Client gifts?

If you give your clients a gift as a 'thank you' after the shoot, what do you give? I'm just fishing for ideas.

What type of clients? Commercial clients that you're attempting to cultivate an ongoing business relationship with or retail clients in which case repeat business is more remote?

Oops...sorry It would be family/portrait clients - not commercial.

I used to give a nice frame with a pic they picked from their shoot. Edited the way I wanted it to look. Most clients were very grateful some not so much but that was a rarity.

We only give gifts for referrals, otherwise the clients pick us because they like our work. Do you get gifts from other professionals?

Littlejon Dsgn wrote in post #18520504
We only give gifts for referrals, otherwise the clients pick us because they like our work. Do you get gifts from other professionals?

Ummm...yes. I get a nice calendar from my bank. I get some nice chocolates from my financial advisor. I get a Bailey’s in my coffee at my hair cut place around Xmas.

A little gift really goes a long way to show appreciation of their business.

Littlejon Dsgn wrote in post #18520504
We only give gifts for referrals, otherwise the clients pick us because they like our work. Do you get gifts from other professionals?

Hogloff wrote in post #18520509
Ummm...yes. I get a nice calendar from my bank. I get some nice chocolates from my financial advisor. I get a Bailey’s in my coffee at my hair cut place around Xmas.

A little gift really goes a long way to show appreciation of their business.

Hogloff is right. . It is normal for businesses and individual professionals to give gifts to their clientele at this time of year.

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Have you googled photographer gifts to clients?

Hogloff wrote in post #18520509
Ummm...yes. I get a nice calendar from my bank. I get some nice chocolates from my financial advisor. I get a Bailey’s in my coffee at my hair cut place around Xmas.

A little gift really goes a long way to show appreciation of their business.

What's the ratio of money you spend (or hold) with these clients vs. the cost of the gift?

Try to keep that ratio similar for your gift.

A $5 to $10 gift from a client you have $x,000+ in business (or investments) with them is less than 1%. I'm all for client gifts in the right scenario, but don't go spending $30 to $50 for a gift on someone's who's only spending $300 to $500 with you.

JacobPhoto wrote in post #18521901
What's the ratio of money you spend (or hold) with these clients vs. the cost of the gift?

Try to keep that ratio similar for your gift.

A $5 to $10 gift from a client you have $x,000+ in business (or investments) with them is less than 1%. I'm all for client gifts in the right scenario, but don't go spending $30 to $50 for a gift on someone's who's only spending $300 to $500 with you.

I don’t equate a dollar value on a gift. For me, it’s truly the thought behind it rather than the value.

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JacobPhoto wrote in post #18521901
I'm all for client gifts in the right scenario, but don't go spending $30 to $50 for a gift on someone's who's only spending $300 to $500 with you.

Of course not! . Overspending on a client gift would come across as unprofessional, and make your business look amateurish.

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Tom Reichner wrote in post #18522110
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Of course not! . Overspending on a client gift would come across as unprofessional, and make your business look amateurish.

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Fair enough ... but there's no point in giving tat to a $500 customer. If you are presenting a gift, it has to reflect well on you and your business. Otherwise, its would be best not to bother.

I like the idea that a business gives a gift in appreciation of its customers ... and doesn't differentiate too much between the big and the little ones. Big customers are not going to be easily bribed and that's not your intention ... send them a small thing in good taste. Small customers ... may turn into big customers ... send them the same thing.

A bit old I know, but I'm sure this will be dug back up.

In my primary line of work, no vendor has given me so much as a stale cookie unless I spent more than say $10k with them. This year the gifts I got were from vendors that I spent $25k with, $50k, and $18k (just started so 2018 will be a $70k year). We have rules in my company about accepting gifts that have certain values, and I have not been with a company yet that allowed one to receive gifts of more than $50-$100 total in value, and no cash or gift cards to avoid conflicts of interest or violating potential laws. (We're a global company)

I get cookie assortments each year but the stuff I remember has been the hand delivered sheet of cookies from a local bakery. So much more personal than a delivery of wrapped goods from a large corporation. We have a local very large chocolate place that I would get a small box from as well.

So to wrap it up; keep it inexpensive, and keep it personal.

<edit> I forgot an amazing gift from one vendor, a large bottle of her homemade vanilla. It is on my counter and I put a little in pancakes. So good!