Here’s the deal. Salespeople need to remember they are not selling to faceless entities. The receiving end of your sales outreach is a person who has personal and professional interests.
When you are trying to win over potential customers, the little things count.
A simple gesture like an e-gift sent through email or social media can go a long way in helping to build a personal connection with your prospect. Doing so shows them that you appreciate their time.
But the secret to success isn’t found in gift cards or swag alone.
Building genuine connections around someone’s personal interests makes for a perfect gift they’ll be proud to share with their friends and colleagues. If you aren’t sending personalized gifts, it’s time to start.
Deloitte says, “Experience is critical to capture potential customers and retain existing ones in today’s crowded digital landscape.”
We’ll share thoughtful gift ideas below that you can use for cold outreach or to follow up on your sales motions to deliver a memorable experience with your brand.
Why Use Sales Prospecting Gifts?
The average gift budget for sales-driven corporate gifts is $75–100, according to Promotional Products Association International (PPAI). Many B2B sales teams leverage account-based marketing (ABM) rather than depending on inbound sales campaigns.
This shift allows you to send a personalized gift via direct mail or email that’s both thoughtful and valuable. It might just make your prospect’s day.
There are four types of businesspeople you might encounter during your outreach journey. The types of gifts that they prefer vary wildly.
- Pioneers – These adventurous and energetic people will love an out-of-the-box idea, such as experience-based vouchers or concert tickets.
- Guardians – These people are practical and reserved in nature. Shop for gifts that allow them to relax, such as a coffee shop gift card or noise-canceling headphones.
- Drivers – These leaders have logical personalities. Get them a challenge-based game or a cool gadget and ask about it on your next phone call.
- Integrators – These team members are empathetic and relationship-oriented. Delight them with a themed box of goodies or a donation on their behalf.
Even if your prospect doesn’t fit into any categories, Alyce offers the power of choice to them as they can either accept, exchange, or donate their gift value to charity.
This approach to business gifts is a win-win.
Let’s talk a bit about what kinds of gifts you should send to a prospect. The following gift ideas you can use in your outbound sales strategy.
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Sales Gifts to Connect with Prospects
Prospecting isn’t a numbers game — it’s about the ability to make a genuine connection and build rapport, and establish a long-term relationship.
1) Tap Into a Prospect’s Personal Interests
Understanding your prospect’s persona during the prospecting phase is the first step when creating a personal experience for a potential customer.
Use a person’s #5to9 interests whenever possible. Is the prospect into waffles and Star Wars? A glance at their public social media posts could tell you a lot.
Take this prospect gifting example shared by Kai Fortney from Trusted Health.
Now, what if someone doesn‘t share a lot on social media platforms? That‘s okay.
Consider the feeling of receiving a unique gift box or digital gift. It’ll grab their attention and spark some excitement around the new relationship.
Alyce has thousands of business gift ideas that sales reps use to earn prospects’ attention.
2) Involve Company Mascots
Not every company will have a mascot, but it never hurts to check their site to see if their brand is represented by a friendly animal — think Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes or Aflac insurance.
The World Wildlife Fund has an “adopt” program where you can give the gift of adopting the animal your target account has representing their company across the website and marketing materials.
Rather than sending physical gifts like tumblers, you can nominate a charity to donate to on one‘s behalf.
To ensure your corporate gift resonates with a prospect, include a handwritten note with a personal video, and you’re golden.
3) Leverage Location-Specific Gifts
Details matter. Recognizing the physical locations of your prospects shows that you’ve done your homework.
Here are some thoughtful gifts focused on geography:
- Hometown or spot that brings them joy
- Current city or major metropolitan area located nearby
- A map or satellite view of their favorite vacation spot
- Custom gifts bearing national pride or patriotism
So go check out the geo-location on your prospect’s LinkedIn and Twitter profiles and perform plenty of Google searches, then match which corporate gifts resonate. Or, you can use Alyce for this AI and human-assisted personal gift research for you.
4) Create a Hometown Hero
Doing good is the heart of a sustainable gifting program. Even in the sales process, you can spread goodwill by donating to local causes that render a greater impact.
Knowing more about your prospect, you can suggest a few organizations to send as a gift.
Here are a few charitable e-gifts salespeople should try:
- Local children’s hospitals and non-profits
- Global gifting efforts like supporting Ukraine
- Adjacent charities relevant to your prospect’s industry
We‘ve helped marketing and sales teams give over $625,000 back to charity. Imagine having fewer wasted gifts and making the world a better place. It’s possible with Alyce.
5) Fuel Lifelong Learning
Instead of cold calling, consider reaching out to a decision-maker by suggesting an insightful book for your outreach.
Author and comedian Garrison Keillor once said, “A book is a gift you can open again and again.”
We have thousands of popular books in the Alyce marketplace that appeal to your prospect’s #5to9s and 9-to-5s. These reads strengthen personal and professional interests.
Even if you’re not sure what kind of books your prospect reads, there are gift ideas for every reader — even coffee table books.
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Risks of Being Too Creative with Prospect Gifts
Of course, with any gift-giving, there is a risk of overdoing it and making your direct mail seem insincere or offensive.
Givers beware of these four potential pitfalls when trying to be too creative with your gift-giving:
- The gift is too expensive and screams, “I’m trying to buy your business!”
- It is too personal and invades the recipient’s personal or family spaces
- Comes across as tone-deaf regarding serious topics and interests
- It’s annoying and ends up in the landfill
As long as your outbound sales efforts have purpose and remain thoughtful of your prospect’s personal interests, you’re on the right track!
Prospecting Gift Ideas for Regulated Industries
If you’re in a regulated industry and know that your recipient cannot accept your gift, this is the perfect time to lean into the aspect of personal choice. They can accept, exchange, donate, or respectfully decline your prospecting gift with Alyce.
In your prospecting email, make sure there’s a purpose behind your message. Leverage this touchpoint to introduce yourself and how you can help with a specific problem. Including a friendly video can go a long way.
No matter if your prospect can receive the gift or not, they get to respond to your prospect outreach without making it awkward — and they can still schedule a meeting if you want.
Following Up on Sales Prospecting Gifts
The key to great prospecting campaigns is effective follow-up. Here is a suggested format to consider after you send a gift to a prospect. Be thoughtful and considerate to get the responses you want.
🤔 Read More: How To Write a Prospecting Email That Converts (+Templates)
Are you now feeling inspired to gift your way into your customer’s hearts? Here’s a quick recap of the different sales gifts we covered in this post:
- Know your customers well before selecting gifts
- Consider company mascots for a clever custom gift
- Send location-specific unique gifts to stand out
- Create a hometown hero with donations
- Fuel a prospect’s learning with a book
- Don’t be insensitive or demanding with business swag
The Easy Way to Outbound Prospecting
Gift marketing should be easy and fun.
This is why Alyce has done the heavy lifting for you. Our marketplace is full of gift ideas to make your job easier, all the while preserving choice in your prospect’s hands. We handle all the logistics, including shipping, tracking, and address verification.
B2B sales teams make lasting impressions with personalized gifts versus sending stuff to people they don’t know.
Thoughtful gifts with a bit of swag will show your target account that you’ve done your research, and you’ll stand out as a company worth checking out.
Alyce makes gifting to prospects easier so you can focus on what’s important: building relationships with your potential clients that are eager to provide plenty of referrals.
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