Implementing a Gifting Strategy with Katie Penner

Katie Penner is the Gifting Queen! She's also the Head of Sender Relations at Sendoso so not only does she know how to pick out the right gifts but she's got the numbers down that will make you want to start shipping gifts ASAP.

In this episode of "What's Your Process?", Katie shares how gifting can book more meetings, double win rates, and help you close more deals. She also covers tips for targeting, research, personalization, and using gifting as a relationship-building tool rather than a one-way ticket to creep city.

The Process

1. Intro (0:00)

2. What is one thing you're world class at? (2:31)

3. Targeting (3:27)

"VP+ buyers, they don't really care about the features and benefits of what they're buying because they aren't a user, right? They want to prove ROI."

Understanding the audience is crucial for gifting success
Break down your audience into categories: ATL-BTL concept, intent scores, and job responsibilities/industries
Tailor your messaging based on buyer type (VP+ vs. director and below), don't send everyone the same thing

4. Do your research (5:55)

"Do they have kids? Should I send a family friendly gift or did they post about their trip to Oktoberfest? Are they a beer person?"

Personalization is key to effective gifting
Use LinkedIn and Google to research prospects, but avoid personal social media which is a one-way trip to "creep city"
It's not about the price. The average gift costs around $50, with a 4:1 return on investment

5. Avoid bribery (14:41)

"We wanna use gifting as a relationship building tool to capture attention and earn the right to ask for a meeting."

Separate the company's value proposition from the gift offer in emails
Make the gift offer not contingent on anything from the recipient
Using a PS to mention the gift boosts reply rates by 33%

6. Start booking meeting (23:23)

Gifting emails typically see an 18-26% reply rate
Leverage delivery notifications to send relevant follow-ups if there's no immediate response
Use gifting throughout the sales cycle to loop in additional stakeholders