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The reality is that what people are really buying is not the service, but the people who provide it. Research shows that the more we like a person, the more capable the person seems. If you look at successful businesses, you’ll find they have been able to connect on a deeply personal level with their clients. Their clients like and are loyal to them because they are made to feel “special.”

Gift-giving can still be a very effective means of making people feel special if the gift is clearly chosen for the specific individual and given in a thoughtful manner. To do this right, you must give something away that is useful and meaningful and do it in person.

10 Simple Rules for Successful Gift-Giving:

• Never give a customer something you would be uncomfortable, embarrassed or angered to receive yourself.
• You can send gifts and advertise, but never at the same time. If you get a box of chocolate with a logo on it, you can’t help thinking, “This company thinks so highly of me they send me an advertisement?”
• Don’t try to buy a customer. 1200 members of an industry trade association were offered incentives varying from $1 to $40 to complete a survey. Results indicated that incentives from $1-$5 doubled response rates from those who received no-incentive but that higher incentives had additional minimal value.
• Make sure the value of the gift isn’t out of whack with the nature of the business involved. Too expensive a gift may be seen as a way to buy their business rather than as a form of appreciation. However, special occasions, such as a 50th anniversary or the like, may call for a more valuable item.
• Select only items that relate to your business and remind people of the benefits you offer. One caveat: this only holds true if your prospect actually would find the item useful or valuable.
• Choose items that your prospective customers will want or need and things that they will notice, pick up and keep for least a period of time.
• Pick only items that will enhance, not detract, from your professional image.
• Know how you will distribute the item. In person is by far the best and most effective method because it provides you with an opportunity to meet with your client and prospect and to personalize your message.
• Decide if and how you will include your name or logo, if at all. The more exclusive your clientele and offering, the more discreet your name should be.
• Be sure to track who has received gifts and how they responded. This will help you know what worked, how the gift was received, and what you might change or do the next time.

Most of all, don’t forget there is no gift as universally appreciated and welcome as the simple gift of a sincere “thank you.”