by: Cindy Carrera

You've been around the block a time or two. When it comes to choosing promotional gifts for your clients, you know your stuff. Why, you always get the nicest phone calls, notes and emails from your clients, thanking you for their gifts.

The question is: do those people call and write again with new orders for your company's product or service? Which, when all is said and done, is what giving clients promotional gifts is all about. Right?

Of course! And most of the time after those polite thank you calls and notes, you hear nothing, at least not right away and certainly not in the way of increased orders and sales.

That's why you need to know this secret to giving the perfect promotional gifts to your clients-and guarantee results your accountant will notice.

The secret is personalization. No, no, not as in giving gifts with names and such engraved on them, though those can be quite, quite nice.

No, this is individualized personalization. That's a mouthful, isn't it? What it means is that when you're giving your clients promotional gifts, you need to think of each and every one of them as individuals-and give them gifts that speak to their tastes and interests.

This isn't as difficult as you might think. In the course of doing business with people, we learn a great deal about them. Things like if they're dog lovers, wine enthusiasts, proud parents, gadget freaks, that sort of thing.

So when it comes time to do promotional gift-giving, take those things you've learned about your clients and use them in choosing stellar gifts that will keep your customers calling you. Give that wine enthusiast a good bottle of wine. Wrap up a picture frame with a border of dogs on it for your dog lover client. Give you gadget freak client a handheld game or cell phone accessory.

No money for that? Think you should give everyone the same thing? Great! You can still personalize.

Think packaging here. Instead of cookie cutter wrapping paper, wrap the dog lover's promotional gift in paper with dog bones on it. Put a card with miniature wine accessories hot-glued to it on your wine enthusiast's gift. The possibilities are endless.

And in doing small things like this, you show your customers they're more than just dollar signs to you. They show you see and appreciate them as people. And as we all know, we like doing business with people who "get" us. Our clients and customers are no different! We like doing business with people who like us. Master the fine art of individualized personalization, and your bottom line will give you a very personal and sincere thank you.