The Fruit of the Month Club was way ahead of its time. Now, you can have everything — from razors to makeup to dog treats — sent to you on a monthly basis. I personally use a few of these subscription-based companies to make sure I don’t run out of the essentials, but I really see the value of subscriptions for client gifts.
If you’re in the service industry, staying top-of-mind with your clients (in a positive way) is important. Our company wants to show our clients and partners that we appreciate them in a genuinely thoughtful way, not in an “I’m bribing you with a $500 bottle of wine” kind of way, so we’ve enlisted the help of a few subscription-based companies.
I have to admit that part of the attraction of subscription gift-giving is the laziness it allows. Greg Alvo, CEO of OrderGroove, explained it perfectly: “Subscription gifting is the perfect way to show appreciation and stay on your client’s mind. The best part? As the on-the-go gifter, you have the ability to ‘set it and forget it!’” It still requires thoughtfulness to find the perfect fit for a client, because if he or she is going to be receiving something from you once a month, it had better be something well-liked!
Here are some ideas for interesting items that won’t break the bank, but will pleasantly surprise your clients.
Embrace The Idea Of Giftology For Client Gifts:
If you have super important clients, prospects, or referral sources that you really want to impress or wow beyond the normal gift card or box-of-the-month club, you might need to connect with our secret weapon, The Ruhlin Group. Its founder, John Ruhlin, wrote the best-selling book on gift strategy, "Giftology", and his company works with everyone from small businesses like us to sports franchises such as the Chicago Cubs and San Antonio Spurs on outsourcing their entire gifting plan and operation. They work almost like a gift concierge, not only picking out the gift, but also personalizing it, handwriting the note, packing/shipping it, and making it easy to send amazing gifts, whether its for 20 people or 2000.
The Grizzly Adams Type:
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen the Dollar Shave Club video. Inspired by their awesome marketing, we tried it out. The razors are awesome and reasonably priced (even the ones that aren’t $1), and our client got a kick out of it. Plus, we might be the first company he thinks about in the morning while shaving his face — and that’s never a bad thing.
The Busy Businesswoman:
Rocksbox is the perfect gift for the busy females in your life. The company lets you create a wishlist of your style and jewelry preferences and sends a box that includes three samples of designer jewelry based on your choices. The women in our office are obsessed with the quality and personalization of each box that they receive.
The Stylish Stud:
You know how you’re always losing socks (behind the dryer, at the laundromat, under the hotel bed)? We’ve found a solution. Sock 101 has created the Sock of the Month Club. One pair of high-quality, stylish dress socks will be sent to your clients every month. Now, when people compliment their savvy style, your company may just come up in conversation.
The Dog Lover:
Do you have a client who spontaneously sends you photos of her dog? We do. And we have a gift for that. Check out BarkBox. The business sends treats, toys, and more for your client’s canines — and keeps you in good favor with the whole household.
The Health Nut:
Regardless of your personal addiction to McDonald’s, you can still support your client’s healthy habits. Try out Graze for a health food subscription service. A healthy client equals a happy client, right?
Obviously, some of these gift ideas are fairly personal, so you may want to make sure you have a decent relationship before sending someone a new blemish remover via Birchbox! We’ve seen this as a great way to stay in clients’ minds, show our appreciation for them, and connect on a personal level by showing that we know what they’re passionate about — whether that’s socks or dogs — and helping them live out that passion.
Article Updated: November 4th, 2016
This article was co-authored by Kelsey Meyer, co-founder of Influence & Co.
John Hall is the CEO of Influence & Co., a company that assists individuals and brands in growing their influence through thought leadership and content marketing programs. Influence & Co., one of the leading providers of high quality expert content to the world’s top publications, is the creator of Contributor Weekly. Connect with John on Twitter or Google+.
