Settlement Gifts My Clients Have Raved About
A framed photo of a client’s new home. One of my Top 10 Client Gift Ideas.
I love settlement day. Not just because I know I’m at the finish line of wrapping up another client, but because I absolutely LOVE the process of organising the settlement gift.
Over the years, I’ve made it my mission to get a little creative with what I gift to my clients. I never want to be that stock standard agent that gives the regular bottle of wine (or cheap champagne) and the branded mug. Yuk!
Given my service offering is highly personalised, I like to really think about who my client is and what they would love to receive as a thank you for placing their trust in me and embarking on the journey that is house-hunting, with me as their commander in chief.
Settlement gift ideas you can steal.
Here are some ideas I’ve come up with over the years.
But first, there are a few rules of thumb I stick to when I’m considering a client gift.
Firstly, it’s not necessarily about the cost - it’s how the gift will land with the client (ie how it will make them feel). Sure, many of the nicest gifts can be pricey but if you’re sticking to a budget with your settlement gifts, sometimes it’s the less expensive gifts (or gestures) that go the farthest in terms of client satisfaction.
For example, I like to gift a framed photograph of the client’s new home. It takes a little bit of thought, and time to put together, but ultimately the gift itself costs me less than $10.
The perfectly personalised gift for under $10.
Here’s how I put it together:
I take a nice photo of the house using my iphone at a time when I’m onsite; then I head to my local photo processing centre (Harvey Norman or K-Mart) to print the image. Next I pick out a beautiful white frame (you can buy a simple, classic looking frame from K-Mart for around $7), and then I put it altogether and mark the back of the frame with the settlement date and a personalised thank you note to the client. I wrap the frame in my branded ribbon and whalah!
Not only do clients love it, if you keep the frame and image relatively small and classic looking, or something you know will match the client’s decor - (I always pick a white frame if I know it’s going into a Queenslander style home) you’re guaranteed to have this picture on prominent display for friends, family and anyone who visits the home to see. It’s a clever way to slip into the coffee conversation when guests drop around for a visit.
What a great way to mark the milestone AND remind the client of their journey with you.
Sometimes, less is more.
When putting together a settlement gift, you also need to consider your client’s religion, family heritage, traditions and/or general tastes to ensure you gift something that won’t offend or be disregarded the moment they unwrap the branded tissue paper.
If your client is the conservative type and you’ve figured out that gifts are not such a big deal to them, sometimes it’s best to keep it simple.
Women love flowers and if your client is female, a beautiful flower delivery is sometimes the best gift. Who doesn’t love receiving flowers!
I find that a flower delivery goes a long way to surprise and delight my female clients. (I’m mindful to steer clear of red roses. I find them a little too romantic for the occasion!)
A word of warning.
You can go too far with gifting.
I feel like I found this out the hard way.
I once went a little overboard on a settlement gift with a client who purchased a $3 million dollar home with me. At the time, I felt like I had to coincide the gift spend with the purchase amount, but boy did I get it wrong!
I spent over $1,000 on several gifts that included an expensive bottle of whisky, a cute little apron for her little girl (she mentioned she loved cooking) and a heap of cookbooks. I also included flowers, champagne and chocolates and set it all up in a beautiful display, only to never hear from that client again!
Was it too much? In hindsight, probably.
Or maybe I’ll just stick to the story that they lost my phone number in the big move.
I have to say I was pretty disappointed I didn’t even get a simple thank-you given the effort (and the money) I had put toward making the settlement a memorable occasion, but nevertheless, a lesson came out of it.
Going overboard doesn’t necessarily win you brownie points, and on this occasion, it made me feel a little silly in hindsight.
Admittedly, I never gift anything with the expectation of receiving anything in return but a simple acknowledgement would have been nice.
Creative ways to Surprise and Delight a Client.
In episode 10 of our podcast, The Rising Professional Podcast, Cara and I share some of the memorable experiences we’ve each had with service-based businesses who went above and beyond to surprise and delight us as clients.
In particular, one of the ways a sales agent “surprised and delighted” Cara and her husband Ben was to arrange a limousine to pick them up and take them to a local restaurant for a fancy dinner.
They had recently sold their home with this agent and I know the experience left them feeling a tiny bit impressed. Not only did they feel like rockstars for an evening, this grand gesture is now forever etched in their minds … and guess whose name they mention when they talk about it to others - THAT real estate agent.
Now, this might not be the gift of choice for all of your clients, and yes, it’s a pricey move, but I have to say, it’s innovative!
Below is a link to the full episode if you’re curious to learn more.
Here are few of my most well-received gifts to clients over the years :
MY TOP 10 SETTLEMENT GIFTS
A nice bottle of champagne. Yes it’s cliche but for me, it’s on brand and I dress it up nicely in my personalised WENDYRUSSELL ribbon.
Chocolates. Again, cliche but if I know my client has mentioned they have a particular sweet tooth for a certain type of chocolate, I go out of my way to gift it. Giant sized Toblerone blocks are a thing with the men can you believe?!
Aesop hand wash and room spray. Not many people will splurge on expensive hand wash or room spray for themselves, so I take this as an opportunity to gift a little scented luxury as a move-in treat! It also ties in with my brand values of exclusivity and luxury. (Hint: always tie your settlement gift in line with your personal brand.)
A spa voucher. I once gifted a massage voucher to a female client who was a partner at a top accounting firm and it almost brought her to tears. I knew she was super stressed at the time and needed a break. I actually gifted it BEFORE we settled because I knew she needed the time-out sooner rather than later. The property search had really taken its toll, on top of all the other stuff she was dealing with at work. Rather than go with a franchised big branded name, I partnered with a local business. It was a great way to introduce my client to her local day spa and I made a new business contact in the process.
A beautiful cookbook. Something that can proudly sit on display on the coffee table or kitchen bench. You can buy inexpensive beautiful looking baking books from good old K-Mart or Target.
Sheridan towels and silk pillowcases. I find these have been a hit with professional women. Buy them on sale, in advance when you can.
A big bunch of flowers. Delivered is always nice but if you can personally deliver them, this is going the extra mile and yet another touchpoint with your client.
Framed photo of their new home.
Don’t forget the kids. Since I had pug dogs myself, I would gift toy Pugs. I found it to be a nice way to tie in what was personal to me (very on brand), and what kid is going to say no to a cute fluffy toy pug! A winner with mum and dad every time and the story behind my pugs is always memorable and sometimes relatable to clients.
A personalised bedroom door plaque / name tag for their son or daughter. Again, this needs to be age appropriate and well-considered. Something tasteful that the parents will WANT to put on their child’s bedroom door. I gifted one recently to a client’s 3 year daughter and the next time I was invited to their new home their daughter proudly took me up to her room to show me around.
Special bonuses that go a step further.
For some clients, depending on their situation, I organise a Move-In Pack that includes things like toilet paper (a huge hit during covid), tissues, hand wash, bottled water, shampoo and conditioner, tooth brush and toothpaste, pet treats and any other necessities I feel will help the client settle in on the first day or night during a big move.
I once stocked a client’s fridge with a week’s worth of groceries because I knew it would make their life easier. They valued this so much more than a bottle of champagne because it spoke directly to their needs at the time.
Can you see a pattern here?
I’m being mindful of what the client would love and appreciate but at the same time, I’m keeping the gifts in line with my own personal brand and service offering.
The cost of the gift often comes last in my thought process when I’m arranging a settlement gift.
My focus first and foremost is how the client will emotionally receive this gift and the impact I can make via gifting to ensure their property settlement is smooth, memorable and celebrated.
If you can blend all of these, and put a little time and thought into your settlement gifts, you’re going to have delighted clients time and time again who will rave about their experience with you.
MEET THE WRITER
Hi, I’m Wendy.
I’m a storytelling writer, champagne lover and Luxury Buyer’s Agent based in Brisbane Australia. I share my journey as an independent real estate professional and self-made career woman. MY STORY
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Wendy Russell is a Luxury Buyer’s Agent, social introvert and self-made business woman on a mission to help career women step into their power as high-value professionals. It starts here.
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