Episode #128
Corporate Gifting: What Most Businesses Get Wrong w/ Kade Kimber
Most corporate gifting is treated like a procurement task instead of a relationship-building strategy. Businesses choose a budget, order a generic holiday basket or branded item, and hope it feels meaningful. Kade Kimber believes the better starting point is not what to send, but why you are sending it, who should receive it, and when it will matter most. In this episode of Prospecting on Purpose®, Sara Murray talks with Kade, a client experience strategist, keynote speaker, founder of Kimber & Oak, and creator of Gift Intelligence™. They discuss how intentional gifting can strengthen client relationships, support referrals and retention, open doors for meetings, and help a business stand out without making the interaction feel transactional. Kade explains why December is often the least effective time to send a business gift, how a gift can reinforce trust immediately after a contract is signed, and why milestones, referrals, service-recovery moments, personal events, and quiet seasons can create more meaningful opportunities. He also shares a practical way to decide who should receive a gift and his four-part formula for creating a memorable experience. Click here to watch a video of this episode. In this episode: • Why promotional merchandise is not always a meaningful gift • The importance of relevance, timing, and meaning • Why appreciation is an emotion, not a measurable objective • Strategic moments to gift throughout the sales and client journey • How travel advisors can use pre-trip, in-trip, and post-trip gifting • The why, who, and when framework • How to think about gifting ROI • Kade’s fixed, certain, and movable recipient profiles • Thoughtful options for companies with gift limits or compliance policies • The four parts of the perfect gifting formula About Kade Kimber: Kade Kimber is a client experience strategist, keynote speaker, and creator of Gift Intelligence™. Drawing on 20 years of enterprise marketing leadership across nine countries and experience supporting a $6B+ business line, he helps founder-led, partner-led, and professional services firms create distinct client experiences that build trust, loyalty, referrals, and long-term value. He is also the founder of Kimber & Oak, a corporate gifting company for relationship-driven brands. Connect with Kade: Kade Kimber Advisory: https://kadekimber.com/ Gift Intelligence™: https://kadekimber.com/gift-intelligence/ Kimber & Oak: https://kimberandoak.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kadekimber/ Fostering Joy Foundation: https://fosteringjoy.foundation/ Connect with Sara: Website: https://www.saramurray.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saramurraysales/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saramurraysales/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saramurraysales (00:00) - Corporate Gifting: What Most Businesses Get Wrong (00:31) - Meet Kade Kimber (01:43) - Origin Story (03:45) - Why Gifting Fails (05:24) - Timing Beats Holidays (10:35) - Best Moments to Gift (13:11) - Travel Advisor Examples (15:16) - Why Who When Framework (17:37) - Measuring ROI (19:03) - Who to Gift Profiles (25:40) - Gift Limits and Donations (30:47) - Perfect Gift Formula (35:52) - How to Work Together (37:01) - Final Takeaways Read the full episode transcript.
