Do you have your client holiday gifts in order? Tis the season. If you’re reading this now, you might be thinking you’re a little too late to the party to make it this year. And you might be right, but not quite. (We have ideas.)

Client gifting, appreciation gestures in December and January don’t need to be extravagant, or ultra creative. In fact, those who make such gestures a habit or regularly scheduled thing in their practices say some efforts are simply tried and true: A gift basket goes a long way. Tickets supporting local talent are popular, and even the custom printed business calendar works as well today as it did 20 years ago. (Hint: They’re by far more affordable to print today too.)

If you’d like to make an effort to improve this part of your business, but just wish you had more time, do yourself a favour and start next year’s efforts now – put a reminder into your calendar to start thinking about gifts in October, and put a follow up reminder to place that custom printing order a few weeks later.

Certified Financial Planer (CFP), Michael Morrow is known for his gifting program. The author of four books, including The Loyalty Edge and owner of Thunder Bay-based Morrow Financial Inc. has long made an effort to remember birthdays. He takes clients out for breakfasts or lunches on the regular, and he is known for his gift baskets. At the higher end he’s also the same advisor who gives custom made policy boxes to clients. Newspapers from the day a client is born and sport autographs too, are also treats he’s been known to present to clients at significant milestones in their lives. 

December holidays and Canada Day, however, are the two times of the year when the office is busiest with gift baskets. When clients were locked down after March 2020 too, COVID baskets full of locally made goods including masks and hand sanitizers, were added to that repertoire.

And while the expense of a basket of locally sourced chocolates and cheeses, wines and beers may seem a little extravagant, Morrow points to the lifetime value a client brings to his practice. When viewed through this bigger picture lens, the $40-$100 basket is simply a reinvestment.

In addition, he makes a point of supporting most events taking place at the local community auditorium and local theatre. “We try to do as much local as we possibly can,” he says. “Especially with our employee benefits clients. We’re a local company and we appreciate the fact that they’re dealing locally, so we’re (in turn) supporting local companies. We don’t have to say that, they figure it out.”

He adds that he makes a point of going out for breakfast or lunch with clients regularly. “None of this that I’m talking about right now is magic,” he says. “Most of our clients have been clients for a while. We do our very best to be friends with our clients – it’s really hard to fire your friends,” he jokes.

When looking at items to include in client appreciation offerings, he also looks for items with a long shelf life. “If I’ve given you a bottle of wine, or a box of chocolates or take you out for lunch, we appreciate that, but then it’s done and over with,” he says. Including a coffee cup in the experience, a baseball hat, a sweater or something that will stick around for some time, is key. (He says even the calendars are popular, with the majority of clients receiving a simple calendar from the office displaying it prominently in their homes.)

And while the wooden policy box is an extra special effort to be a part of clients’ lives, he says even three sentences in a greeting on the holiday’s eve is an important effort – one you likely still have time to accomplish. (Pro-tip: Thank your clients for their patronage and donate to a local charity.)

“You’re demonstrating that you pay attention to detail, which is what your ultimate goal is. It’s not a matter of giving a super unique gift. We’re looking at the big message that we’re trying to send to our clients.”