One year anniversary with company- appropriate gift?
By blueunicorn
@blueunicorn (2401)
United States
January 2, 2008 3:16pm CST
Help myLot friends! I need suggestions for gift giving. My husband and I own a landscape maintenance company. It is still somewhat small and growing. However, this month we have a customer that has been with us for one year. It's our first one! I would really like to figure out a gift to send to customers when they have reached that milestone. I can't figure something out in the price range that seems appropriate, though. I wanted to spend no more than $5 - $10, and I would like for the gift to be something that I can send to each customer who reaches the one year mark. I have ruled out Starbuck's cards because of the high Mormon population in our city. I was thinking a Blockbuster gift certificate. Any other ideas? I also want it to be something I can send easily through the mail rather than having to deliver it. Thanks in advance!
4 people like this
13 responses
@lpetges (3036)
• United States
3 Jan 08
i have a hair salon., i also send out birthday cards and percentage off with that. i also send them thank yous with a percentage off when they refer someone to me. it never hurts any business to give a little to the people that make your business successful! christmas time i give them little bottles of shampoos, or hairsprays,. makes them feel that they are important to me, and they really are!
2 people like this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
I think that we finally decided on the thank you card with a percentage off. Now my husband and I just need to stop arguing about what that percentage will be! LOL
What kind of business do you have?
1 person likes this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
You are in a very competative industry, too. That's great that you send the thank yous out. It really does help!
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63643)
• United States
3 Jan 08
Maybe you can work out a deal with a garden store in your area so they could get a gift card for a plant or something? House plant or in the ground plant, but since you do landscape maintenance, you could even do a one time $10 discount for the anniversary....
2 people like this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
I do like the garden store idea. I'll have to look into good ones near us. Thanks for your thoughts!
1 person likes this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
Let me ask you this... If the average customer's bill is $110 for the month does $10 discount really make an impression on the customer? I just don't want the discount to look cheap, where as a gift card takes effort and thought. I would like to do a discount on the bill, I just wasn't sure what the customer would think of it.
1 person likes this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
I hadn't thought of something like NetFlix. I think my husband and I have decided on a percentage off their next bill along with a nice thank you card. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
1 person likes this
@LittleMel (8742)
• Canada
3 Jan 08
I don't mean to sound thrifty, I would suggest a customized desk calendar with a picture of the works you have done, for other customers. I think they would love that, since they have been with you for a year and know your work.
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
Oh, please do sound thrifty! That is me all the way. LOL My husband tells me I'm being too thrifty in this area. He is really worried that looking cheap would be worse than doing nothing at all.
1 person likes this
@Grandmaof2 (7579)
• Canada
3 Jan 08
I like personalized gifts. what about a nice writing pen with their name engraved? I was once given a pull apart key chain with my name engraved in it and I still have it. Hope that helps.
2 people like this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
Those are good ideas. I'll have to see what I could come up with near the price range that would still allow us to do engraving.
1 person likes this
@kimberlylynn (978)
• United States
3 Jan 08
I don't think a customer would really expect something and then you set yourself up for having to do it for everyone. Why don't you just stop by and thank them and give them a card with a nice note in it. Or how about giving them a free service such as one lawn mowing or 10% off?
2 people like this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
Thanks kimberly. I wasn't sure if a customer would expect something or not. An acknowledgement of their anniversary seems fitting, at the very least. I think we have decided to go with a percentage off their next bill. Thanks for your suggestions!
1 person likes this
@Ohara_1983 (4117)
• Kuwait
2 Jan 08
i think much better if you make a landscape maintenance pic or printed on a dress will be easy & nice even you mada in a cap,it will be easy & if the customer will just visit in your place either you can make a pen or calendar that will be good, gigift is no value if not come from our heart, judge me if im wrong.
Happy new year
1 person likes this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
We run our business out of our home, so we don't have any visitors to our place. I definitely agree that a gift is of no value if it doesn't come from the heart. That's why I want to do something that is fun for all of the customers when they reach the one year mark without offending any of them.
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
7 Jan 08
With wedding anniversaries, the 1st year is paper.So how about a coupon that gives the customer 5.00 off there next purchase.That way you will still be in budget and the customer gets a price cut as a reward.
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
10 Jan 08
You are welcome.Maybe you can split the difference between your number and hubby's.
1 person likes this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
11 Jan 08
I decided to give in to my hubby on this one. We don't have many customers that are coming up on that one year mark, so it shouldn't be too bad. Besides, that gives me leverage in other areas! LOL I'm totally kidding about that.
1 person likes this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
7 Jan 08
That seems to be the most popular answer. My husband and I are just arguing now over how much of a discount to give. He wants to give much bigger than I do. He's the heart of the business, I do the books, so I see it differently than he does. We'll get it figured out soon, though. Thanks for your opininion!
1 person likes this
@drknlvly6781 (6246)
• United States
2 Jan 08
Sorry for being just the smallest bit ignorant in this discussion, but what do the mormons have against Starbucks? I personally don't go there, too expensive for high-falluting coffee, but I have never heard of this group being against the corporate chain.
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
Mormons don't drink coffee or tea as part of their religion. The reason I'm hesitant to send a Starbuck's card to any of our customers is that we don't know them well enough to know which customers we may be offending. You didn't sound ignorant, by the way! I'm sorry I forget that in other areas the Mormon beliefs aren't as well known as they are in my area.
1 person likes this
@alamode (3071)
• United States
3 Jan 08
In our business, the one thing we can be flexible on is time... when our customers reach their anniversary mark each year, we give them a $1-an-hour discount on their next service, which saves them some money but is hardly noticeable for us. It could also be done as a percentage off the next service after the anniversary, or even a $10 gift certificate for services... that way, it really takes nothing away from you, and encourages return business!
1 person likes this
@alamode (3071)
• United States
3 Jan 08
Owning your own business should always be as pleasurable as possible! Hun builds custom engines for light airplanes. He's done this for 23 years, although only as our own business for 8 years. There is a lot of precision work involved, so a $1 discount can run into hundreds of dollars for a customer.
He also goes down to the airport on nearly a daily basis to help out customers with small problems with their planes... he often won't charge for these, as they buy lunch or coffee, etc...
The good will certainly doesn't hurt the business!
1 person likes this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
That sounds awesome, alamode! Owning our own business definitely has its advantages. It sounds like you are very pleased with what you all do. We are still in the stage of business being a little scary, but each day we learn more. I think we are doing pretty well.
1 person likes this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
What kind of business are you in?
I guess my husband's final decision is to give a 50% discount on the customer's next bill. It comes to around $50 per customer, which to me sounds like a lot, but I can understand his point of it really not being a lot in the long run and it being different than going out and buying a $50 gift. The landscape maintenance business is competetive out here, so getting to one year is impressive to begin with. He really wants to encourage the customer to continue with us. I personally think he is just attached to the customers since he is the one who sees them (or at least their yard, pets, etc) once a week! That's okay, though. I'm glad he is proud of his work.
1 person likes this
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
9 Jan 08
Since it is a landscaping company I would think to give a lawn ornament of some sort. Doesn't have to be anything extravagant just some little token. Something to put in the garden perhaps. Or a little frog, for example, to put by their front door. I know you are looking for something to send in the mail, but then I think the amount of money you spent, say on a gift certificate, is known and I think that is tacky. You could drop the gift off the next time you are at their house doing a job, or just make that extra trip there to give it to them. I used to own a house cleaning company and I gave my customers an ornament for their house and they were always happy with that.
1 person likes this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
10 Jan 08
Thanks, chris. I hear what you are saying about knowing the amount of the gift card. That was one of my issues with it. We decided to go with 50% of their next month's bill. That's a savings of around $50, so I think the customers will be happy.
@bianx21 (339)
• Philippines
3 Jan 08
a gift certificate would be a good idea...it's something a customer would appreciate because it would give him the choice of how to use the certificate...or maybe you could give them a one time discount for a service they would avail from you...they might be motivated to continue patronizing your company in that way...i hope i helped you...have a nice day!
2 people like this
@blueunicorn (2401)
• United States
3 Jan 08
I was thinking a discount would motivate the customer to continue using our services, too. I just wasn't sure how it would look as far as being of interest as compared to a gift card. It sounds like most people are for the idea of the discount, though!
1 person likes this
@sweetkim12 (64)
• Philippines
3 Jan 08
i suggest you to try give them a planner and a ballpen with your company logo on it..or you can make a unique photo frame.
2 people like this
