ll get to sending the gift and realise all these extra expenses add up and before you know it, you’ve spent way more than you should have!
I hope some of these tips help you navigate your way through buying gifts this year and may your gift buying experience be a good one!
Green Assembly
A Little Luxury – Beer Hamper
Ginger B – Coffee Hamper
Beyond Rest – Salt bath complete for relaxation
MOP Donuts – for those agencies who can’t accept gifts
NeekNak
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Written by Marketing Coordinator Abbey Ross at Harby Studios.
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