Client gifts that do not feel like marketing

Employee gifts and client gifts look similar on an order form, but they do different jobs. An employee gift says thank you to someone inside the company. A client gift says something about the relationship, and the client reads it closely, because it is one of the few things you send them that is not an invoice or a deck.

Make the logo smaller than you want to

The instinct is to put your logo front and centre. It is your money, after all. But a large logo turns a gift into merchandise, and people do not use your merchandise at home.

• Use a small, single-colour mark: an engraving on the base of a bottle, a debossed corner on a diary, a woven label rather than a chest print.
• Put the brand on the packaging and the card, where it does its job once, rather than on the object they will use for years.
• If the client is large and has a strong brand of its own, consider no logo on the product at all.

Check their gift policy before you choose

Many companies, especially in banking, government-facing work and large multinationals, cap the value of gifts their people can accept, or ask them to declare anything above a limit. A ₹5,000 hamper that has to be returned or declared is worse than no gift at all.

Your account owner usually knows, or can ask without making it awkward. When in doubt, a modest consumable, such as good tea, coffee or dry fruit with a proper card, is almost always within policy.

Tier the list rather than sending one gift to everyone

A client list is not flat. There are a few people who decide whether you are renewed, a larger group you work with weekly, and a long tail who know your name. One gift for all of them either overspends on the tail or underspends on the people who matter.

• Decision makers: one premium gift, chosen with some thought about the person.
• Day-to-day contacts: a good mid-range gift, the same for everyone in the group.
• Wider list: a card and a small consumable, or a redemption link that lets them pick from a short range.

Timing is part of the gift

In the week before Diwali a senior client receives a dozen hampers, and most of them blur together. A gift that lands earlier in the season stands out, and one sent at a moment that belongs to the relationship, such as a project going live, a renewal or a work anniversary, stands out more.

If you do send at Diwali, aim for the earlier part of the window, and confirm whether to send to the office or the home. Many offices are thinly staffed in festival week, and a hamper sitting at reception for six days is not the impression you wanted.

The card does more work than the box

The most remembered part of a client gift is often the note. A printed line from the company is forgettable. Two handwritten sentences from the person who actually works with them, referring to something real from the year, are not.

Keep a record

Write down who received what, and when. Next year you will want to send something different, and you will want to know who you missed. A simple sheet with the contact, the gift, the delivery date and any reply is enough.