Gifts can create goodwill with out of home clients or prospects or landlords. Here are three tips for gifting wisely.
Do business with people who do business with you
One of Circle City Outdoor’s advertising clients is a family owned chocolate shop in Lebanon, Indiana. Our manager occasionally brings a box of the company’s chocolates to meetings with clients or prospects or landlords. It’s win-win. We do business with the chocolate shop which advertisers with us. The client or prospect or landlord is thrilled to get handmade chocolates. A simple gift can establish goodwill with a gatekeeper at a company and that may increase your access to decision makers.
Don’t do it at Christmas
Christmas gifts get overlooked because people receive lots of gifts at Christmas. Send a client or landlord a gift at thanksgiving together with a note which says “thanks for the chance to do business this past year.” You’ll stand out.
Understand who you are giving to.
Some companies like Costco have policies prohibiting employees from accepting gifts. Don’t give a steak restaurant gift certificate to a vegan. Don’t give a bottle of wine to someone who doesn’t drink. Billboard Insider once dropped a box of chocolates at an insurance agent’s office only to learn that the insurance agent was a diabetic. We had a good laugh together, but not all clients will be so good-humored.
What tips do you have on giving gifts to out of home clients or prospects or landlords? Email davewestburg@billboardinsider.com or use the comment box below. We’ll run a followup post.
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Paid Advertisement
Several of Watchfire’s customers occasionally barter a product or service in exchange for time on their billboard. For example, if their rate card is $1,000, they might take $500 in cash and $500 in gift certificates. They’ll then either use the gift certificates themselves or use them as a thank-you gift for new clients, or for old clients that renew. (This works best with restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and nail salons.)
This is a little off-topic, but one of our customers dedicates one of his eight slots to bartering. He divides the slot into quarters and trades with friends who own small businesses in his town. i.e., a monthly salon treatment for his wife and mother-in-law, oil changes for his vehicles, breakfast at a mom & pop restaurant, and lawn service for his home.