Skip to content

FREE SHIPPING OVER $50

  • Shop
    • Bags
      • Backpack
      • Everyday Carry
      • Tech Organization
      • Tote
      • Travel
      • View All
    • Tech
      • Charging
      • Headphones
      • More Tech
      • Speakers
      • View All
    • Drinkware
      • Barware
      • Bottles
      • Cups
      • Tumblers
      • View All
    • Office
      • Accessories
      • Notebooks/Journals
      • Pens
      • Work From Home
      • View All
    • Kits
      • Adventure
      • Celebration
      • Cozy
      • Sustainable
      • Welcome/New Hire
      • View All
    • Leisure
      • Adventure/Travel
      • Homewares
      • Towels/Blankets
      • Wellness/Health
      • View All
    • Clothing
      • Accessories
      • Athleisure
      • Bottoms
      • Headwear
      • Outerwear
      • Tops
      • View All
    • Consumable
      • Coffee/Tea
      • Drinks
      • Savory
      • Sweet
      • View All
    • Featured Products
      • LARQ Movement Bottle
  • Buying Guide
    • Buying Guide
    • Best Sellers
      • Corkcicle
      • Marine Layer
      • MiiR
      • Patagonia
      • S'well
      • The North Face
      • YETI
    • Featured Brands
      • LARQ
      • Matador
      • Bellroy
      • Day Owl
      • RAINS
      • Therabody
    • Shop By Collection
      • Best Sellers
      • Holiday
      • Kits and Gift Boxes
      • Lookbook
      • New Arrivals
      • Sustainable
    • Shop By Price
      • Under $30
      • $30 - $60
      • $60 - $100
      • Over $100
  • Kits
    • KitBuilder
    • Kits & Gift Boxes
  • Services
    • Services
    • Kit Builder
    • Onsite Gifting
    • Gifting Platform
  • About
    • About
    • Blog
    • Sustainability
Log in Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
Clove & Twine
Log in Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019 Contact

Item added to your cart

  • Shop translation missing: en.layout.navigation.expand

    BAGS

    • Backpack
    • Everyday Carry
    • Tech Organization
    • Tote
    • Travel
    • View All

    TECH

    • Charging
    • Headphones
    • More Tech
    • Speakers
    • View All

    DRINKWARE

    • Barware
    • Bottles
    • Cups
    • Tumblers
    • View All

    OFFICE

    • Accessories
    • Notebooks/Journals
    • Pens
    • Work From Home
    • View All

    KITS

    • Adventure
    • Celebration
    • Cozy
    • Sustainable
    • Welcome/New Hire
    • View All

    LEISURE

    • Adventure/Travel
    • Homewares
    • Towels/Blankets
    • Wellness/Health
    • View All

    CLOTHING

    • Accessories
    • Athleisure
    • Bottoms
    • Headwear
    • Outerwear
    • Tops
    • View All

    CONSUMABLES

    • Coffee/Tea
    • Drinks
    • Savory
    • Sweet
    • View All

    Featured product

    Marine Layer Corbet Full Zip Hoodie
  • Buying Guide translation missing: en.layout.navigation.expand

    BEST SELLERS

    • Ember
    • LARQ
    • Marine Layer
    • MiiR
    • Patagonia
    • The North Face
    • Timbuk2
    • YETI
    • View All

    FEATURED BRANDS

    • Bellroy
    • Fellow
    • Karst
    • Matador
    • Ocean Bottle
    • RAINS
    • Therabody
    • View All

    SHOP BY COLLECTION

    • Best Sellers
    • Buying Guide
    • Kits & Gift Boxes
    • Lookbook
    • New Arrivals
    • Sustainable

    SHOP BY PRICE

    • Under $30
    • $30 - $60
    • $60 - $100
    • Over $100
  • Kits translation missing: en.layout.navigation.expand
    Start Here for Thoughtful Gifts

    Custom Kits & Gift Boxes

    When you aim to go above and beyond for your recipients, gift boxes hit the mark. Use KitBuilder to easily click-and-build your custom gift boxes, or browse our curated collection to spark inspiration. Our customization capabilities are endless, so have some fun!

    KitBuilder Kits & Gift Boxes
  • Services translation missing: en.layout.navigation.expand

    KITBUILDER

    GIFTING PLATFORM

    ONSITE GIFTING

  • About translation missing: en.layout.navigation.expand
    Rejecting the Status Quo

    About Clove & Twine

    When we started Clove & Twine, our goal was simple: to help people give better corporate gifts that recipients actually wanted to keep. Since then, our company has grown so much in so many new ways. Learn more about us and what we’re doing to curate better gifts for a better planet.

    Our Story Our Blog
Access Denied
IMPORTANT! If you’re a store owner, please make sure you have Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin, as you have customer based locks set up with EasyLockdown app. Enable Customer Accounts
Jan 18, 23

Building Lasting Relationships Through Corporate Gifting

by Clove & Twine

When you think about your top clients or customers, what comes to mind? 

Do you think of a broad group of professionals?

A particular demographic?

A list of names and email addresses?

A bunch of people browsing online whose attention you’re trying to grab?

A lead to win, a click to capture, a check to receive in the mail?

However you categorize your clients or customers, the main goal is to keep them happy and returning to you. The way to retain your clients, your customers, and your team depends on how valuable the service, product, or exchange is that you provide to them. Right? It’s a simple way to boil down the complexities of running a successful business. 

But why are there some companies that stand apart, when hundreds of their competitors are seemingly doing the same thing? Why do some companies retain great talent, and others have high turnover? Why can some companies find success solely on referrals, and others struggle to generate enough leads every month? How do some companies build customer loyalty when others struggle to maintain that attention and connection?

Although there are a number of comprehensive answers to these questions, there is an all-encompassing and fundamental truth that runs throughout: success is built upon healthy relationships.

Companies nurture those relationships by establishing trust, building strong communication channels, creating an engaged employee base, and gaining a deep understanding of the needs of their clients, partners, and customers. The foundation of this kind of relationship-building starts by connecting with the individual person behind the group, title, or email address.

No matter how much we personify companies, your company is not a person. However, YOU are a person, your CLIENTS are people, and your TEAM is made up of individuals. It may seem ridiculous to point this out. Of course you’re people. But in this world of personification, it’s good to remember that people are what make and build companies; it is not companies that make people. 

Team-collaboration-corporate-culture-at-Clove-and-Twine

That is why relationships and the fostering of relationships is so important. As people working in a business, we should treat our customers and clients not as a nameless, faceless entity - but as a friend, as ourselves, as we would want to be treated. This is what sets extraordinary businesses aside from others - they nurture the growth of the individuals that make up their company, that devote a huge chunk of their lives to making it successful every single day. This is a key way to build employee loyalty. These businesses include people that see not only the individual in every team but the individual in each customer or client. 

The greatest value comes from connecting those individuals, whether by fostering team bonding internally or by making the effort to devote attention to clients and customers on a deeper level. 

An excellent way to foster connection and build relationships is through company gifting. Corporate gifting builds loyalty by showing employees, clients, and partners that they are valued and appreciated. This can create a positive impression of the company (and those individuals that work for your company) and foster strong relationships with people who have contributed to its success. Company gifts also boost morale in the workplace, and branded team gifts can create a deeper bonding between coworkers. These gifts act as a reminder that their hard work is an important component of the bigger purpose.

However, not all gifts are built the same - and thoughtful corporate gifts go much further than cheap tchotchkes, generic gift cards, or mass emails.

In his book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman describes the value of time and effort over the “thought” that supposedly counts more. He calls this “The Efficiency Trap” - in an effort to check things off our to-do list, get our work tasks done, eat lunch, send emails, send corporate gifts, and get on with our lives, we neglect the fact that sometimes being more efficient ends up costing us something other than money: the value of the experience. 

We know that it’s easier to just send a mass “thank you” email to clients all at once or to send an e-card for someone’s birthday. However, if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of this kind of convenient solution, you know that getting a handwritten letter is much more meaningful. The intent is diluted, and therefore the message is diluted. As Burkeman says, “It isn’t really the thought that counts, but the effort — which is to say, the inconvenience.”

Now, consider the relationships you have with the people you’re the closest with in your life. Do they like the Instagram story you posted about your trip to Italy, or do they meet you for coffee to hear all about your experiences - maybe even pick you up from the airport? 

We’re not saying you should start providing airport rides and hosting individual catch-up sessions with customers and every single person you work with. (Hey, if you have the time, go for it!) But these are important factors to consider when you’re making an intentional decision - like sending a gift - and maximizing the meaning behind it. 

First-team-field-day-employee-connection-corporate-culture-clove-and-twine

Ultimately, the best way to think about corporate gifting is to shift the focus away from being a thoughtless action to check off your to-do list. Instead, think about the individuals behind your email list and target demographic. Consider each member of your company as a unique person, with hopes, needs, and wants - and a desire for appreciation and connection. 

Use corporate gifting as a way to shift your focus towards the relationships you want to cultivate and grow, with the people you value the most. 

This is a great place to start.

More Blogs

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7

Recent Articles

How to Welcome New Hires: The Best Corporate Gifts for Employees

11 Corporate Gifting Trends for 2023

Many changes came with 2022, especially in the...
Read More
How to Welcome New Hires: The Best Corporate Gifts for Employees

New Offering: Custom Branded Outerwear with Clove & Twine

Do any of these situations sound familiar?  You...
Read More
How to Welcome New Hires: The Best Corporate Gifts for Employees

What does 'sustainable' mean?

Is the term ‘eco-friendly’ better than ‘sustainable’?What is...
Read More
Invalid password
Enter

Shop

  • Bags
    • Clothing
      • Consumables
        • Drinkware
          • Leisure
            • Office
              • Kits
                • Technology

                  Shop By Collection

                  • Best Sellers
                    • Buying Guide
                      • Kits & Gift Boxes
                        • Lookbook
                          • New Arrivals
                            • Sustainable

                              It turns out, our love
                              language is giving gifts.

                              Customer Support

                              • FAQ
                                • Privacy & Terms
                                  • Shipping / Returns
                                    • Super Secret Link
                                      • (720) 710-0010

                                        Resources

                                        • Blog
                                          • Careers
                                            • Case Studies
                                              • Company Stores
                                                • Kit Inspiration
                                                  • Lookbook
                                                    • Our Services
                                                      • Vendor Relations
                                                        for the planet
                                                        • Facebook
                                                        • Twitter
                                                        • Instagram
                                                        • Pinterest
                                                        • TikTok
                                                        © 2023, Clove & Twine | All Rights Reserved
                                                        • Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.