Should you send gifts to potential clients? 

How gifting works in sales prospecting, the regulations around it, and how to use gifting to get new clients.

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In B2B sales, building strong connections with potential customers goes beyond the transactional. And by offering thoughtful gifts as part of your sales outreach, you can tap into the person behind the prospect, piquing their interest and starting conversations. 

But there are a few things you need to be aware of before you start showering your prospects with flowers and chocolates: including how to gift strategically, and how to stay on the right side of bribery regulations. 

So, let’s explore the power of gifting in sales prospecting and see how you can take your conversations with potential customers to the next level. 

What is gifting in prospecting?

A sales prospecting gift is a carefully chosen item that you offer to individual prospects as part of your sales process. 

Even a small, thoughtful gift can work wonders by creating genuine connections, opening doors, and sparking conversations with potential buyers. And your prospects may just return the favour with an hour of their time for a product demo or sales call. That’s the power of gifting!

Does gifting help close deals?

83% of customers who received a corporate gift in the past two years said it made them feel closer to the company that sent it. 

And get this: since we started offering gifts in our own Sopro prospecting campaigns, we’ve seen success in a variety of ways, depending on how they are used.

In one campaign, we saw a 20% uplift in leads. In another, which focused on high-value prospects (who tend to have a lower average lead rate), the lead quality improved by 36%. And this was despite few people actually claiming their gifts: the offer of the present was enough to stand out from the crowd.

For us, it’s a small investment to open up conversations and start making connections. See how our multichannel prospecting service works. 

Gifts vs bribes: know the difference

Corporate gifts are not outlawed, and the Bribery Act 2010 does not aim to stop the practice. Gifts that are reasonable and proportionate are acceptable, with the intent behind the gift being a key factor.

Gifts, according to the dictionary, are given willingly without expecting anything in return. But beware of the dark side: bribery. It’s when gifts are used dishonestly to influence someone’s actions. 

So, while bribery exploits gifts, not all gifts are bribes. When adding gifts to your sales outreach campaigns, keep your intentions genuine and the gift modest.

What gifts are good for sales prospecting?

As mentioned, you want your gift to evoke emotion without being “icky”. Anything overly lavish could not only be viewed as a bribe and make your prospect uncomfortable, but it could have tax implications for the recipient – not a great outcome for anyone. 

Small incentives that can be digitally added to your prospecting campaigns and redeemed at a later date work really well: a cup of coffee, chocolates, or something eco-conscious.

Are there tax implications for gifting? 

Tax rules on gifting differ between countries. For example, in the UK, you or your prospect won’t be taxed on any gifts as long as they’re under £50 in value, aren’t cash or cash vouchers, and aren’t part of a salary sacrifice scheme.

Make sure you check the corporate gifting rules in both your region (and that of your prospects) before you add gifts to your sales prospecting. 

How to add gifting to your outreach campaigns

In today’s noisy market, B2B customers have endless choices at their fingertips. To win them over, you’ve got to go the extra mile.

Enter Sopro – your value-boosting partner. Our experts will strategically position your offering, ensuring you send the perfect message to the right audience, exactly when they need it.

With our super-smart portal, adding gifts and incentives to your email prospecting campaigns is a breeze. Redeemable Giftlinks are easily added to outreach, all fully managed and tracked so you can see who’s appreciating those perks.

Your fully-managed sales prospecting campaign could be live in as little as two weeks. See how it works.