The end of the year is right around the corner, and traditionally, it’s a time when businesses will show their appreciation to vendors, clients, and customers alike.
Whether you are picking out a gift to thank your best clients, acknowledge your long-standing vendors, or remind prospective clients how great it would be to work together, here are 10 ideas that will help you make a big impact this holiday season.
(See all of our gift guides here to find a gift for everyone on your list!)
First, some guidelines to help you avoid some common missteps around business gifts:
Make it Personal (When Possible)
This can be tough if you’re buying for a number of clients, but try to put a little bit of thought into what you’re gifting. If you were planning on gifting a nice bottle of wine, for example, but you know one of your clients doesn’t drink alcohol, you might want to pause and consider how you might rethink your gifting strategy to be something they’ll actually appreciate.
Have a Budget in Mind
Business gifts might not be coming out of your personal savings account, but it’s still important to be mindful of budget. Make sure your gift is in line with the amount of business you do with your client/vendor/etc. For example, if your client does $200 of business a year with you and you’re planning to give them a $300 gift, maybe stop and reconsider — those numbers don’t line up. On the flip side, if you have a $100,000 account, you might want to give them a little more than a $20 Starbucks gift card.
Take some time to look at the numbers and make sure that what you’re gifting is within your budget, but also reasonable given the amount of business that you do with the intended recipient.
Gift Equally
If you have multiple clients or vendors within the same industry, chances are they know each other (and probably talk to each other), so you want to make sure that you’re treating everyone fairly and equally.
One easy way to solve for this is to get the same gift for everyone. If you want to make your gifts a little more personal, at least make sure that the gifts are somewhat equivalent in value (or thoughtfulness).
10 Business Gift Ideas for the Holidays
Here are our top picks for professional gifts your clients and vendors will love.
1. Fountain penFountain pens are sophisticated, classy, and thoughtful gifts. There's nothing like the feeling of a good pen, and we think your clients and vendors will feel the same. We’d recommend the Pilot Metropolitan or the Lamy Safari as gifts this year — they’re great for fountain pen beginners, they both feel great in your hand, and write beautifully and smoothly.
2. Baked goods
There’s nothing like delicious baked goods to make it feel like holidays, even in the office! If you can, try to find a local bakery or cafe that’s near where your clients work that might be one of their favorites. If that’s not an option, this Milk Bar gift box is *always* a crowd pleaser, featuring their delicious birthday cake truffles and an assortment of their famous cookies (my favorite is the compost!).
3. Planner
You help your clients meet all their business goals, so help them crush their *personal* goals in 2020 by gifting them a beautiful Ink+Volt planner. Our Signature Series is the most popular, but don’t miss the beautiful colors of our Brilliant and Pacific series. Want an upgrade? Our Limited Series features a foil-stamped spine and a vegan cover that feels just like soft leather. You’re welcome in advance.
4. Coffee or tea selection
Help your favorite vendors or customers beat the 3 o’clock slump with the gift of caffeine! Tea lovers would love a gift set to try a bunch of new brews, like this one from Teapigs. For those who prefer a cup of Joe, try this sampler from La Colombe.
5. Gratitude journal
Not only is this gift incredibly thoughtful, it’s also a great way to show your best clients how grateful you are for them and their work. The Ink+Volt Gratitude Journal is filled with 60 blank daily entries for recording your thoughts and observations, as well as inspirational quotes and weekly challenges to help motivate and inspire. Plus, this journal looks beautiful with its textured, vegan leather cover and smooth paper. Starting a gratitude practice is one of the only scientifically proven ways to improve happiness, and we think that makes a pretty great gift.
6. Succulent for their desk
Remind your current and prospective clients about how much you will grow together with the gift of something green. This succulent arrangement in a reclaimed wood planter will thrive on a desk — even in low sunlight — making it the perfect reminder of your teamwork all year long.
7. A beautiful notebook
You can’t go wrong with a nice notebook! For every day note-taking, list-making, and other writing, we love the Kunisawa Find Note Hard Notebook. With copper gilt around the edges of the pages for an extra special shine and extremely high-quality Japanese foolscap paper filling the inside, the Kunisawa Hard Notebook is truly a one-of-a-kind notebook. If you’re looking for something that will inspire great work, we also love the Hatch Notebook. This notebook is built on a system that will help you brainstorm ideas, evaluate their merits, decide which ones to pursue, and then execute them by giving you space to break your big ideas down into actionable steps.
8. Wine sampler
If your client loves a good glass of wine, give them a treat this season with a wine sampler like these from Vinebox. Normally a subscription service, during the holidays they offer gift boxes of 12 glasses of different wines so you can find your new favorite.
9. Coloring book
Coloring books aren’t just for the kids table — coloring is proven to be a meditative activity that can help adults relax and unwind after a long day of work. Give the gift of creativity with the Ink+Volt Inspirational Coloring Book. Each page is filled with a beautiful illustration coupled with motivational words of wisdom to help your gift recipient feel happier, calmer, and more focused.
10. Handwritten thank youSometimes the best gift of all is just a sincere recognition of a job well done. Show your appreciation this holiday season with a heartfelt, handwritten note on beautiful stationery. This gratitude set is the perfect one to add a little sparkle to your words.
