Birthdays offer an opportunity for advisors to communicate with clients and strengthen the relationships. While many advisors acknowledge some of their clients’ birthdays, it’s often difficult to find an appropriate card. And what is a suitable gift for an A-list client?

“A gift is always welcome,” says Michael Beck, president and founder of Exceptional Leadership Inc. in Bend, Ore., a company that provides coaching and training for the financial services industry throughout North America. “A birthday gift doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it should be meaningful.”

Advisors should know the likes, dislikes, hobbies and interests of clients on their A list. So, the gift they send should play a significant role, Beck says. But that doesn’t mean sending an expensive gift, even for a wealthy client. “Sending an extravagant gift makes it seem that you are trying to buy their business,” Beck says. “It’s the sincerity of the gift that counts, not what it costs.”

If the client likes the theatre, send a set of operatic CDs, he suggests. If fly fishing is the client’s hobby, send something that pertains to that sport.

Find a card that catches the client’s attention, says Frank Grisdale, CEO of LongTermClients.com in Edmonton, a Web-based company that provides personalized greeting cards for advisors to send to clients.

“A card should not only be stunningly beautiful, it should also be personal,” says Grisdale, who was an investment advisor for 17 years before starting his “personal note” business. Hallmark cards may be good for family and friends but, Grisdale says, they just don’t work for business people.

“You need to send a birthday card that the client will want to keep on his desk, as opposed to a card that he will toss after a day or two,” he says.

Through Grisdale’s Web site, advisors can create their own birthday cards and order them online. Advisors can choose the pictures for the front of the card from a display of landscapes, people, still lifes and wildlife photographs. Advisors then personalize the cards with their own words.

“The image on the front of a card, as well as the note inside, should be unique for men and women, so you are not sending your clients, who are often couples, the same birthday card,” Grisdale says. Many married couples were born in the same month and the spouses would easily realize that they have both received the same card.

“Half of the reason a client appreciates a card is because it’s a piece of art; the other half is that the inside has been personalized,” Grisdale says. “Say something like ‘Happy June 2nd, Frank.’ By putting the date in the card, you show Frank that you know exactly what date his birthday is and you have put some effort into the card.”

What else should you say in the card besides “Happy birthday”? Grisdale has these suggestions:

> The card should include not only congratulations but a thank you for the relationship. Thank the client for placing their trust in you; let them know you appreciate the relationship, and that you consider it an honour to be working with them.

> Use a memorable quote inside — perhaps from George Burns for the men’s cards, and Lucille Ball for the women’s. It makes the card interesting and enjoyable to read.

> Make sure the note has your “voice,” and the message is sincere.

Another nice touch is to give clients a call on their birthday — but don’t talk business. IE