This is the time of year I start to receive gift calendars and fridge magnet calendars from my realtor, loan officer, and dentist.
Sometimes I get candy, which is dandy. They also send me fun items like a stuffed toy.
Why? Because they hope I will keep it and it will remind them that they exist.
That’s smart. So, what should agency owners and strategic consultants who want to attract rit-fit clients do that is equally smart?
Here is another great reason to write a book. It is the best thank you gift you can ever give.
Take those intellectual property assets of yours, like a recorded workshop or seminar, and turn it into a book.
Here’s what I mean. Let’s say you publish a book that retails for $20. The cost to you is probably around $10 if you are traditionally published (like I am with McGraw-Hill) or around $6 if you are independently published.
But, of course, the perceived value is more than that.
Especially if you do what my author and “gift-giving-to-build-relationships” expert Jamie Shibley of The Expressory recommends.
She says to attach a personal note on why you are giving them this particular book. What is in the book that made you think of them?
It may be a cliche, but it’s true: It isn’t the gift that counts, but it is the thought behind the gift that matters.
This is a gift that includes your contact info. Books are also great gifts to give meeting planners and clients who booked you for a speech.
And remember, people tend not to throw books away. Our fourth grade teachers brainwashed us that books and authors are important (thank you Mrs. Bandy for that).