When it comes to holiday gift giving, this cliché stands the test of time: it really is the thought that counts. And depending on the size of your organization, the number of folks you’d like to share gifts with, the size of your budget, and your resources, there are many ways to be particularly thoughtful. And in approaching gift giving in very thoughtful ways, you also endear yourself to your clients and employees. Let’s look at a few scenarios that focus on clients but could be applied to your equally important employees:
A firm with a smaller number of large, high-value clients
For firms geared to smaller professional services companies, you have the luxury of giving gifts that really fit the client’s personality – whether it be something for the principal only, their leadership team, or the whole company. Some meaningful ideas:
Gourmet honey and assorted teas for the principal that loves to sing in her free time
Shareable gourmet snacks for their conference room
Gift certificate for a lovely dinner out for the principal and their spouse
Sponsoring a happy hour for a firm’s team
Donation to a charity that’s special to a company’s president or their organization
Certificate for babysitting hours for a client with younger children so the couple can enjoy a night out
Bottles of wine that are hand selected
A company with a large number of clients
Many companies have such a large number of clients that taking the highly personal route just isn’t practical – or budget-friendly. Three suggestions for how to approach this:
Work with a promotional items company to produce a large volume of branded, low-cost gifts – a trendy, fun item that you can give or mail to your top tier customers. A good vendor will be happy to meet your budget and creativity needs.
Review your client base and determine a certain tier to receive special greeting cards from your president. Nothing stands out more than a handwritten, personalized note expressing appreciation for a customer’s business and relationship.
Using the same approach of stratifying your client base, you can apply the suggestions that a firm with smaller, high value clients might use.
December may be traditional, but it’s not the only game in town
Feeling stressed about the holidays already? Who’s to say that you must give holiday gifts in December? Make client appreciation unique for your company by considering the following:
You’ll have almost a year to plan now, but commandeer Thanksgiving for your special time to recognize clients with gifts or cards.
Kick the new year off right with a focus in early January.
Show your love to clients and employees around Valentine’s Day.
If your company has special seasons or big events around certain dates, anchor down with those significant times – Tax Day, seasons starting, summer vacations, patriotic holidays, back-to-school, etc.
There’s no right or wrong way to give a gift – so show off your thoughts and share your appreciation! Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays from all of us at CSR.