When to Give Business Gifts, Who to Give Them To and What to Give
Business appreciation gifts keep you in the mind of your customers and provide a great way to reward employees. As with most business activities, there are unspoken rules for giving business gifts, who should receive them, and what to select. Here’s a brief overview of business appreciation gifts, along with several excellent corporate gift ideas.
When Should You Give Business Gifts?
Timing is essential when sending business gifts. An unexpected gift in the middle of the year is appropriate as a thank-you for closing a deal or completing a large order. You can give small, useful corporate gifts such as magnets or calendars to remind clients of your presence, and you can include them with catalogs or query letters.
However, the bulk of business appreciation gifts are given during the winter holiday season, usually between Thanksgiving and the New Year.
Who Should You Give Corporate Gifts to?
As a general rule, assume your clients, vendors, and partners expect some form of gift during the holiday season. Employees also tend to expect some token of appreciation for their hard work. As for customers, it depends. If you’re working in a retail store, customer gifts may not be necessary. If you’re providing specialized products and services to individuals or corporations, then treat these customers as you would clients and partners.
Creating a Gift Budget
Corporate Christmas gifts for clients and employees can quickly get pricey, so it’s important to stick to a gift-giving budget. Create a gift list and determine how much you want to spend on each person. For clients, their gift cost should be in proportion to how much the client is worth to your business.
Once you have your gift list, consider spreading your gift purchases out over the year. If you have to give several large gifts to clients in December, take some of the sting out of your end-of-year expenses by purchasing a few gifts in advance. And remember to keep your receipts — business gifts count as tax deductions.
Gift-Giving Etiquette
Understanding how to give gifts is just as important as knowing what to give. The best corporate gift ideas fall flat when given under inappropriate circumstances. Here are a few pointers to ensure you don’t commit a business gift faux pas.
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Remember that not everyone celebrates Christmas.
- Don’t leave people out, especially when giving gifts to employees.
- Personalize corporate gift ideas whenever possible.
- If you cannot personalize a gift, send useful corporate gifts.
- When dealing with other cultures, check their gift-giving expectations.
- Avoid funny gifts. Not everyone shares the same sense of humor.
Creative Office Gift Ideas
Rewarding your employees during the holidays is expected, especially if they’ve given up some of their own holiday time to keep the office open. Probably the most valued gifts during the often-expensive holiday season are cash bonuses and gift cards, but these aren’t always possible, especially for smaller businesses.
Instead, many companies opt for creative office gift ideas that make work or home life more enjoyable and comfortable. You can choose to match gifts to each employee or give everyone the same reward. If you go the personalized route, be sure different gifts have the same approximate value.
Professional Gifts for Clients
Matching clients to the right corporate gift ideas can be tricky. You want to send a gift that matches the clients’ personality. Think of your interactions with each client. Does anything stand out? Pick your sales representatives’ brains for clues to the client’s interests. Possible clues induce:
If you can’t decide on a personalized gift, consider useful corporate gifts instead. Office work and executive responsibilities tend to have certain things in common no matter where you work, so go practical if you can't send a tailor-made gift.
Useful corporate gifts include:
Promotional Professional Gifts for Clients
It’s fine to send promotional business gifts during the holidays, but keep it subtle. The message you want to send is one of appreciation, not marketing. Etch or embroider your brand logo onto client gifts, but don’t overdo it. A small logo and the client’s name will send a more effective message than a logo that dominates the gift.
Looking for more creative office gift ideas or professional gifts for clients? Check out the Triple Crown Products Holiday Guide for inspiration.