Modern business owners know they must treat all customers like geese that lay golden eggs to remain profitable. Indeed, retaining clients in today’s business age is quite challenging. According to American Express, one-third of customers would consider leaving your company after just one instance of bad customer service. Although many businesses rightly upgrade their customer service approach to keep clients satisfied and loyal, gift-giving works well too. However, there are right and wrong ways to give clients gifts, so it is prudent to know how to do this correctly for the best results. Here are some rules for giving clients gifts the right way.

Expensive is not always more impactful

Many entrepreneurs are often unsure how much to spend on gifts for clients. Spending huge amounts on gifts may seem ideal, but this is not always a better idea. A simple but memorable gift like a coin from Challenge Coins Ltd may impress your clients more than an expensive gift would. Simple but thoughtful gifts work well for many clients because an expensive present may appear more like a bribe. This reality is especially true in B2-B relationships, where an expensive gift may make your client feel obligated to continue buying from you.

Don’t brand the gift

It is advisable to avoid slapping your business name and logo on gifts for clients, although this may seem like a great idea. Depending on the customer, gifts with your name or logo might not appear genuine. Therefore, focus on making the present all about the clients to show you value them instead of giving gifts that feel like promotional items. If you wish to customize the gift, use the client’s name on it instead of your company’s. You can even find an unusual way of branding instead of going for conventional business logo printing on promotional items. For instance, you could look into getting a custom magic 8 ball (learn more), which contains cute messages and quotes that could be personalized to refer to your business without being direct. This could work as an effective branding method without making it obvious. Additionally, genuine gifts that aren’t promotional are more likely to increase customer loyalty toward your business.

Adopt a year-round approach

Gourmet Gift Baskets’ study reveals that 62% of American companies sent gifts to patrons and partners in 2018 alone. Many of these presents are sent during the holidays, which are synonymous with gift-giving. However, numerous experts advise against sending your clients gifts during holiday seasons. Holidays are a common time to send and receive presents, so yours will likely not make the impact you intend. Therefore, you are better off giving spontaneous gifts or presents that celebrate something personal like their birthdays or anniversaries. Giving something to clients who aren’t expecting it is a more impactful use of your gift budget. You are likelier to find better deals on your gift outside the holidays, so this strategy is cost-effective.

Do your research before shopping

A seemingly harmless gift can cause more harm than good in the long run, so it is prudent to do your research before shopping. Consider company gift-giving guidelines to discover whether you know to abide by any limits and rules. It would also help to know a little about your clients to avoid sending them gifts that may offend. For instance, giving a bottle of wine to a client who doesn’t drink is in bad taste. Also, some religious gifts may offend others who do not celebrate. Therefore, research is vital before shopping for gifts.