Innovative Closing Gifts

Realtors spend millions each year on business or closing gifts for their clients. But although you’re long on generosity, it’s tough to come up with new ideas all the time. Instead of the usual gift cards or house plants, give something more unique. Here are some fresh ideas.

1. Night Out

Make a dinner memorable by not only picking up the tab but also going all out. Make the reservation for your clients, arrange a limo or a sitter, and then have the restaurant send over a personal thank-you note from you.

2. Share of Stock

For a practical gift that your clients will proudly display in their new home, consider giving a single share of stock in a public company that would appeal to your clients’ unique sense of taste. Among the most popular are Disney, DreamWorks Animation SKG, Harley-Davidson, Wal-Mart, General Motors, Tiffany & Co., and Microsoft. Especially popular among real estate practitioners are stocks from Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Starbucks.

3. Customized Address Stamp

Help your clients get used to their new address by providing a customized address stamp after the closing. Every time your clients use the address stamp, they’ll think of you. Prepay for the stamps and order them with each client’s information as you need them.

4. A New Experience

What do you get for the clients who have everything? How about an experience they’ll be talking about for years to come? Boulder, Colo. allows you to choose from the truly adventurous — a fly-fishing trip, a bull-riding school, a summer surf camp, indoor skydiving, or driving a race car—to the more cerebral (private guitar lessons, a romantic dinner for two cooked in clients’ home by an executive chef, or a private Pilates class).

Not sure which experience to give as a gift? The company allows you to choose from nine color-coded gift cards at different price levels, and your clients can choose their own experience.

5. A Sweet Something

Mrs. Fields offers more than a dozen different “housewarming/Realtor” gifts for practitioners to give clients. The “New House Gift” is worth adding to your closing gifts repertoire because the cookies, brownies, and other baked treats come in a box shaped like a house. Customize the front door of the house with your clients’ names or your company logo.