Reconsidering Gifts for Clients: Are Client Gifts Appropriate?

I’ve mentioned a few times that I am still a bit new to freelancing, but I have been lucky enough to have established some outstanding clients, online and offline.

I have enough clients to pay my bills and put away a bit of cash each month to help me prepare for future lean months (Amber Leigh Turner did a great post here on creating a paycheck template).  I have enough clients to understand which ones are OK clients, and which ones are excellent.  The OK clients might have bigger budgets occasionally, but they seem to be sporadic and hard to predict.  And their payment practices may not be the most favorable within the freelance world.  The excellent clients are the ones that have a regular project on a monthly basis.  It might not be the biggest budget, but they aren’t grinding you for every dollar spent.   The excellent clients seem to know what they want, appreciate that you are an expert, and let you do your thing.  And they pay–quickly.

I’d like to send my top clients a gift, but how gifts for clients are perceived.  I wonder if client gifts aren’t potentially counterproductive.  If they see it as a bribe or kickback, they might question my integrity.  If they see it as excessively opulent, they might question my rates.  I’d like to do something more than a 15% off coupon for their next month of service, but I want to ensure that I am not damaging my future relationship with them.

Any suggestions?