Tex Gourmet

Gourmet Recipes & Gifts

Holiday Baskets

Six years ago, with the Internet slowly creeping into our lives (and our business) I sensed change was in the air, as far as my clients annual holiday gifts were concerned. So I conducted a not so scientific study by sending out a postage-paid questionnaire to active and closed clients asking for their input about what they would like to receive from me as my year-end gift.

First they said thank goodness I sent them a good-looking calendar and not the magnets and silly notepads that screamed "it's all about me, your real estate agent". But, they went on to say, that my calendar really didn't cut it either. It merged with the pile of other calendars from their insurance agent, paper boy, and other home-related service providers. So I asked, "what do you want", they said how much do you spend per client?, I said" about ten dollars". They replied, "be creative, but it has to be about us". Oh, boy.

The good thing was I did my focus-group in August, so I had time to "be creative". The biggest problem was how do I give as much bang for the ten bucks. Then I decided, I can't hide how much I spend, give the ten bucks and find something that my clients would appreciate during the harried holiday season. Starbucks gift certificates. That was the revelation, something they could treat themselves to, and I couldn't even have my name embossed on the gift card! I dutifully went to Starbucks one late November morning and bought allot of ten dollar gift cards. I picked up some clear business card holders at the office supply store and put them on the inside flap of my holiday cards. I put my business card behind the gift card. And off they went the first of December. Score! The emails starting flowing in, thank-you, we love it, we talked about you when we stopped for coffee while shopping, we used it as an excuse not to go shopping, our friends thought it was so cool. And it wasn't about me. I got it. Here are some additional holiday gift ideas for clients that are about them.

-Zaggat restaurant guide, for your city or a nearby one.

-Subscription to local city magazine or a nearby one.

-Entertainment coupon-savings book.

-Photo frames.

-Nice stationary.

-Locally made candy, candles, jams, and baked goods.

-Car wash gift certificates.

-A note that you made a donation to a local food pantry in place of your gift.

-Cookie or fruit baskets.

-Holiday season blooming plant.

-Gift cards from a variety of places.

Mark Nash is the author of "Fundamentals of Marketing for the Real Estate Professional", "Starting & Succeeding in Real Estate", "Reaching Out: The Financial Power of Niche Marketing", and "1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home". Mark is a contributing writer for: Realtor (R) Magazine Online, Broker Agent News, Real Estate Executive Magazine, Principal Broker, and Realty Times. He contributes residential real estate analysis to Business Week, CBS The Early Show, CNN, HGTVpro.com, The New York Times, and USA Today. View his books at http://www.1001RealEstateTips.com

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