Finding the right holiday gifts for clients can be tricky. I’ve given clients everything from baskets filled with yummy chocolate, to Mrs. Prindable’s apples, to donations to charity.  If you spend too much, the gift may come across as a bribe or worse, a kickback.  But if you spend too little, you give the impression of being cheap.  What’s a working naked professional supposed to do…stop giving gifts?

In her post “Customer gifts shouldn’t be economic casualties,” Joyce Rosenberg makes a good point for continuing to give clients gifts.  According to Rosenberg, “Gifts selected with care convey to customers how important they are, and how much an owner will continue to value their relationship going forward.” She makes it clear that it’s not the cost of the gift but the thought you put into it and the message you’re trying to send that counts.  A few gift do’s and don’ts are:

• Do match the gift to your clients’ personalities.

• Don’t give tchotchkes (cheap crap like pens, calendars and mugs).

• Do be creative. For example, offer your clients a discount.

• Don’t focus only on material gifts.

• Do take a client to lunch and thank them in person for their business.