With the holidays looming ahead and the new year not far behind, there’s no better time to start looking for gifts for your sales team that will show they’re appreciated.
However, when considering gifts for your salespeople, some level of personalization can go a long way. Ditch the printed pens that are half broken and lanyards that can’t hold anything heavier than a single house key. Instead, consider these top gifts for salespeople that go the extra mile in showing you’re thinking about them.
If your team is on-site with clients or prospects multiple times throughout the year, it typically means they’ll be spending several dozen hours on a plane, at a minimum. Short of getting them the business class seats they deserve for that cross-country flight to Seattle, a personalized travel pillow will help them stay comfortable on their way to close that deal.
Spare your salespeople from struggling with bad audio on their next Zoom call with a prospect or from developing bursitis in their shoulders if they’re the type that still uses a handset for outreach. A good Bluetooth headset will allow them to conduct discovery calls and needs analyses hands-free, so they can take notes and never question what the prospect said due to muffled audio.
There are plenty of options that also have noise-canceling capabilities, which is great for sales teams who work in large or noisy offices, or who need to conduct discovery calls with prospects on the go. For extra brownie points with your team, get in-ear headsets for the salespeople who wear glasses—this will spare them from headaches and better ensure they actually use the gift you’re giving them.
As the old saying goes, coffee is for closers only. Since you have closers on your team, they’re welcome to drink as much as they want.
Think of how many early mornings your sales team has pulled trying to contact prospects halfway around the world or on the other side of the country. How many nights have they spent trying to prepare proposals that helped them close the deals that helped you beat your stretch goals?
A good-quality mug can last for years without your logo fading after a few cycles in the dishwasher. Paired with some locally roasted coffee, it makes for a gift package your sales team will use every day, potentially for years to come, if it’s a quality coffee mug.
Take a moment to picture a scenario you’ve likely experienced before in some form: Your salesperson is on their way to an offsite meeting with a client on the other side of the country, but they’re stuck in O’Hare on a five-hour delay due to mechanical issues with the plane. They were already trying to get work done on the first leg of the flight, so their laptop battery is at 10%.
Sure, there are outlets near the gate, but every single one is in use by hapless parents trying to entertain their kids by letting each of them watch Cocomelon on individual iPads while their infant’s screams echo through the terminal.
At this point, your salesperson has a few options:
If they have a budget they have to stick to, they’ll have to explain this one to accounting and potentially be reprimanded for it, all because their laptop battery was dying but they still had to get work done.
This option comes with the risk of the kid having a meltdown, the parent having a meltdown, and the TSA having a meltdown while they break up the ensuing brawl in the middle of the terminal over some ragamuffin not being able to watch cartoons. It could also lead to your salesperson not being able to get to the offsite meeting if they’re arrested for causing a fracas in the middle of one of America’s busiest airports.
This way, they can keep working anywhere they want while their laptop lives to fight another day. It’ll save them from the hassle and stress of having to buy their own external charger in the airport bookstore for $500.00 out of desperation, and they’ll be able to keep contacting prospects no matter where they are.
Aside from being able to crack up their colleagues at a moment’s notice, an improv class has practical uses for salespeople trying to step their game up before their next prospect meeting.
Learning improvisation from the professionals will help your salespeople feel more comfortable informing and educating prospects on the fly, all while entertaining them in ways that will make them more memorable.
Getting a few improv classes under their belts will also help them feel less like they’re reciting memorized information that could have come from a brochure, and more like they’re prepared to answer any question about your services on the fly. This ultimately means added value for their prospects, meaning it’ll be easier for your sales team to close the sale.
Giving gifts your salespeople can use goes a long way in helping them feel valued and motivated to sell. No matter which types of gifts you choose for your sales team, make sure it’s something meaningful, high-quality, and shows you care about them. That way, they’ll keep helping your business grow in the new year and beyond.