DID THEY RE-GIFT YOUR GIFT?
This year get to know your clients and what they want.

When I was 7 years old, I hadn’t quite got the concept of gift giving. The thought of spending my hard earned 25-cent a week allowance on other people was a little scary. But I steeled myself and the first Christmas present I bought was a badge with a picture of the Beatles, for my grandmother. I know, what was I thinking?

 

Re-gifting ad infinitum
Granny was 67 and I don’t think she had even heard of the Beatles. But not only did she sweetly thank me, she then gave the badge back to me. Wow, it was just the gift I would've wanted! Right away my avaricious little brain started plotting ahead to a long line of future Christmases, where I would buy family members gifts that I really wanted and they would simply give them back to me.

 

Back to the drawing board
Granny didn't have the heart to straighten me out, but my sister wasn’t so gentle. She made it crystal clear that if I gave her a Scalextric racecar, rather than give it back to me, she would sooner break it over my head. What a spoilsport. For some reason she seemed to want a gift that she could appreciate.

 

Did you get what you wanted?
So what holiday gifts did you really appreciate this year? I'll bet it wasn't the most expensive ones (okay, the Ferrari was nice). Weren’t the best ones those that demonstrated that the giver knew you and what you’d enjoy?

 

Generic gifts are nice but ...

They work well for an office group but they just don't have the warm fuzzies of a personalized gift. It truely is the thought that counts, especially when it comes to gifts for individual clients. That requires a lttle bit more effort and familiarity with people.

 

How well do you know your clients?
When you really know your clients, you can set yourself apart from the crowd with small, personal touch gift ideas like these:

• A magazine subscription dealing with their favorite interests (The gift that keeps giving and when each one arrives it reminds them of you.)
  

• Books and recordings are great gifts (Especially if you know the person's likes, so ask them who and what they read or listen to.)
  

• Restaurant certificates, food gifts or tipple (These taste even better when you know their tastes.)
  

• A donation to an organization or cause that you know they endorse (Such as SPCA, Rotary Foundation, UNICEF, Public TV, CKUA Radio, etc. – yes, these are some of our favorites)
  

• Tickets to theater, sporting events or a concert (This year we treated some associates who enjoy world music, to a great Johnny Clegg concert. - Click here to see & hear Johnny with Nelson Mandela)

 

But what if you don’t know what your clients like?
Then this year set a goal to get to know them better. To help you, we have a tool that we use in our networking seminars to give people conversation topics and personalize their contact management.

 

Click here for our client relationship building sheet. (Not quite a Ferrari but it's the thought that counts, click here for a Ferrari and you thought you couldn't afford to give your client the exotic car they always wanted)

 

It's our new year's gift to you.

Over the phone or the next time you meet them, use the topics to get to know your business contacts on a personal level. Then fill it out and keep your eyes open to personalize your gifting ideas for next holiday season or special occasions and surprises throughout the year.

 

No more re-gifting

This time next year your clients will be thinking warm thoughts about you and your thoughtfulness. No more re-gifting and no more Beatles’ badges for granny, unless you discover she really is a Beatles fan.

 

 

All the best for the New Year,
from Terry and Joanne

Ps: Have you any personalized gift ideas that you use or that you received? Please share them (the ideas, not the gifts).
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Etiquette/Protocol Question:

 

Tasty Gift - No Thanks

 

Last year I did a considerable amount of contract work for a small oil drilling company. As a Christmas present and a token of appreciation I had a gorgeous Belgian chocolate oil derrick made up and delivered to them.

I know they had an extremely busy year and holiday season but I have yet to receive any acknowledgment of the gift. I’m asking myself did they get it or did they appreciate it?

What should I do? Should I bring it up with them?

 

- In a Conundrum in Calgary

 

Mmmm, Belgian chocolate did you say? I would certainly have acknowledged that. It's too bad everyone doesn't have proper business etiquette skills but then where would our business be? Correct etiquette and common courtesy (apparently not so common these days) is to acknowledge a gift no matter how big or small. This can be with a thank you card or at the very least with an e-mail or phone call.

 

You do need to bring it up, but in a subtle way and without letting too much time pass. A phone call “just wanted to make sure that the gift we sent got delivered properly”, will suffice. This will also set your mind at ease that the chocolate didn’t get lost or delivered to someone else who enjoyed it but couldn’t figure out why they got a chocolate Eiffel Tower from someone.

 

- Joanne

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Quotes of the Month:

 

The least expensive, most appreciated but often rare gift, is thanks.

 

- Joanne M. Blake

 

The reason so few men send thank you cards is because they fear they might get a thank you card in return and like a chain-letter, where would it end.

 

- Terry Pithers

 

His courtesy was somewhat extravagant. He would write and thank people who wrote to thank him for wedding presents and when he encountered anyone as punctilious as himself the correspondence ended only with death.

 

- Evelyn Waugh

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Copyright ©2006, Style for Success Inc.

Articles may be copied or used in company newsletters, websites, bulletin boards, etc. for non-profit purposes, without the consent of the authors, subject to the following credits and link being included:

"Copyright ©2006, Style for Success Inc. Reprinted with permission from Terry Pithers and Joanne Blake. Speakers and trainers specializing in business image, etiquette and client relationship building. Please visit www.styleforsuccess.com".


Joanne and Terry would appreciate receiving an e-mail informing them of your use of any articles. Please provide the URL and/or a courtesy copy of any publication in which the article appears.