Ever since real estate began as a business, there has been a battle: To gift, or not to gift? Many agents believe that closing the deal is enough of a gift. Many will equate it to a medical procedure–do doctors give gifts to patients after surgery or was the surgery enough? Healthy debate is certainly encouraged here, but I think there are several great closing gifts that realtors should consider giving their clients.
Those of us who prefer to give gifts to our clients (home buyers, home sellers, investors, etc) are of a different mindset. We don’t give gifts because we feel we have to. We do it with a bit of strategy behind it. There are three main criteria you should consider whenever you’re deciding which are the best closing gifts to give to a client:
- Small token of appreciation
- Gift that provides utility
- Gift that promotes you and reminds clients of you and your work
Let’s get into some more detail about why and how to give gifts that meet these criteria.
1. Small Tokens of Appreciation
As an agent, you’ve worked with all kinds of clients. You’ve probably worked with several that you never want to speak to again, or some who really got on your nerves and wouldn’t make a good client for anyone.
On the other hand, you’ve probably worked with a lot of great clients! There are probably tons of people out there who made the process easy for you and gave you something to look forward to every day.
When you come across a client you enjoy working with, give them a closing gift as a token of appreciation. You want to signal that you really enjoyed working with them for one reason or another. You also want to make sure that they know you care.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t give gifts to clients who are hard to work with. You should absolutely try to find something to appreciate about them and give them a gift anyway. You never know where your next referral may come from!
Agents who don’t care about their clients will never acknowledge them–not for good or bad things. By giving a gift, you’re showing you genuinely care about your clients and enjoy getting to know them and help them. You’re proving that you’re an agent who enjoys the job and building relationships. You’re proving you’re an agent worth working with.
2. Gift That Provides Utility
You want your gifts to be useful! Again, giving your clients something they truly need and could use is a great way to prove you care. Don’t give them something they’ll throw away or stuff into storage and never think of again. Show that they are truly in your mind when you’re out there shopping.
The secret sauce here is that if the gift has utility, your home buyer or seller will actually USE the gift. They will be incentivized to use or display what you gave them as a gift. In other words, you’re providing value and usefulness beyond the sale!
3. Gift That Promotes You
As a real estate agent, try to offer gifts that will make people think of you. Include your name, brand, or logo on it if you can (you need to be subtle though…it’s not all about you). Make the gift something inherently related to real estate. By making it a gift that is useful AND promotes you, you can keep yourself and your business on your clients’ minds so they don’t forget you when someone else they know needs a REALTOR®.
There are tons of ideas for great gifts! Here are some that I often use:
- Personalized cutting board
- Painting of the home you helped them buy or sell with your name on it
- Personalized doormat
These are only a few ideas. Any kitchen item (knives, spices, baked goods) will be useful and appreciated. Any home decor that might make your client’s home a little brighter will certainly be enjoyed! Just give them something you know they’ll like. Prove that you’ve gotten to know their tastes and what they will appreciate most.
And that’s really all there is to it! You can give your clients the best closing gifts by knowing who they are and what they delight in. And by giving that gift, you’ll be building a relationship that could lead to dozens of future sales. Being there for your clients is one of the most important things you can do as a good real estate agent.