Have you ever given one of your customers a gift?

 

And if you have, did you think about whether they wanted to receive it in the first place?

 

When you think of a gift to send your customers, something to thank them and show your appreciation, what comes to mind?

 

A company-branded keyring? A promotional pen or maybe a bottle of wine at Christmas? There’s no doubt that they’re all nice gestures, but for a customer gift that matters, you need to peel back the layers to uncover what’s important to them.

 

This topic has been on my mind thanks to a recent gift I received from Aisling Griffin of Treetop Studio. Aisling is an amazing brand designer who I worked with on a recent client project. She took the time to understand the essence of that client, figure out what they were trying to achieve and totally nailed it. She was a pleasure to work with, and not only that, she then sent me this lovely surprise in the post.

 

But it wasn’t just the gift itself that was special. The whole presentation was well-thought-out and considered with care. It’s no secret that I like things that are a visual stimulus, and I also enjoy opening boxes, so as you can see, Aisling’s gift was immediately on the right track.

 

The box was very simply presented but beautifully branded.

 

And then I opened it up.

 

Aisling knows that I’m fond of my daily cuppa, so her gift to me was a gorgeous mug with her own branding on it. But that’s not all. She also popped in some black tea, “Irish Cream” (which she knows I’m partial to) and a few little chocolates to enjoy with my cuppa. She knew that this was a gift I would love.

 

Do you know the gift that matters to your customer?

 

We did a very interesting challenge in the How Great Marketing Works Facebook community recently, and it’s something I highly recommend that you try out in your own business.

 

Start the exercise by thinking about your customers and identify the one you consider to be at the “Top” of your list.

 

Now, this could be your most profitable customer, but not necessarily.

 

Look a little deeper than that.

 

They might be one of your favourites because you share similar values… because they’re easy to work with, or perhaps they’re simply the nicest of human beings.

 

There are so many possible reasons, and you’re the only one that needs to know why.

 

Once you’ve identified that special customer, then choose a gift for them.

 

Not something neutral or generic, this should be something they’ll be thrilled to receive. Something that will make them smile and will call you to mind as soon as they look at it.

 

This is your chance to leave a lasting impression.

 

If you’ve profiled your customer correctly, you’ll know what they love and what they hate.

 

And because you’ve built a relationship with them, a real connection, you’ll be able to give them a gift that truly matters.

Start with One…and Really Understand Them

 

The value in this exercise lies in starting with that one customer and focusing on THEM rather than US. If we pose the question individually to start (because to scale you need to start with one), we can uncover what’s important to them.

 

That’s when the magic happens. You’ll start to see a pattern –  maybe not at first, but you will see something that could resonate not just with the One, but with the Many.

 

You might then see three or four possible gifts in the pattern that create some options for you.

 

And that gives you a choice in each case.

 

Let’s take it a step further…

 

What if these gifts become a badge of honour for your customer?

 

That they see your gift as a reflection of them and want to share the fact that they received them with the world.

 

Then your gift is more than just a one-time generic event, it’s a sense of appreciation that’s mutually shared.

 

And not just between you, it’s an event that gets shared with others publicly, which in turn serves to drive business your way.

 

Kajabi does this really well with their Kajabi Hero program, which rewards users of the platform with cool gifts each time they reach a certain income goal in their business.

 

Each piece of Kajabi “swag” motivates their customers to keep striving to achieve that next level. I know, I’m collecting them myself.

 

This is why it’s so important to look past the surface demographics when you profile your  customers.

 

Take the time to learn what makes them tick and hear their story. So you really understand them on a deeper level – what motivates them, inspires them and makes them smile.

 

So here’s my challenge for you.

 

Think of a client that you really have a lot of time for. I know you have a lot of time for all your clients, but is there one that stands out, one that you’ve really got up close and personal with?
Can you think of a gift for them?

 

This week, give them a gift that matters and see what happens. Each time I’ve done this it deepens the relationship in a way that you never expect.
What did you choose? And how did they react?

 

I’d love to hear how you get on in the comments below. Do share. It helps inspire others to act too.