With Thanksgiving and the holiday season quickly approaching, brokers have an opportunity to strengthen their relationships with current clients—and even likely prospects—by helping them feel special this season.

Research shows that about two-thirds of clients will exit a business relationship simply because they do not feel appreciated. So, if you are running out of ideas for showing your clients that you are grateful for their business, here are four unique ways to say "thanks" to clients this season.

Annual subscription gifts

The unlimited ideas available to us now from online retail sites allow us to do armchair shopping while providing a welcome surprise to clients all year long. Online subscription giving is completely versatile, too. There are monthly boxes out there for everyone, from gourmets to vegans, fashionistas to pet fanciers, gardeners to chefs. A couple of clicks will prove this to you.

Best of all, you will be reminding your clients a full 12 times a year that you appreciate their business.

Desserts and coffees

Specialty desserts and coffees abound, both in local stores and online. Here are just a couple of examples:

• Gifts of cupcakes like  Wicked Good Cupcakes, cake-of-the-month like I Love Daisy Cakes, or truffles from your local chocolatier communicate your appreciation to customers in the sweetest way.
• A year-round coupon for specialty coffees offers clients a welcome break from their office routine. Latte, anyone?

Offer a networking opportunity

A novel way to help clients feel appreciated and boost their marketing is to provide an opportunity for targeted clients to meet and network together—perhaps with a holiday happy hour, unique wine tasting, or holiday-themed special breakfast event.

A play on this could be an outing to a museum or theater production with a group of clients whom you think might appreciate the arts. The venue's administration likely will be happy to offer you a special arrangement in exchange for bringing them new attendees.

Lunch

It sounds simple, but an invitation to a special dining experience speaks volumes about client appreciation. It also provides the client with an opportunity to exit the office for a much-needed break.

This unique invitation may just pay for itself in client retention and perhaps information on how you may better resolve issues for this client and the client’s employees.

Going the extra mile to provide a unique way to say “thanks” during this holiday season will have you stand out from the crowd. It may also attract new clients as the word gets out about how you demonstrate your appreciation for current clients.

Thanks for all your hard work, and happy holidays! Don't forget to start next year strong with our FREE tipsheet on selling your skills and services as a dental insurance broker. Just click the image below!