When it comes to the corporate business world it can be difficult to decide on gifts, especially when considering important clients. Giving something too personal and ‘over-the-top’ might put them off and make them think you’re not serious, but giving something too indifferent and cold might give the impression you don’t care enough.
Getting the balance right with corporate presents is tough, but it can be done. There are often significant benefits to be gained from giving business gifts, and here are some top tips on how to do it properly.
Get gifts specific to the receiver
Within businesses, there’s a huge variety of people that gifts can be given to, which is why it’s important to tailor your choice of gift to the exact person who’s going to be receiving it. You wouldn’t give the same present to both your top clients and employees, would you?
With regard to employees, it’s courtesy to give a gift at least once a year as a sign of appreciation for their hard work; Christmas is usually a popular time for this. Whilst most employees would undoubtedly prefer a seasonal pay rise, gifting small vouchers for a generic store/restaurant to each member of the team is a very safe yet thoughtful option that’s guaranteed to create a happy and grateful workforce.
When it comes to clients, it’s a whole different ball game. Gifts need to be carefully thought out, especially if it’s a high-flying client that brings in a lot of business. First, it’s important to analyze your previous experience with them, and establish any habits or snippets of conversation where they may show interest in a specific topic. If you’ve seen a client ordering a particular food at a corporate dinner, a gift involving that food would be a great option. For example, if they’re a lover of seafood or seasonal harvest foods, Citarella offer bespoke gourmet gift baskets that are sure to impress. Or, if you’ve heard your client mentioning they like a particular sport, a small voucher for a local game will be greatly appreciated.
However, it’s vitally important to establish your budget and, if you work with a large number of clients and are unable to afford personalized gifts for everyone, smaller items will suffice such as handwritten cards.
Stay in touch once your gift has been sent
If you opt for a Christmas-related gift for the holidays, or perhaps a more personalized birthday alternative, staying in touch with that client will be much easier and hugely beneficial.
Once your gift has been received, it’s highly likely that they will contact you to say thank you. This will open up further lines of communication and not only allow you to ask if they enjoyed their present, but also negotiate further work for the future.
Choose a theme
If your clients are high-flyers within their field, it’s likely you’re not the only one who will be sending them gifts. In order to make an impression and reap the benefits, it’s essential you stand out from the crowd whilst still getting the balance right and not going too overboard.
This strongly relates to the earlier point of tailoring your gift to the receiver, but tailoring your gift to reflect the entire company is likely to go down very well. For example, instead of just buying a gift for the particular client you deal with within that company, perhaps buy smaller items for their entire team as well. This will not only impress your client, but will also have an extremely positive effect on everyone else within your client’s close proximity at work which is sure to work in your favor.
So, if you’re thinking about sending gifts within the world of business but were unsure of exactly how to get it right, hopefully you’ve now got all the ideas you need to please everyone from your top clients to your hard-working employees!
Giving corporate gifts sometimes has a negative stigma associated with it, where people assume it gives the impression of ‘sucking up’ to your clients and is highly likely to put people off. That may be true if you give the complete wrong gift but, with our tips above, you’re almost guaranteed not to have any negative responses. So whether your target client is a lover of seafood, wine, or simply likes the odd football game or two, take into account the characteristics you know about your client, and use them to your advantage when choosing the perfect gift.
Louise Horton works in the giftware industry and can often be found typing up an article for an industry or business blog. Outside of work she enjoys baking and cycling.
