When it comes to making sure that your clients are receiving the best possible corporate gifts, there is loads you can be doing to make sure that they feel looked after, noticed and understood.
The whole point of a great corporate gift is to cement your business’s relationship with this individual or company, making them feel valued. This can be a crucial part of doing business in some industries, and simply managing business relationships can be an art form all on its own.
What it really comes down to is thought. Send out gifts that you’d want to receive, that are relevant to the businesses, that aren’t all the same obvious trash.
What’s more, corporate gifting can really shape the way your business is viewed. That’s why it’s essential to keep it professional, balanced and thoughtful. It can be a tricky line to toe, with spending too much coming off as showy and spending too little seeming unappreciative.
At the end of the day, the perfect corporate gift is all about being appropriate, yet generous, all without overstepping the line. It has become a tradition here at Canesta, to send gifts to our clients. We are proud to present our first choice – our client Lafayette Gift. Their mission is to create luxurious and thoughtful gift boxes that celebrate the highest quality, hand crafted goods made by local artisans in New York City.
Here are six simple points that we follow when we select the perfect gifts for our clients and associates.
Keep it Relevant
While promotion isn’t always the name of the game, frequently, corporate gifts will bear the company name. That’s why it can be a great idea to give a gift that’s associated with your company. Alternatively, you could look into something that links more closely to their company themes and ideas.
It’s all about choosing something that’ll come off as relevant and thoughtful, and in no way generic or useless. You want to be giving gifts that you’re pretty confident will prove useful to the receiver.
Personal Beats Generic, Always
With so many great services out there providing quality, customized corporate gifts, there’s no reason why your business should be opting for a boring, generic option.
It should be a given that your gifts bear your company name or logo but providing inscribed or engraved gifts can give another layer of class and thought. Be aware though, you don’t want to go to too much trouble and cost, as it can look showy and contrived.
It’s the Thought That Counts
That’s the old idiom when it comes to shabby gifts that no one really wants right? Well, it remains true even when the gift is valuable because expense doesn’t equal a great gift. There’s no real quick way to select and send out the right corporate gifts to your clients, you need to put a little bit of thought and care into it.
It’s the thought that counts, as in: ‘I remember John from John’s Company Inc. hates coffee, I’ll make sure we don’t send over a coffee machine’. It’s that little bit of care and forethought that’ll help you avoid awkward conversations and fuss.
Trust us, nothing is more awkward than receiving a gift you definitely don’t want.
Gifts Aren’t All About Holidays
If your client works with a number of companies, all of whom engage in corporate gift giving, then there’s a strong chance that during holiday seasons, they’re going to be bombarded with gifts from all angles.
That not only makes the gift-giving predictable but also lowers impact and makes it hard to actually make your client feel appreciated. We’re not saying stop giving corporate gifts around the holiday time though.
It can be effective to start giving at more random times throughout the year. Just think, if yours is the only gift a client receives, and it’s completely unexpected, it’s going to be infinitely more impactful. Combine that with a thoughtful gift, and you’re onto a winner.
It’s important to observe other cultures holidays and occasions as well with appropriate gifts, this can be an effective way of showing your clients what kind of business you are.
Set an Appropriate Budget
If you want to be a company that regularly sends out gifts, you need to manage your gift buying budget. That goes doubly true if you want to look into sending out customized gifts.
If you want to avoid wasting company cash, while still sending out quality, customized corporate gifts, you need to have a solid budget that you stick to throughout.
Lastly, Are You Proud to Put the Company Name On It?
The most important consideration when you’re about to send out a gift is whether or not you’re willing to put the company name on it. Even if it’s not branded with the company logo, the fact is, it’s coming from your business and has to represent them well. Anything less than that and you need to go back to the drawing board.
Give It a Personal Touch
If you want someone to be touched by the gift, then you absolutely have to give it a personal touch. At the minimum, include a handwritten card, that shows you’ve at least gone to some practical trouble and haven’t just had a PA handle it. It can be even more effective to personally deliver gifts as well. Just a little something to bear in mind.
