Impress and Inspire: Thoughtful Gifts for Personal Connections

Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or you’re already running a business, there is something to be said for building connections on a professional level. Work colleagues, business relationships, and long-standing consumer and business connections are something to be encouraged. Whether you want to celebrate a business connection, your colleague’s birthday, or send a thank you to a new consumer, here are a few gifts that can help you inspire a meaningful business relationship for years to come.

While there are times for big and luxurious gifts, there are also times when a sweet treat like a cookie delivery is perfectly acceptable. If you’re a small business making a push to show appreciation to your loyal consumers or want to celebrate the birthday of a colleague, a sweet delivery can be the perfect touch to say, “Hey, we appreciate working with you. Thanks for being loyal.”

Whether you personally deliver the baked goods or ordered from a professional bakery, this is a simple yet thoughtful way to inspire meaningful connections.

Another way to show appreciation or celebrate a professional connection is to give gift cards to local establishments that have a great reputation for being quite the places to visit. A restaurant that has the fame of being both delectable and high-end won’t disappoint even the hardest-to-please of clients. While this is a gift to give to a well-established and personal connection, it’s definitely one of those kinds of gestures that can be more than appreciated by the recipient.

For team members whom you want to appreciate, a personalized office accessory is a nice touch when you want to say, “Thank you for contributing!” From a desk organizer to a personalized laptop bag, there are a variety of office gifts that you can look into when you want your colleague or professional connection to feel appreciated.

Make sure to take time to think about their style and preferences so that you can be sure to give them something that they’d be happy to use and proud to show off. If it’s for a team member, consider personalizing it with their name and your company logo. A little company swag is never a bad idea for a committed employee.

If, in your professional connections, you know people who can get you things like concert tickets or the ability to attend games for a lower price, don’t minimize how beneficial this could be for your professional relationships.

When you build professional connections with other business owners or people in the industry, you will more than likely start discovering things about them and their interests. The next time that you get some free tickets in your hand, don’t hesitate to reach out to these connections to take your professional relationship a step further.

If you want to wow someone, a gift of the latest technological gadgets isn’t a bad idea. Although this is something that you should only consider if it’s within your budget, a gift of the latest Apple watch or a pair of Samsung earbuds may be an ideal way to show your connection just how appreciated they are. Maybe it’s a gift that you give your star team member. It could be that you have a long-standing connection with a die-hard customer.

Either way, showing appreciation for the tech-minded individual with whom you’ve built a personal relationship is worth investing in.

If you want to continue to foster your professional relationships, it’s not a bad idea to show appreciation or give “thinking of you” gifts to your professional connections. It can be a great way to continue to maintain that professional connection that you value. Everyone loves to be appreciated, even through a simple gesture like a gift.