What are you doing for client appreciation? Do you have a progam in place for this? Do you do holiday gifts, etc.?

I've giving some thought to client appreciation ever since I posted in my new August referrel offer in my monthly newsletter. I offered $5.00 Starbucks gift card; August only.

But I was thinking about using the cards for client appreciation or possibly holiday gifting and wanted to get feedback. Please share what you are doing or planning to do.

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Monique Terrell, CEO
Sparkle Professional Office Services, LLC
www.sparkleofficeservices.com

I've not done this myself, yet, but I do know of VAs that use Edible Arrangements. I think that would be a wonderful way to show your appreciation to your bigger clients. I know gift cards or movie tickets are always appreciated as well.

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Shauna Reed
Keystone Promise Virtual Assistance
Blog: Creative Writing Resource

I don't have a program as such but I send hand written cards and gift vouchers to say thanks for their support.

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Kylie Short
Tilda Virtual Services - Making virtual personal

For referrals, I give the referring client a discount on their next bill. I also send them thank you notes.

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Carlana Charles - Ciboney Virtual Solutions
Web: http://ciboneyvirtual.com Blog:http://ciboneyvirtual.com/blog

I have just purchased some tote bags embroidered w/my logo ($6/each, www.Queensboro.com) that I will be using as thank you gifts and door prizes at networking events. In the past, I have had coffee plants shipped to clients and gave my first client a horse-patterned flag...

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Lily Chambers, The Virtual Office Goddess, LLC
Author "How to Do Your Own Small Business Bookkeeping"

For referral discounts, do you offer a number of hours? If so, how many? I just got my first referral client and I want to offer something to the client who referred her.

Any suggestions?

For clients who've been with me longer than six months I send a card and small present on their birthdays and at Christmas time.

If you're like me and often get stuck for ideas & inspiration for what to send, check out this site - www.happyboxlondon.com - makes a change from the same old same old!!

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"Instead of looking for things that have gone wrong and trying to fix them...Look for things that went right and try to build on them" Tom Peters

I do a variety of client appreciation things:
~ birthday cards (ecards or traditional)
~ Congratulations ecards when a client mentions a special accomplishment or achievement
~ traditional anniversary cards to mark our business working partnership each year with a personalized gift specific to that client
~ Thanksgiving and Christmas cards
~ Free one hour of my services to celebrate MY business anniversary and MY birthday
~ approximately two times a year or quarterly for smaller project clients I send a "Keeping In Touch" item such as a $5 Starbucks cards or Merci chocolates
~ other "Keeping In Touch" items I've sent are "Anytime Tickets" for a free 1/2 hour or 1 hour of my services to be redeemed by an expiration date. The client decides when they want to take this bonus. The bonus is applied to their next invoice. Clients like being able to choose when they want it. Many have used these tickets when they've incurred a monthly overage.

One thing to keep in mind when thinking about client gifting is how much income you are making from each client. A good formula to follow is a set percentage of their annual revenue divided by the number of gifts you want to give in a year, including the cost of traditional cards/postcards. For example if you want to give 4 gifts annually, the client provides revenue of $2000, and you plan to allot 5% towards gifts that would be $100/annually. Dividing $100 by 4 times would mean that you'd spend up to $25 per gift. Naturally, the higher the annual revenue from each client the higher the gift amount.

Just another way to determine gifting within your budget.