Holiday ideas (already!)

It's time to start thinking about holiday gifts for clients and prospects. But with this strange economic situation, things may be a little different this year.

We're not sure yet what to do. I like to give something useful and relevant and not so expensive, of course. So we're tossing around a few ideas along those lines. (Here's my latest find for something decidedly not useful or relevant, but delicious nonetheless.)

How are you handling holiday gifts? Any different from last year? What are you planning to give, if anything? What resources and web sites do you recommend?

Comments

[Miss Theda]

I'm giving everyone the book "The Vision Board: The Secret To An Extraordinary Life" by Joyce Schwarz.

I bought the book in bulk direct from the publisher so, it was 50% and the message is timely.

[Mary]

I opt to send a Happy New Year gift to avoid being lost in the crowd and it helps to have clients thinking about you in a positive way as they look at the project planning calendar. Since most clients don't know anything about where I live, one year I sent tasty treats manufactured here. Last year, I sent coffee packaged here to benefit a nonprofit group and my clients appreciated the tie-in to our fundraising niche. This year, I'm considering offering more of what I know they like, quality work at great prices. It will tie in to my current marketing program and offer them special discounts for their projects and maybe the opportunity to pass on discounts to a colleague. It's always fun to save money and help a friend do the same.

[Catherine]

I'm always wondering about what to give.
I think your truffles idea is good. I'm leaning towards home made biscotti, myself (they are really good)... but that remains to be determined. I usually don't give to prospects.

Actually, in the last two years, I have brought some of my very good customers out to lunch or dinner. I was wondering, once you've done it, do you have to keep with it?

[TurtleBlueBird]

A few years ago, I noticed that - tho' I went out of my way to get an appropriate gift for each of my clients ... about 10 at that time ... only 4 even acknowledged the gift, and (1) was to say that he wished I hadn't sent him "sweet treats" as he had been given so many and he was trying to lose weight. (A fact I did not know.)

I was really blue about the whole experience - it had been a lot of work to buy 'em & wrap 'em - and was telling my husband about it one night. His advice was perfect for me, I took it to heart and have never been sorry. "Your clients aren't family or personal friends. Is it really appropriate to be giving them gifts? How many of the people who you're a client of give you gifts? Your clients may even feel uncomfortable that they don't have an obviously thoughtful gift for you!"

You know - there w-e-r-e only two who had sent me gifts ... a graphic designer sent one of those mini Whitman's samplers (!), and my printer, who sent a fake-leather desk calendar. I thanked them both, and pitched both gifts.

Nothing from my attorney or doctor or CPA - and, on reflection - that's how I want to be regarded in my clients' lives, so I no longer send holiday gifts.

Here's another question -- how many still send Christmas cards to clients? I stopped that, and have never been sorry. Christmas is essentially a family/religious holiday, and that's how I decided to celebrate it. It goes by so fast, and I was tired of missing the actual fun. (Now the only card I ever get is from a bank where I have a small account -- every year they manage to mis-spell my name in a new way. Yeah - makes me feel really special. What a waste, actually, of human time!)

Thanks for asking, Ilise!

(P.S. Lots of support for some of these ideas in Elaine St. James' "Simplify Your Christmas.")

[Lauri Baram]

Most years I've given my best 5-8 clients (who seem to end up as good friends as well) handmade gifts...scarves, knitted bowls, customized note cards, homebaked goodies w/recipes. Last year I just didn't have the energy & so I sent special delicious treats from Dancing Deer Bakery and John & Kira's. Sad to say, I got just as good (if not better) response from the yummies as from the items I slaved over for hours. That said, I still am knitting items for a couple select clients and the rest will be getting something environmentally friendly, to be determined. Any suggestions?

[Lauri Baram]

Most years I've given my best 5-8 clients (who seem to end up as good friends as well) handmade gifts...scarves, knitted bowls, customized note cards, homebaked goodies w/recipes. Last year I just didn't have the energy & so I sent special delicious treats from Dancing Deer Bakery and John & Kira's. Sad to say, I got just as good (if not better) response from the yummies as from the items I slaved over for hours. That said, I still am knitting items for a couple select clients and the rest will be getting something environmentally friendly, to be determined. Any suggestions?

[TurtleBlueBird]

P.S. Just to clarify - I regard my clients as friends. Absolutely! They are certainly in their own category of "friends" tho.' They aren't personal friends and - by the nature of the relationship - they just can't be "though thick and thin" friends. That was what my husband meant and what I may not have made clear here.

Funny thing that - my actual BFF and I agreed long ago not to do Christmas gifts. Occasionally, one of us will see something that's perfect for the other and just get it. Don't need Christmas to give a gift!

[Julia Reich]

I'm giving locally grown and made golden quince paste, beautifully packaged in round little glass pots and wrapped with kraft paper and handwritten tags from Schoolhouse Farms, in the Finger Lakes of NYS. I'm big into the whole "localvore" foodie movement and since many of my clients are in the food industry, it will be an unusual and tasty gift.

[Laurie Stafinski]

Ilise,

Thanks for posing the fun question! I enjoyed the post because it got me thinking about gift ideas for clients and prospects that wouldn’t break the bank.

I had a couple of ideas. I was thinking for your best clients – something from Edible Arrangements. I know it is a little pricier, but they are delicious (I’ve had one), fun, and they have a great selection.

For other clients and prospects, I suggest restaurant gift cards – practical and useful. It doesn’t have to be to a pricey restaurant like Smith & Wollensky, it could be to Pub 99, Chile’s, Applebee’s, or Uno.

[Ilise Benun]

Here's a post from Marketing Mentor client, John Hutson, of Lyric Space Design (http://www.lyricspaceltd.com/):

Last year I was given the NEW YORKER Cartoon Calendar. A stand up desk calendar approx 5” x 6” . It is inexpensive and gives you a 365 Full page cartoons from the past New Yorkers. I get a good chuckle nearly every morning. This gift reinforced my impression of the giver as smart and cosmopolitan . I suggest this as a good gift to give a client.

[Ilise Benun]

Thanks for all these comments. Everyone has their own approach to and take on business giving for the holidays. From my point of view, it's one more marketing opportunity, a chance to get your name in front of the people you are nurturing relationships with. And sometimes even to show another example of your work. But don't take it that seriously and if you don't want to, you obviously don't have to.

I'm leaning toward contributing to a charity in the name of my clients, but trying to find a way that isn't "goody-two-shoes." Seems like the best way to "spend" money at the moment.

[TurtleBlueBird]

To a charity - Ilise. May I suggest, how about something devoted to helping animals? It's obviously something that is close to your heart, and rare is the person who has never loved or at the very least admired one or another or the planet's amazing creatures. Just a thought!

[Jenny Daughters]

Here's a perfect gift...
Heifer International is a wonderful organization that, through donations, provides animals directly to needy families. The offspring of these animals are then passed on to other families and so on. To quote the Associated Press, “"The idea behind Heifer ... is similar to the notion that it's better to teach a man to fish so he can feed himself than to give him a fish that will feed him just once. One animal could eventually benefit an entire community."

[Jenny Daughters]

and if you would like the web address:
http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/

[Jennifer]

We traditionally (last 10 years) have made home made Dog bone shaped shortbread cookies. This will be the first year we're not. I pooled my friends the other night - most of them work for big corporations... they all stated that no one gives gifts anymore - none of them get gifts and they all mentioned that they think the money is better spent on others that need it more. This year we will make a donation to a charity in Toronto. Not sure which one yet but that will be our gift on behalf of every client we billed in the year.

It's hard to give up that tradition. I always liked giving them. But I feel that money is needed elsewhere this year.

Even my sister put a goat on her list this year- for a family in Africa.

[Alton Weekes]

Staying connected to family and friends during the holidays never goes out of style when you send a card. Why not order a box of these fabulous hand-crafted greets by designer Alton Weekes.
for more info visit www.altonweekes.com or call 888.299.0526

[Dani Nordin]

I was thinking about this a lot recently, and I've decided to give folks a reusable shopping bag (found a bunch of really cute ones for $3 at Pier One) with a couple of samples of hot cocoa mix and a Greyston Brownie. The theme will be "we did some shopping for you" (or something similar) and it's meant to showcase some of the new foodie clients we've gotten as well as give thanks for them being a great client.

[Susan Mathews]

All good ideas above! My clients (in the cold northeast) have responded well to a specialty food gift: Cushman's Honeybells. I plan to send those to maybe 4 top clients . . . and my vet! Over the years, clients (and vet + staff) have always acknowledged the gift and said they enjoyed them. This gift is a bargain in relation to the good will generated, and arrives well after the holiday chaos. I gave something else one year and clients let me know they missed these juicy fruit.

[Heather Loftiss]

For the last few years we have traded design services with one of our winery clients. This makes the PERFECT holiday gift, as everyone loves a good bottle of wine, it promotes one of our clients, it showcases our packaging work, and it does it all in a way that is not unappreciated. We send out about 50 bottles of wine, and we ALWAYS get thanked immediately from every client.

We make these New Year gifts rather than Christmas gifts, and talk about toasting to the success of the coming year. Our most successful gift other than the wine was the year we gave Chinese Lucky Cats out. These are traditional good luck tokens that businesses place in their windows or store front to attract customers. We gave those out about 5 years ago and they are still in EVERY storefront of every business we gave them to. We just found a wholesaler online and bought 50 of them. VERY SUCCESSFUL.

We send gifts to clients, vendors who have gone above & beyond, anyone who sends us multiple leads through the year, and prospects we have a good (but long tail) relationship with. So far this has always yielded more business for us. And people always remember us and even ask to be on our New Year's list. :-)

[Pamela Trow-Johnson]

I decided to give a gift to our clients that acted as a metaphor for our appreciation of being part of their team throughout the difficult times.

I was at an annual pottery arts sale and saw these wonderful 12" long clay fish. They were swimming toward the left rather than the right. It made me think of how this year has been a "swimming upstream" effort for most clients. Next, I contacted the artist and commissioned a "boat-load" of fish. I had a rubber stamp of the mark of my logo made for the artist to stamp my mark as the eye of the fish. Along with a beautiful card with a photo taken by my photographer husband and business partner, of a local snow covered covered-bridge over a stream, my clients will receive a set of three of the fish. The card will have an H. Jackson Browne quote, "In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins–not through strength but by perseverance." We'll acknowledge our appreciation for being part of their team-in-perseverance on the card.

I feel really good about this client gift. They'll hang the fish on a wall and be constantly reminded of the team effort and interest in their success.

[Kendall Lee]

This was my first year sending gifts to clients. I gave sets of gourmet hot chocolate in 5-6 flavors and huge bags of mini-marshmallows. I also hand-wrote notes saying I appreciated them and enjoyed working with them in 2008 and looked forward to continuing our relationship in 2009.

I think I spent more on packaging & shipping than I did on the actual gifts, but I think my clients will love them!

[lidia varesco design]

I'm so pleased to hear so many people send handmade, thoughtful gifts! I usually send handmade goodies made by a chef-friend, but as she is unavailable this year I've been researching new ideas and wrote this article for Biznik (Alternatives to Traditional Gift Giving): http://biznik.com/members/lidia-varesco/articles/alternatives-to-traditional-gift-giving.

I've recently become more active in encouraging people to shop local, whether it's at a small boutique or an art/craft show. In addition to my design biz, I have a line of greeting cards that I sell online and in shops, and I've witnessed shops closing due to the economy. Shopping local helps to support local artists, as well as the community as a whole. And in my opinion, the gift is more meaningful to the recipient.