An Early Start to Holiday Gift Giving

San Diego: “Is it just me or does it seem a little mechanical to send out the same holiday gift to every client?” remarked Bob in a recent coaching call. “It seems everyone in my office is starting to make plans for this year’s fruit cake or wine basket. That’s not a best practice club I want to join.”

I don’t blame him. There are certainly more effective ways to spend your client gifting dollars. For starters, you don’t have to wait until December. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to start sharing goodwill.

 

We’ve had the pleasure of dealing with some real pros when it comes to sending small gifts to affluent clients. We call this concept “Surprise and Delight”. Clients are surprised that you bought them a gift and delighted that it was so thoughtful and personal. We’ve seen this seemingly small part of the overall service model work wonders for both client retention and client acquisition.

Let me share a few examples that might spark a few early gifting ideas for your top affluent clients:

One top producer sent 5 of his best clients an oven roasted turkey from a local organic grocery store with a card that said “To the biggest turkey I know”. He had people with more money than they could spend in three lifetimes calling and saying “Thank you so much. What a great surprise.” Not to mention, it was too much turkey to eat alone, so one client invited the advisor to join the dinner party with three of her friends. Wow – what a great introduction.

Another advisor hand delivered a Surprise and Delight gift for one of her best clients at a nursing home. The client complained about the nursing home food in their last review meeting and the advisor took notice. She knew this client’s favorite home-cooking restaurant and hand delivered a nice meal for her and a few friends. The client actually had tears in her eyes when she realized what was happening.

We’ve even had an advisor who hosted a holiday cooking class for a handful of his top clients and their friends. He organized a top chef from the area to come to his house for a quick lesson on preparing the perfect holiday meal. The clients loved it and so did the guests. This simple (and inexpensive) gesture put two new prospects in his pipeline.

These are three of many examples. You just have to get creative and think about gifts that your clients would really enjoy. And remember, Surprise and Delight is not just for clients; it can make quite the impact on prospects and COIs as well.

Here are a few websites with great Thanksgiving-time gifts:
Godiva.com – Chocolate Comforts Gift Basket - $55
1800Flowers.com – Thanksgiving Centerpiece - $39
GiftsofWine.com – Wines with Personalized Labels - $39
FreshMarket.com – 10lb Fully Cooked Turkey - $35
Chocolate.com – German Chocolate Cake - $40

Affluent client relationships, as any business expert will tell you, are the lifeblood of a successful business. The old adage that it costs less to keep clients than to find new clients is only part of the reason. As importantly, your current clients should be a wellspring of new business opportunities. But this doesn’t happen all by itself. You’ve got to stimulate positive word-of-mouth influence and Thanksgiving, a time when American’s really do reflect and give thanks, is a perfect venue for providing a personal touch.

Few things have the impact of a timely Surprise and Delight. Be on the lookout for our Surprise and Delight Mini-Guide that’s due out in December. It’s full of great client gifting ideas.