Remembering John Ruhlin: Giftology’s Impact On Business Relationships

Giftology is defined in the subtitle of the book of the same name: The Art and Science of Using Gifts to Cut Through the Noise, Increase Referrals, and Strengthen Retention. The author, John Ruhlin, was the foremost global authority on corporate gifting and owner of the No. 1 relationship agency in the world. His company provides its clients with gifts for all types of occasions. The goal is to use gifting to grow a business by showing so much love and appreciation to customers and clients that they offer up referrals without having to ask for them. And who wouldn’t want that?

Ruhlin’s name should be familiar if you’ve been following my work. Over the years, I’ve tapped into his expertise around the holidays to help ensure that when you give a gift to a customer or employee it is meaningful and memorable. (Do you think your customers really love the fruitcakes you give them?)

Ruhlin passed away earlier this month at the young age of 44. His family, friends and clients are devastated by this loss. He made everyone feel as if they were one of his best friends, and hundreds of these “best friends” attended his life celebration.

I want to honor his genius, and for at least one more time (there will likely be more), I’d like to share some of his best Giftology lessons. Here are five of Ruhlin’s Laws of Corporate Gift Giving:

1. Give gifts outside of obligatory times. Obviously, many people and companies send gifts to their favorite customers for the holidays. Consider sending gifts outside of the times that seem obligatory and when many people expect them. When was the last time you showed a little love to a customer and sent a gift on Valentine’s Day? Maybe an anniversary gift based on the day the customer first did business with you?

2. Stop putting your logo on your gifts. If the gift is special and meaningful, you won’t need a logo for your customers to remember who gave it to them. Even if the gift is exquisite, a logo on the gift turns it into swag.

3. Whatever it is, make it personal. Ruhlin was the No. 1 Cutco knife salesman on the planet. (Really!) One of his favorite things to do was to personalize a knife by engraving it with the customer’s name. (The large butcher knife Ruhlin gave me is engraved and reads: Handcrafted Exclusively for Shep and Cindy Hyken.) Essentially, instead of putting a company logo on the knife, he put his customers’ logos or names on the knife.

4. Don’t gift food or alcohol—basically anything consumable. There are several reasons. First, once the customer eats or drinks it, it’s gone. Second, maybe the customer doesn’t like what you bought them. Third, maybe the customer is on a diet or abstaining from alcohol. Unless you know the customer loves a particular food or drink item, don’t make the mistake of giving such an impersonal gift. Finally, once it’s consumed, it’s often forgotten.

5. Gift cards are often impersonal. Unless you know the gift card is for a favorite restaurant or store the customer uses, stay away from a generic gift card. Like food items, a gift card is consumable. Once it’s used, it’s gone and often forgotten.

Ruhlin has shared many more ideas over the years, and has given us some gift-giving guidelines to consider. Of course, there will always be exceptions to any rules, but if you really want to make an impact, find a way to make the gift personal. That makes it memorable.

As we come to a close, there was more to John Ruhlin than just Giftology. He can also offer us a personal life lesson. John was a loving husband and an amazing dad to four beautiful girls. He worked hard and played hard, and he made sure to take time away from his business life to devote 100% of his attention to his family. I remember calling him during these breaks from his typical busy life. My calls were answered by an assistant who informed me that unless it were a life-threatening emergency, he would not call me back until he returned from his trip.

Maybe one of the best gifts he could give us was a reminder that life is precious and short. Take time to be with the people you love. Nothing is really more important than that!