Picture your best client's desk the second week of December, a stack of branded tumblers, two fleece vests with vendor logos, a stress ball shaped like a lightbulb, and a fruit basket slowly going soft in the corner. Every one of those gifts cost someone time and budget, and by January most of them will be in a donation box or the back of a cabinet.
Your gift is probably somewhere in that pile.
The gifts clients remember
Great sales professionals know that the gesture matters as much as the item. The gifts clients remember share a few things in common. They feel personal, they reflect something the client cares about, and they say something about who the giver is. A logo mug mostly advertises the company that sent it. Clients feel the difference when a gift shows someone was paying attention.
That's why more companies are rethinking client gifts altogether, trading branded merchandise for giving that makes a difference in the communities where their clients live and work.
A classroom in your client's honor
The Traveling Saleslady offers a gift with that kind of meaning: sponsoring the KinderCinch Early Literacy Program, or KELP.
KELP brings literacy kits into preschool, transitional kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms. Each kit includes a copy of Bedbug in a Mug: When Mom's Away, the Mom's Choice Award winning book by Deanna L. Vigliotta, along with a custom plush, a word search, a magnet, stickers and a cinch sack to carry it all home. The program grew out of the book's story about a mom who travels for work.
Now imagine your holiday card reading something like this: This year, in your honor, we sponsored early literacy kits for a kindergarten classroom. That's a gift a client will mention in a meeting, share with their team and remember long after the tumblers are gone.
Why it works in sales
It's personal. Tying the gift to a client's community shows you know where they live, work and care.
It reflects your values. Clients want partners who stand for something. This shows them what you stand for.
It builds a story. A shared cause gives you a reason to follow up in the new year that has nothing to do with a renewal.
It's easy on everyone. Nothing to ship, store or regift.
The timing is now
Most companies finalize holiday gifting plans in November. If your team is still debating between this year's tumbler and last year's vest, this is the moment to try something different.
Three things for your consideration:
What happened to the client gifts your company sent last year?
Which clients on your list care deeply about their local community or about kids and education?
What would you want a client to say about your company after opening your gift?
This piece is part of Road Notes from The Traveling Saleslady, short reads for sales professionals on the move. Invest in the classrooms where your team sells by sponsoring the KinderCinch Early Literacy Program (KELP). Find more Road Notes stories on YouTube @TheTravelingSaleslady or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Road Notes is a production of The Traveling Saleslady in partnership with Brilliant Beam Media.
