Thank your clients with a memorable gift

When it comes to the holidays, most companies like to thank clients with a gift — the most popular being wine and fruit baskets.

Yet in the legal industry, “you end up trading bottles of liquor or wine” with companies, says Anthony Martino, an attorney at Tampa's Clark and Martino. As the youngest partner, Martino took it upon himself to modernize year-end gift-giving. “I wanted to make a statement by sending something nice that is actually going to resonate with people,” Martino says.

The first year, the company sent iPad minis to people who provided quality referrals. The firm received personal phone calls from almost all of the recipients, which surprised Martino. “No one ever called to thank us for something we sent,” before that, he says.