Fall is here. The holiday season is right around the corner. It's
the time of year when we all start thinking about holiday gifts.
Business to business gift giving during the Holiday Season has become
common practice as more and more companies realized the value and
importance of the gesture.
Giving gifts is a great way for the savvy business person to strengthen relationships by showing how much they value their clients and business associates. They know Holiday Season is the perfect time to say "thank you" and let clients and associates know how much they appreciate their contribution to your business' success. They understand that a business gift is about gratitude.
So, what's the secret to choosing the right business gift? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
A good gift is one that will be appreciated by the recipient. The first Christmas I spent with my husband (we were dating at the time), he gave his mother a blender. Seriously! Needless to say, I warned him that I would not appreciate kitchen appliances as gifts. Ever.
In business, you also want to make sure the gift is appropriate. Years ago, giving gifts of alcohol was very common but with changes in the law and social custom giving alcoholic beverages became less popular.
Be sure you know what company policies are with respect to receiving gifts. In order to avoid the hint of conflict of interest or any other impropriety, some companies, as well as government agencies, have set limits as to the dollar value of gifts that their employees can receive. Other companies don't allow employees to accept gifts of any sort.
If in doubt about company policy, check with the Human Resources Department.
The gift you choose says a lot about your company, so choose gifts that are in good taste. Gifts can be simple, practical, luxurious or even indulgent. Gifts with a company logo can be fine but remember that something that is appropriate for a trade show may not suitable as a holiday gift.
Try to add a personal touch. A hand written note makes the gift more personal and if at all possible, personally deliver the gift or have it hand delivered.
Approach business gift giving as you would any business project and develop a plan. Develop a list of who you are giving gifts to, determine the time frame in which each item needs to be completed, who will do the work and a budget.
Start by deciding who you will be giving gifts to. You may decide to give gifts to all 10,000 of your clients or just to ten or twenty-five of your best clients. Prepare a list with the names, addresses and phone numbers. You will need this information for shipping or deliveries, so if you make your list with all of that information now, you won't have to go back and do it later when you may be more pressed for time.
This list is the key. When your list is completed, you will be able to set your budget. The budget will help determine what your gift options are. If you decide to send a gift to10,000 clients, the amount of money you spend on each gift will probably be very different from the budget per gift if you are sending gifts to only 10 or 25 individuals. A calendar or key chain is an appropriate gift for an insurance agency to send to all policy holders insured by the company whereas a set of golf clubs might be a better gift choice for a senior executive at a Fortune 500 Company to send to a colleague.
Start early and give yourself plenty of time. As we get closer to the Holiday Season, manufacturers will become busier and the more lead time they will need. Ordering early will give you time to make adjustments should they become necessary. Choose your suppliers carefully and keep Murphy's Law in mind because something WILL go wrong.
Also take into account the time factor if you are going to be personally shipping your gifts rather than having them shipped directly from the supplier. Check with your courier service and make note of their schedules. Fed Ex and UPS post their delivery date deadlines on their websites. If you are having gifts drop shipped, request notification when the items were shipped and when they were received.
And finally, start early. Start your Holiday Shopping early, finish early and have more time to enjoy the Holiday Season.
Giving gifts is a great way for the savvy business person to strengthen relationships by showing how much they value their clients and business associates. They know Holiday Season is the perfect time to say "thank you" and let clients and associates know how much they appreciate their contribution to your business' success. They understand that a business gift is about gratitude.
So, what's the secret to choosing the right business gift? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
A good gift is one that will be appreciated by the recipient. The first Christmas I spent with my husband (we were dating at the time), he gave his mother a blender. Seriously! Needless to say, I warned him that I would not appreciate kitchen appliances as gifts. Ever.
In business, you also want to make sure the gift is appropriate. Years ago, giving gifts of alcohol was very common but with changes in the law and social custom giving alcoholic beverages became less popular.
Be sure you know what company policies are with respect to receiving gifts. In order to avoid the hint of conflict of interest or any other impropriety, some companies, as well as government agencies, have set limits as to the dollar value of gifts that their employees can receive. Other companies don't allow employees to accept gifts of any sort.
If in doubt about company policy, check with the Human Resources Department.
The gift you choose says a lot about your company, so choose gifts that are in good taste. Gifts can be simple, practical, luxurious or even indulgent. Gifts with a company logo can be fine but remember that something that is appropriate for a trade show may not suitable as a holiday gift.
Try to add a personal touch. A hand written note makes the gift more personal and if at all possible, personally deliver the gift or have it hand delivered.
Approach business gift giving as you would any business project and develop a plan. Develop a list of who you are giving gifts to, determine the time frame in which each item needs to be completed, who will do the work and a budget.
Start by deciding who you will be giving gifts to. You may decide to give gifts to all 10,000 of your clients or just to ten or twenty-five of your best clients. Prepare a list with the names, addresses and phone numbers. You will need this information for shipping or deliveries, so if you make your list with all of that information now, you won't have to go back and do it later when you may be more pressed for time.
This list is the key. When your list is completed, you will be able to set your budget. The budget will help determine what your gift options are. If you decide to send a gift to10,000 clients, the amount of money you spend on each gift will probably be very different from the budget per gift if you are sending gifts to only 10 or 25 individuals. A calendar or key chain is an appropriate gift for an insurance agency to send to all policy holders insured by the company whereas a set of golf clubs might be a better gift choice for a senior executive at a Fortune 500 Company to send to a colleague.
Start early and give yourself plenty of time. As we get closer to the Holiday Season, manufacturers will become busier and the more lead time they will need. Ordering early will give you time to make adjustments should they become necessary. Choose your suppliers carefully and keep Murphy's Law in mind because something WILL go wrong.
Also take into account the time factor if you are going to be personally shipping your gifts rather than having them shipped directly from the supplier. Check with your courier service and make note of their schedules. Fed Ex and UPS post their delivery date deadlines on their websites. If you are having gifts drop shipped, request notification when the items were shipped and when they were received.
And finally, start early. Start your Holiday Shopping early, finish early and have more time to enjoy the Holiday Season.
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