Gifts... but not just stuff

I've found the best attention-getters are gifts that don't have to be expensive... but wonderfully personal and appropriate.

The internet is wonderful for this. Search your prospect's name and see what is important to him or her. Or, if you've ever been in his or her office, see what he has hanging on the wall or sitting on the desk, and ask about it.

Then go onto ebay, or into a store and find something specific that the person would appreciate. For example, if you find the person has a son or daughter who is going to college on a tennis scholarship, pick up a picture frame with a tennis theme.

I've done this a number of times with prospects and it's always worked well (not the picture frame, that was an example). The item won't have your company's name on it like a coffee mug, but it's something your prospect will always make you think of him or her. This will also carry over into the customer relationship if you should gain the sale.

Has anyone else given appropriate gifts such as this to gain attention?

Who would you be giving these gifts to?

If you're talking about a gift for a client you've worked with (as opposed to a promotional item?) I'd say to listen to the client. After everything my realtor did to help after a home purchase, I wasn't expected a gift... but he listened to me and I'd said I wanted to be grilling in my own backyard by the 4th of July and sure enough, he got the closing finished. My gift a couple of weeks later was a barbeque cookbook.

When I wrote this, I was thinking about prospects. My company's service is more advisory in nature than a one-time sale... It also as a long sales cycle. So I've found that a gift, rather than promotional item, carries a lot of weight.

I recently re-connected with a contact I'd done this with, and the first thing he recalled was the particular gift I'd given him, which was very much in line with a hobby of his.

I don't see how giving a gift to a prospect would work for me. I have a ton of prospects. Can you give out a few pointers?

For a realtor, I guess you'd have to first target those prospects that are more immediate... so someone you know is going to be buying or selling in the near future. Then find out something about them, and what's important to them. It doesn't have to be an expensive gift at all. For example, I had a prospect who I'd met with at his home because he'd had surgery on his foot prior to our scheduled meeting. While I was there, I met his very affectionate Boston Terrier, and we got into an extensive conversation about how he's had Boston Terriers since he was a boy. About a month after our meeting, I came across an inexpensive miniature statue of a Boston Terrier. I picked it up in the store and mailed it to him, with a note that I knew he'd appreciate it.

The important thing is that the gift is sincere. If you take the "gift" step in a superficial way, then it seems phony, and the idea will backfire.

More specifically in your line of work, Realtor... I recently moved. I know several real estate brokers in the area. Some time before I was ready to list my house, I'd gotten into a conversation with one of the realtors about wine, and we realized we both enjoyed the same types of red wine. He dropped by one day with a bottle of his favorite red wine and said he was anxious to know what I thought about it, once I had a chance to taste it. It was a sincere gesture that stayed with me, and when I was ready to list my house, I did list it through him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coda1108

The important thing is that the gift is sincere. If you take the "gift" step in a superficial way, then it seems phony, and the idea will backfire.

This is very true... people can usually tell when something isn't sincere, no matter the cost of the gift. I like your idea, Coda.

Gifts... but not just stuff

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