Happier holidays

“I got overwhelmed,” Horwood says. “And I thought that if I felt that way, everyone else might, too.”

This year, she has decided that each of her 100 or so top clients will receive a fresh wreath delivered to their home. And she’s excited about this gift: “They smell gorgeous and they’re just magnificent.”

That enthusiasm is a positive signal that Horwood is on the right track. A gift that you are proud to give is more likely to be well received.

Whether you use a gift, an event or a card, it’s important to acknowledge the season in some way with clients, according to George Hartman, managing partner with Elite Advisors Canada Inc. in Toronto. However, it’s equally important that your efforts be noticed and appreciated, and not lost in the hustle and bustle of the season.

Although there’s no single right way to toast your valued clients, these ideas may help you do so in a way that makes the most sense for you, your clients and your business:

– make it special

While the generic box of assorted chocolates is impossible to avoid at this time of the year, try to resist the temptation to give your top clients what has become a bit of an eye-roller on the gifting front, says Alycia Hall, a life coach in Vancouver. A rule of thumb: if it’s lining the shelves at your local Wal-Mart, it’s probably not the ideal way to show your clients how important they are to your business.

“If you’re going to get someone a gift,” Hall says, “try to make it thoughtful to them, as opposed to something you can give everybody.”

For Joanne Blake, business etiquette expert with Style for Success Inc. in Edmonton, a box of chocolates can be perfectly suitable. But your gift chocolates should be handmade and exquisite in order to create an impression that underscores the message of quality you would want associated with your business.

Blake adds that personalizing gifts is not about high cost as much as it is about “high touch” – showing your clients that you’ve taken the time to choose something specially for them.

If you send a gift basket, Hall suggests, tuck something personal inside it, such as event tickets. Or, hand-select baskets that make sense for each client. A client with environmental sensitivities might appreciate an all-natural self-care basket with non-irritating bath products, for example.

But don’t get too personal, Blake warns. Choosing a fragrance for another person, for instance, is just too intimate to be appropriate for business gifting.

Although holiday greeting cards are not nearly as popular as they once were, the same rules apply when it comes to choosing cards if you do decide to use them.

Horwood has been sending annual Christmas cards created by a professional photographer and designer since her two daughters (now both working at Richardson GMP) were toddlers. Emphasizing the family connection is important, Horwood says, because the firm works with families. She insists on quality card stock and envelopes.

Some advisors choose to send cards purchased through a charity, such as UNICEF or Oxfam, according to Blake.

If you are including a company logo on your gift, it should be discreet, advises Louise Fox, owner of the Etiquette Ladies in Toronto. “Make sure you’re not giving [clients] something that’s just an advertising product for you and your company,” Fox says. “It can’t look like a promotion because that’s not a gift; it’s a marketing ploy.”

That’s not to say that logos are never appropriate. Horwood has given ornaments out to clients that include a logo, and this year’s wreaths will feature a ribbon with her firm’s logo.

– do your homework

If you haven’t asked your clients what they like or don’t like to receive or do during the holidays, you are missing an important opportunity to steer your holiday planning in the right direction. Doug Griffioen, investment advisor in Waterloo, Ont., with Toronto-based HollisWealth Inc., a unit of Bank of Nova Scotia, changed his approach to client gifts four years ago, thanks to client feedback. Griffioen had been sending his clients gift baskets for years, he says, but some of his clients, many of whom support charitable work, told him that although the baskets were nice, these clients felt as if the gifts were extravagant. So, Griffioen decided instead to create a charitable-matching program, offering his clients the opportunity to support the charities of their choice, with Griffioen matching up to $50.

“I was a little reticent at first,” Griffioen says, “because you never really know what the participation rate is going to be. That’s why I put a limit on it.” But it turns out that just enough clients participate, so the gift budget is unchanged. And both he and his clients are more comfortable with this choice, he says: “This seems to resonate with them.”

A bonus: knowing what charities your clients support in any given year can be useful.

Hartman says that the trend toward incorporating charitable giving into client gift programs is growing. He knows of advisors who donate meals to homeless missions and of other advisors who donate toys to toy drives on behalf of clients. To make the effort more real to your clients, you might include a photo of the toys donated in the greeting cards (print or e-cards) that you send to clients.

Or you can “assign” a toy to each client, based upon what you know about your clients. For example, a car buff might learn that a toy car was donated in his name.

Ask your clients during the off-season for feedback on what they’d like to see during the holiday season to help ensure that your choices make sense to them. If you haven’t yet decided as the holiday season approaches, you might have to make a few phone calls to clients’ offices and speak to their support staff to generate some ideas.

Blake says such calls are a good way to help you choose gifts for top clients that they’ll actually remember throughout the year: “An executive assistant knows what their boss or colleague will appreciate.”

– listen to your clients

Horwood used to give gift baskets to some clients and wreaths to others. But client feedback indicated a preference for the wreaths, so she’s giving wreaths only this year. “[Clients] just love them,” she says, adding that her clients have said the wreaths are non-denominational and a happy addition to any home.

Not every gift idea is going to be the best one. Griffioen decided last year to issue a blood-donation challenge during the holidays after one of his clients, who worked for Canadian Blood Services, told Griffioen that the need for blood donations goes up during the holidays because the season brings both a drop in donations and a spike in demand.

It was a great idea and it tied in to the charitable interest of Griffioen’s clientele. But donating blood didn’t fly with his clients, who were just as busy as the typical Canadian who doesn’t take the time to give blood during the holidays.

Stephen Whipp of Victoria-based Stephen Whipp Financial, a division of Vancouver-based Wolverton Securities Ltd., says he would prefer to give random gifts to his clients throughout the year rather than trying to make his mark during the gift-intensive holiday season.

Betty-Anne Howard, advisor with Making Dreams a Reality, which operates under the IPC Investment Corp. banner in Kingston, Ont., takes the same tack. She gives her clients gifts throughout the year that support local businesses, such as stuffed teddy bears with handmade, personalized jackets, and water bottles with infusers.

During the holidays, Howard also makes a charitable donation in lieu of gifts, which again ties in to her brand, she says.

– take events to another level

Holiday gatherings might not be as lavish as they once were but creativity still is necessary to make an event memorable. Many advisors have chosen to hold events outside the December rush – in November or January, according to Hartman.

That has been Whipp’s strategy for several years. At the end of November, his firm hosts a gathering at a local venue, featuring local food and beverages and local talent. This year, a jazz pianist entertained the guests.

Whipp tries to provide his clients with something interesting that underlines his firm’s focus on socially responsible investing. This year, for example, Whipp plans to screen a short documentary (made by a client who is a filmmaker)about oil tankers off the coast of British Columbia.

Whipp also asks his guests to bring a food donation for a local charity. Hosting these events is rewarding for Whipp because they remind clients that the firm’s focus on sustainability is in line with clients’ concerns.

“These events give people the opportunity to see other people like them who are investing in [ethical organizations],” Whipp says. The events reinforce the idea that this is the “right” firm for his clients.

Emily Rae, senior advisor with Assante Capital Management Ltd. in Halifax, invites her clients to attend a movie event in late November or early December. Last year, her firm screened the popular animated film Frozen, attracting enough clients and their families to fill several large theatres.

The firm also asked attendees to bring a donation for the food bank, Rae says, so everyone felt good about the event.

– staff ideas

Although many advisors provide a financial bonus and extra paid time off during the holidays to reward staff for a year of hard work, some policies are more strategic.

Horwood, for instance, forbids the exchange of gifts within the office because it can lead to awkward situations. She made this decision years ago after an assistant (no longer with the firm) gave a partner an excessively generous gift. Instead, staff can focus on their own family commitments and just enjoy any office festivities.

Horwood also ensures that her team members receive their rewards from the incentive program (gift cards of their choice) before the New Year, and plans a staff outing. Usually, it’s held in December but, this year, the team has decided to treat themselves in January. The 10-person team will be attending a cooking workshop together and working with a professional chef to prepare a gourmet meal on a day after work.

Whether your holiday event is for staff or clients, providing opportunities for learning is a great way to add pizzazz, according to Blake. Horwood has attended wine- and chocolate-tasting events that would be ideal for the holidays, and she has heard of professionals who have organized dance classes for staff. Keep your events interesting and memorable by choosing something that staff members are unlikely to do on their own.

For the more practical-minded, transit passes and magazine subscriptions also can be appropriate gifts for your staff.

Horwood has had clients order in gourmet pizzas on a random afternoon for the team. In cases such as these, she suggests, why not let the executives turn the tables, and serve lunch to the staff?

For more on seasonal client events, see our web special, Gestures of Gratitude. Visit www.investmentexecutive.com

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