Ahh, the escalating anxiety of whether to business gift, . . . or not. Who makes the cut when giving business gifts? Is there a clear cut way to decide?

If you have a marketing budget than the answer is ‘Yes!’ Gifts are part of your Advertising & Promotions. Typically 2% to 10% of your sales are allocated to marketing (this may vary business to business). From this figure, determine what percentage will be used towards gifts. And lastly, determine who will get the gifts and how often during the fiscal year. The key is to spend (and plan) wisely, always keeping your business goals in mind and tailoring your marketing where needed. Remember when that budget is gone, it’s gone regardless of whether it’s February, June, or December.

3 benefits of gifting:

Builds...Click here to read the rest of this post at The Naked VA Blog.




The Naked VA Blog is authored by VAF member Ruth of Maplewood Virtual Assistance.

(Would you like to see YOUR blog posts on Virtual Assistant Forums? Click here to submit your RSS feed now.)

This is a very methodical approach to business gifting, Ruth - I've always been a big proponent of letting clients know they are appreciated but had never looked into creating a system around it.

Thanks for putting this information together!

__________________

I can help you turn up the volume on your VA business...
Let's talk!

I generally send out end of year holiday cards, but have not yet had the budget for gifts. I am planning on sending gifts this year.

When I ran a business in the corporate world I always sent out end of year holiday gifts to all my clients. It was generally in the form of a gift basket. I varied the gift each year, but they generally contained candy or other goodies for the client to enjoy. If I remember correctly I think I normally utilized Harry & David.

This is a great way to solidify the concept that VA's are business associates not employees.

Julie

__________________
Julie | Virtual Resource Services, Inc (VRSI)
http://www.vrsioffice.com

I'm a fan of giving people home made bread, but this only works for the clients that live in my area.

__________________
Luz Donahue ♥ Social Media Wanna be a Social Media VA? COMING SOON: A VAF Exclusive Guide Click for info!

I have it in the budget for gifting. I like a handwritten note around Thanksgiving, thanking clients for their business. I also send gifts on special occasions and to new retainer clients.

__________________
Lee Drozak

As I am quite a crafty person, I have been thinking about giving a quality hand made gift. This would work since I don't have that many clients.

I think gifts are a great idea for clients. We send out cards for special occasions and over the holidays, but we'd like to start giving gifts to our clients. Can anyone share ideas on gifts that have gone over well (for clients near and far). Most of our clients are on the east coast and we are out west.

__________________
Lauren & Melanie - VaVa Virtual Assistants www.VaVaVirtual.com

I love the idea of homemade gifts. I've been kicking around that thought for a while. I suppose I'll worry about it when I have enough long term clients.

__________________
Luz Donahue ♥ Social Media Wanna be a Social Media VA? COMING SOON: A VAF Exclusive Guide Click for info!

Lovin' the conversations around gifting that's been taking place here.

Some unusual gifts I've done in the past have included:
-- Silk Hawaiian lei with a Hawaiian music CD, recipe card for Hawaiian chicken and some discount coupons. (my cost for each was under $8)
-- Glass ice cream dishes/banana split boats with ice cream toppings and scoop so my clients could beat the summer heat. (my cost for each was $12)
-- Merci chocolates to say "Thanks" for allowing us to be their service provider (cost $5/each)
-- Microwavable scented neck pillow and plexi nail file so we could pamper them and take their admin stresses away (cost $20/each - this was a Christmas gift)
-- As congrats for a 1st grandchild's arrival I sent a children's book and bibs saying 'I'm the apple of Grandma's eye" (cost $12)

Really, these are small, small things but have had a big impact especially coming at unusual non-holiday times of the year.

The biggest thing is to make sure the gift is in porportion to the amount of income coming in from the client.

__________________
Ruth Martin, Maplewood Virtual Assistance
www.MaplewoodVA.com

Wow, great ideas Ruth! I'm just starting up and haven't thought about gifting yet, but it's definitely something I'll add to the list!

__________________
Angi Shields
www.clericalessentials.com