Do business gifts build business?

​We think that the title of this blog—“Do business gifts build business?”—is provocative. 
 
A question demands an answer. And a question like this—a yes/no question—is binary. It suggests that the answer is either “Yes they do” or “No they don’t.” 
 
What do you think? Do business gifts build business?
 
Here’s what we think. We think that that question is invalid. There are lots of activities you can do to build business; read virtually any article in this series to gain insights thereon. 
 
But when it comes to gifts, there’s a different dynamic at play. 
 
A whole new light
 
What, exactly, is a gift? It’s something freely given. Why? Just because. That’s the important part. It’s like love from a dog. It’s unconditional.
 
Put it this way: What if you gave someone—say, a client—a gift, with a little note card that says “Happy holidays. Enjoy this great gift. Now give us lots of business in return!”
 
It’s hard to imagine anything that’s more patently offensive. 
 
Here’s our point: While you can, and should, expend effort (and of course some money) on gift-giving to clients and prospects, set your expectations properly. You’re sending something to a client. That sure feels like a business transaction. But in this case, it isn’t. It’s a “just because.” It’s a time—an opportunity—to step outside your professional persona, to let your guard down, to connect with another person as a person, one-to-one, stripped of any business pretense. It’s like when your cat bombs your Zoom call and it’s embarrassing yet funny. It’s a reminder that life isn’t just about making money. 
 
That bears repeating: Life isn’t just about making money. Or, to quote one of our favorite lines from Citizen Kane, “It’s no big trick to make a lot of money ...if all you want, is to make a lot of money.” 
 
Pay it forward
 
It’s early November as we post this. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still weeks away. But you should start thinking about your annual holiday business gift-giving now. 
 
Put it this way. What if you sent your biggest client a decidedly un-business-like gift this year? We can’t tell you how many desk sets, calendars, pens, business-card holders, and so on, we’ve received back when we were in the commute-to-an-office grind. They’re certainly nice, but we can’t remember who sent what. 
 
We had a vendor, however, who sent us some cheese on a cutting board, with a little knife. It has nothing to do with advertising, or voiceovers (yep, the vendor was a voiceover artist), or business of any kind. We still remember that vendor—his name was Ron—and we still have the little cutting board. Ron’s a nice guy. So there. 
 
Pick out something fun. Something personal. Something un-businesslike. Something you’d get a friend or relative. That kind of gift. 
 
So now we can revisit the provocative question which opened this article: “Do business gifts build business?” Sure, they might. Or they may not. Depends on the recipient. Depends on the gift. 
 
The real answer is “Who cares?”
 
Get into the holiday spirit early. It’s good for you. 
 
Have a comment? Drop us a line. We’d love to hear it. 

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