If you’re in the real estate or mortgage business, you may be wondering about the perfect closing gift for your client. There are many options, from new appliances to gift certificates for dinner, but a classic and thoughtful gift can be a nice arrangement of flowers.
What better way to say “Congratulations,” “Good Luck,” and “Thank You” than sending flowers that will add to the beauty, and positive energy, of your clients’ new home.
Here are a few of our favorite flowers to give as closing gifts for win-win transactions:
Flowers for Friendship
If you like the thought of your clients, your friends, smiling every time they see your gift, send them sunflowers. Yellow is a traditional color of friendship. And suns, well they’re bright and cheery, which is something most people would want to experience in a new home. You can also send yellow roses. Or, send a bouquet of daisies to show your loyalty.
Flowers for Good Luck
To wish your clients “Good Luck” in their new home, send them a potted jasmine or bells of Ireland. You can also go with a bamboo plant, which is a plant that has a reputation for attracting wealth, health, happiness, and love. If you send bamboo, take note of the number of stalks on the plant. It’s said that the more stalks the plant has, the more fortune and luck will be bestowed.
Flowers for Appreciation
There are several flowers that convey a message of appreciation. These blooms will show your client that you are grateful for the opportunity to work with them and for their trust in your services. Great flowers to offer appreciation include radiant yellow tulips, warm peach roses, and joyful bird of paradise.
There are numerous ways that you can use flowers to convey your message to your client in your closing gift. A couple of other options include sending purple flowers of any kind to say “Congratulations” or giving them Peace lilies to help purify the air in their new home.
In advance of the visitation you can send flowers to the funeral home, mortuary, or place of worship; sprays, wreaths or casket sprays are appropriate here. Be sensitive to the religion of the deceased; most religions accept flowers as part of the funeral tradition, though Mormon funerals do not accept crosses. Followers of Judaism receive flowers at the home of a close family member, after the funeral, never before (since they serve as a reminder of the life recently lost.) Orthodox Jews and Muslims may not welcome flowers at all. Hindu funerals don’t include flowers (though they’re welcome as a symbol of love and concern.) Buddhists do not appreciate red flowers, but other colors are welcome. To be safe, ask a family member or person arranging the funeral what’s the most appropriate action here.
A spray, sometimes called a standing spray, is a floral arrangement that’s usually placed on an easel, and is designed in such a way as to be viewed from one side only. A wide variety of flowers is appropriate for sprays and wreaths; from light colored traditional flowers that symbolize peace (for example lilies) , to bright colors and contemporary flowers. Standing sprays often celebrate a life of accomplishment, and wreaths signify eternal life; choosing flowers and colors, perhaps arranged in a shape meaningful to the deceased, is an ideal way to give thanks for the life of the departed. Also appropriate for the funeral home or mortuary is a traditional arrangement, often in a basket or a vase. Flowers from the visitation will be transported to the memorial service or grave site, so please, please, please, ensure your arrangement arrives at the mortuary or funeral home well in advance of the service. If your arrangement won’t arrive in time for the first visitation, arrange for it to be sent directly to the memorial service.
After the service you may want to send flowers in a basket or vase, or another floral gift, to the home or office of the bereaved. A popular gift at this time is a flowering plant, which will last longer than a floral arrangement, and offer peace and solace to the bereaved for longer. A peace lily would be appropriate here as a sympathy plant. Whatever flowers you send, they’re sure to give comfort and solace, and offer emotional support to the bereaved, especially when coupled with a written message expressing your heartfelt condolences.