If you’re going to give a client a gift, so maybe it’s a thank you gift, maybe it’s a milestone gift, maybe it’s a gift ‘just because’… then a couple of things:   

Firstly, make sure that it is a gift and it doesn’t need your logo on it ok?  

That’s different, you can put your logo on things if they’re for promotional purposes.  

But at the end of the day, I’m not going to walk around with a beautiful polo shirt with your logo on it.  

I’m not going to wear a baseball cap with your logo on it. 

You might be a great business, we might have a great relationship, but that’s not how I’m going to rock and roll.
If we’re going to say a golf day and you’re the sponsor and we all have to wear golf hats with your logo on it, beautiful, go for it.  

But if it’s a gift, make it a gift – take your logo off it.  

Because if you’ve given a gift that someone really values, when they use it, or when they look at it, depending on what it is, they’re going to know it was from you.   

So he’s a really good example.  

I’ve just finished doing a coaching program with a beautiful, beautiful client, a lovely lovely couple.   

And we’re finished right, now I’m the coach, they’re the client, and they sent me this gift.   

And it’s absolutely beautiful.   

Tell you why, a couple of things:  

Firstly, it’s got a really inspiring quote on it, which I love.   

Secondly, there is no logo, there’s anywhere on it which means I can actually display it in my office, and I do.  

But here’s the best part of it.  

You will see, I don’t know if you can see, but there’s a baseball in the corner.  

I’m obsessed with baseball.  

Now somehow in our conversations that obsession with baseball must have come out.   

So they’ve maybe written it down, I don’t know, maybe they’ve just got really good memories.   

But when they’ve thought about getting this gift for me, they’ve made it really super relevant, meaningful and special.  

And this now, this beautiful frame has got pole position on my back desk there.  

I leave it up there all the time.  

And I’m proud of it and it’s beautiful.  

It’s something that I would have put up there if I was decorating my office.  

Now we do zoom meetings all the time through all our coaching so they also know what my office looks like.  

And they’ve thought about it and put it together.  

To me, that is the perfect gift.  

I know who they are, I didn’t need their logo on to remember.  

And every single time I look at this picture guess who I think about… them.  

So I was talking to my sister in law the other day, and she’s in real estate.  

And she often gives gifts, especially when people buy houses, or maybe they’ve referred, or they’ve done something really nice.  

And she was saying to me “so in that case would you put a logo on a gift?”   

And I’m like, “no, not if it’s a gift, if you want to just promote your business, that’s fine, but if you want to give a gift, make it a genuine gift.”  

And there’s an amazing book called “giftology” (by John Rulhin).

And it’s one of those books where it has some brilliant ideas in there about how to give the perfect gift, but also around some ideas about what some of the perfect gifts are.   

And you know one of the best gifts, which I found really bizarre, is a beautiful kitchen knife.   

Now, I’m not a cook so I don’t see knives of any benefit whatsoever.   

But as so rightly pointed out in the book, someone in your household is going to really appreciate that knife.   

Now in our household it’s my husband.   

So even though I don’t appreciate, or I wouldn’t appreciate a knife, he would love it.   

So what do you use every day?   

A knife.  

So every night he would get out a knife and he would use it.  

And if that came from someone, that they thought about him, even though I might not have necessarily directly benefited… I get to benefit, I get a happy husband.  

So when you are thinking about giving a gift, separate it from being a promotional product.  

Make sure it’s relevant and meaningful.  

And don’t have your logo anywhere to be seen if you want them to genuinely enjoy it.   

Because after all, You are Valuable.