There is no one-time to send business gifts to your clients, nor is there one person the gift should go to when your client is a large company.  A general rule of thumb is to send gifts to: (1) decision makers; (2) your champions at the client; (3) and teams that you work with. 

Client Business Gifts: Decision Maker Gifts

The Profile: The decision maker at a client decides whether they will spend with your company or not.  They are not always the one who has day-to-day interaction with you, and they often rely on reports from their teams. 

What Not to get Them: The “easiest” (read: most impersonal) gift that decision makers get are wine and food.  The biggest issue with those gifts is that many decision makers don’t drink and are rarely at their desk to receive the food.  So your carefully selected food/beverage basket will be sent to the company kitchen for everyone else to snack on. Your branding will rarely be seen by the decision maker her/himself. 

What to ACTUALLY get Them: To grab their attention, get something that is personal.  Personal does not mean personalized, so don’t worry about getting something monogrammed or with their name on it, as that can feel dated. Corporate gifts ranging from $100+ is the range to look at. Instead, look into conversations you’ve had with them to understand what they like, or send them a gift through Loop & Tie so they can pick their own gift.  

When to send the gift: Twice a year: (1) Holiday corporate gifting season and (2) one month before your contract is up for renewal. 

Client Business Gifts: Internal-Champion Gifts 

The Profile: The internal-champion is your day-to-day point person at a client and they are your make or break point when deciding whether the client will work with you again. This person is usually a primary use of your service and may not necessarily be a manager-level individual. 

What Not to get Them: Branded product or a cheap gift. Just because this individual is not an executive or a director/manager, does not mean it is a good idea to send them a branded tote-bag and call it a day. 

What to ACTUALLY get Them:  Give them something that they don’t normally get, that is more than a gift card or a bottle of wine.  Corporate gifts ranging from $50-$150 are the right option here, because you want to make an impression, but you also don’t want to break the bank. Think about items they wouldn’t normally be gifted - go for lux blankets, non-boring candles, wellness sets, or let them pick their own gift through a service like loopandtie.com.     

When to send the gift: 3x a year: (1) Holiday corporate gifting season; (2) one month before your contract is up for renewal; and (3) when your contract is signed. 

Client Business Gifts: Team Gifts 

The Profile: The team that uses your service or product.  Now, this gift is in addition to the other two gifts, not in place of it. You want to make sure EVERYONE is your fan, not just one person.  

What Not to get Them: Do not send them pizza, that’s not the right move. They also do not want your brand on their t-shirt or hoodie, because they already have plenty of those things.

What to ACTUALLY get Them:  Send them lunch, but give them the option of where they want the lunch catered from. Better yet, send each team member an individual gift between $10-$25 so they feel like you personally thought about them and how they use your product. 

When to send the gift: 1x a year: Holiday corporate gifting season.

Business gifting is all about showing your client that you value their business and making sure that you stay top of mind for your client when they are thinking about renewals and budgeting. Holiday gifting is a must-do, but it’s not the only time a gift comes in handy. 

Send your clients a gift through Loop & Tie. Loop and Tie’s tech powered gifting platform helps companies send gifts from 1 to 10,000+ individuals at a time. All you need is the recipient’s email address.  It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

From branded product collections to custom curated collections, Loop & Tie can power end to end gifting at scale.

Be shareable. Memorable. Personal.