{"id":4451,"date":"2022-01-03T14:34:24","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T19:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/?p=4451"},"modified":"2022-01-03T14:34:24","modified_gmt":"2022-01-03T19:34:24","slug":"the-dos-and-donts-of-gifting-for-clients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/2022\/01\/the-dos-and-donts-of-gifting-for-clients\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dos and Don\u2019ts of Gifting for Clients"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s called the season of giving, and businesses express that spirit in various ways. Some organize volunteer opportunities, and others send messages of thanks to their customers. But the spirit of generosity can run into some snags when gifts run afoul of industry regulations, best practices, or company policies. Here are a few dos and don\u2019ts of gifting for clients that business owners must consider.<\/p>\n<h2>Dos of Gifting for Clients<\/h2>\n<p>Your clients will appreciate the thought you put into selecting a gift for them. You\u2019re trying to convey gratitude, so consider these \u201cdos\u201d of gifting for clients:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Do:<\/strong>\u00a0 Consult with your attorney and accountant about appropriate and inappropriate gifts. The rules are stricter if you or the recipient work in financial services, government, pharmaceuticals, medicine, or other licensed professions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do:<\/strong> Personalize your gift by selecting something specific to the individual recipient. Put some thought into it. Maybe you recall a meeting or conversation when the client mentioned that they love fishing, tennis, or cooking. You won\u2019t be able to drill down to super-specifics, but you can show a client you paid attention to them and that you remember things that matter to them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do:<\/strong> Give something that won\u2019t disappear into a drawer\u2014something that they\u2019ll keep out to admire and that will spur your client\u2019s friends to ask where they got it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do:<\/strong> Give practical gifts. You\u2019ll know the types of things a long-term client will actually use, like a set of new wooden spoons for the cook or a fresh can of tennis balls for the racquet sport enthusiast.\u00a0 Your regular manicure client will love a <a href=\"https:\/\/nailcompany.com\/blogs\/news\/holiday-gifting-ideas-for-your-nail-salon-clients\">salon gift<\/a> of new nail-care sample items to try. When in doubt, food or other consumables are reliable, festive, and practical gifts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do:<\/strong> Give gifts that your client can share with their employees, \u201cexperience\u201d gifts like tickets to a local holiday concert (but keep the price in mind), or novelty gifts that are inexpensive, fun, and relate to your client\u2019s hobbies and passions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Don\u2019ts of Gifting for Clients<\/h2>\n<p>There are a few pitfalls to avoid to ensure your recipient receives their gift in the spirit you intended. Be aware of these \u201cdon\u2019ts\u201d of selecting gifts for clients:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t<\/strong>: Spend too much. A business gift should never seem like a bribe or be so lavish that your client feels obliged to give you their business in return. You are simply trying to communicate your appreciation for their patronage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t<\/strong>: Give everyone the same thing. Your clients may run into each other around town and discover through conversation that you sent each of them exactly the same box of fruit or coffee and mug set. Instead of feeling appreciated, they may take it as an insult, and instead of communicating gratitude, your gift may make you look lazy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t<\/strong>: Overwhelm your gift with your logo. While it\u2019s fine to include a tasteful card indicating where the gift came from with a handwritten note of appreciation, a gift that gets lost in the repetition or size of your logo won\u2019t express your message of gratitude effectively.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are just some basic dos and don\u2019ts of gifting for clients. Remember personal, practical, and not-too-pricey as a rule of thumb, and you should be able to select memorable gifts that show your gratitude to your clients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>It\u2019s called the season of giving, and businesses express that spirit in various ways. Some organize volunteer opportunities, and others send messages of thanks to their customers. But the spirit of generosity can run into <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/2022\/01\/the-dos-and-donts-of-gifting-for-clients\/\" title=\"The Dos and Don\u2019ts of Gifting for Clients\">[…]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":4452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4451","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-more"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4451"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4453,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4451\/revisions\/4453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americanbusinessmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}