5 Pro Picks for Client Holiday Gifts
Home pros share how they’ve shown appreciation to clients and strengthened their brands with thoughtful gifts
You’ve already wowed your clients with your eye for design or your knack for construction. But with so many professionals out there, a little something extra, like a thoughtful holiday gift this time of year, can not only let homeowners know you appreciate their business but also fortify your reputation as a home pro who goes above and beyond. We asked five home professionals to share their go-to client gift ideas, and here’s what they had to say.
“Obviously the kitchen design process is a long and personal one,” Robertson says. “During that process, we often discuss display of objects on open shelving or within glass cabinetry. I pay attention to what clients tell me they collect.”
For the rustic-modern kitchen renovation seen here, for instance, Robertson found vintage coffee tins that would fit right into her client’s existing collection and gave them to her as a gift. They’re displayed here on the open shelves above the kitchen sink.
See more inspiring collection-display photos
For the rustic-modern kitchen renovation seen here, for instance, Robertson found vintage coffee tins that would fit right into her client’s existing collection and gave them to her as a gift. They’re displayed here on the open shelves above the kitchen sink.
See more inspiring collection-display photos
A One-of-a-Kind Find
A gift doesn’t have to be part of a full collection to be meaningful. Robertson says she often spends the months that she’s working with a client getting to know him or her and hunting for collectibles at flea markets, antiques shows and online until she finds the perfect unique offering. If the person isn’t a collector, she might choose a pillow that coordinates with the new kitchen color scheme; retro glassware, like the bottles on the shelves here; or a specialized cookbook.
“I try to find things that my clients would not find themselves,” she says.
A gift doesn’t have to be part of a full collection to be meaningful. Robertson says she often spends the months that she’s working with a client getting to know him or her and hunting for collectibles at flea markets, antiques shows and online until she finds the perfect unique offering. If the person isn’t a collector, she might choose a pillow that coordinates with the new kitchen color scheme; retro glassware, like the bottles on the shelves here; or a specialized cookbook.
“I try to find things that my clients would not find themselves,” she says.
An Elevated Home Accent
A gift for your client’s home is only natural when you’re a home professional. Depending on your budget, something a little fancier (or something that at least appears to be a little fancier) can go a long way in impressing your giftees. Gloria Apostolou, principal of Post Architecture in Toronto, has been treating her clients to higher-end treats like white resin cheese boards to match a just-completed modern kitchen, or bath salt scoops that bring out the details of a newly renovated bathroom.
“The idea started about six years ago when I realized that my clients were turning into friends, and I wanted to acknowledge that relationship by giving them something thoughtful and beautiful,” Apostolou says.
If a construction project is still ongoing by the time the holidays roll around, Apostolou opts for something consumable, like chocolates. “I figured that storing glassware during a renovation could be a
problem,” she says.
Shop cheese boards and platters on Houzz
A gift for your client’s home is only natural when you’re a home professional. Depending on your budget, something a little fancier (or something that at least appears to be a little fancier) can go a long way in impressing your giftees. Gloria Apostolou, principal of Post Architecture in Toronto, has been treating her clients to higher-end treats like white resin cheese boards to match a just-completed modern kitchen, or bath salt scoops that bring out the details of a newly renovated bathroom.
“The idea started about six years ago when I realized that my clients were turning into friends, and I wanted to acknowledge that relationship by giving them something thoughtful and beautiful,” Apostolou says.
If a construction project is still ongoing by the time the holidays roll around, Apostolou opts for something consumable, like chocolates. “I figured that storing glassware during a renovation could be a
problem,” she says.
Shop cheese boards and platters on Houzz
Go-To Classics
Another, more traditional option is a good old-fashioned gift basket. Mark Sidell of closet and organizing firm Closet Factory stuffs his annual baskets for clients with affordable goodies he finds online, on sale or at dollar stores, such as candles, cookies, mugs, nuts and wine. He tries to keep each basket under $40 and personalizes things if he can (including a stuffed animal that looks like the family’s dog, for instance).
Another, more traditional option is a good old-fashioned gift basket. Mark Sidell of closet and organizing firm Closet Factory stuffs his annual baskets for clients with affordable goodies he finds online, on sale or at dollar stores, such as candles, cookies, mugs, nuts and wine. He tries to keep each basket under $40 and personalizes things if he can (including a stuffed animal that looks like the family’s dog, for instance).
Not only do Sidell’s signature baskets help set him and his business apart from the competition, but he says the gifts also have a track record of earning him better reviews and more business. The gesture smooths any rough patches that might have come up during the project process, and leaves clients feeling positive about Sidell and his team in general, he says. Plus, Sidell says, “[delivering the baskets] puts me back in the house, where I can pick up ‘Oh by the way, since you’re here’-type sales.”
Browse decorative baskets
Browse decorative baskets
A Project or Brand Souvenir
Taking the personalization approach one step further, some pros have found ways to celebrate their clients’ revamped spaces and the renovation process itself through commemorative gifts. After interior designer Nancy Powell of Powell Brower Interiors in Virginia has her completed projects professionally photographed, she likes to make a hardback photo book documenting the project process with a few “before” shots to capture the full transformation, and then gifts it to her clients.
“It really makes them feel special,” Brower says. “It’s a personalized coffee table book. They love it!”
Taking the personalization approach one step further, some pros have found ways to celebrate their clients’ revamped spaces and the renovation process itself through commemorative gifts. After interior designer Nancy Powell of Powell Brower Interiors in Virginia has her completed projects professionally photographed, she likes to make a hardback photo book documenting the project process with a few “before” shots to capture the full transformation, and then gifts it to her clients.
“It really makes them feel special,” Brower says. “It’s a personalized coffee table book. They love it!”
While Sheri Soares of Arizona swimming pool builder Hydroscapes says her team doesn’t typically give clients holiday gifts specifically, whenever a project is completed they make sure each family gets a set of high-quality towels that match their new poolside decor, with either the Hydroscapes logo on them or, if the homeowners have children, the children’s names. If you give clients something thoughtful that will get a lot of use and will remind them of the work you did on their home, everybody wins.
“We all have enough stuff,” Soares says. “So a useful gift, to me, is the best gift.”
Tell us: What gifts have gone over well with your clients? Share your ideas in the Comments!
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“We all have enough stuff,” Soares says. “So a useful gift, to me, is the best gift.”
Tell us: What gifts have gone over well with your clients? Share your ideas in the Comments!
More
5 Creative Ways to Keep in Touch With Past Clients
A Holiday Lighting Pro Talks Nets, Ladders and Seasonal Spirit
Leave Your Clients With a Memorable Customer Experience
By virtue of having worked closely with clients on their homes, chances are you got a sense of their styles and the types of things they like to have around. When Sarah Robertson of New York kitchen and bath design firm Studio Dearborn takes on a new project, she notes any decor collections she could add to later.