Thursday, March 7, 2013

Secrets to Successful Corporate Gift Giving


Ideas for corporate gifts are sought year after year, especially in anticipation of the holiday season. The right gifts will capture repeat business, establish or strengthen professional relationships, and show your customers, service providers, and employees how much you value them. Although corporate gift giving sounds simple, there are a few secrets you should know in order to be successful.

The first secret is the promotional product given as a corporate gift. Giving merchandise that will promote your brand is an excellent way to show your appreciation to business associates. Carefully chosen items will be kept and used, leading to repeated exposure to your brand, name, and logo. The promotional gift you offer with respect and appreciation, and how you present it, says a great deal about you and your firm.

A well chosen branded gift will not simply collect dust - it will help build a business relationship. A functional, eye-catching gift, when given with respect, will be valued and remembered. A promotional product will continue to remind the recipient of your firm and its products and services for years to come.

The second secret is the personal touch. Attaching a note of appreciation to your corporate gift will be well worth the extra effort. Personal delivery will make the gift even more meaningful to the recipient. Personal associations are critical to the success of your business, so take the opportunity to build positive professional relationships with carefully chosen promotional corporate gifts.

The personal touch may be the most valuable secret of all. Delivered by you with a personal note, your gift will show your associates how much you appreciate their business. It will strengthen your professional relationships. Offered as an expression of respect and goodwill, quality promo items will help ensure repeat business for years to come.

You may be surprised to learn that the third secret is simply a well-organized gift list. Start your registry with the names of clients, employees, and service providers. Make notes by those names that will help you choose the right gift for each person. Notations should include gift ideas, appropriateness, and each recipient's tastes.

The third secret will be especially helpful to you, as chief executive, business owner, and gift giver. The organized gift list will assist you in choosing an item that will reflect the interests and tastes of each recipient, and gathering information for your notes will require personal contact. In the process, you will get to know your business associates For a large company with many clients, suppliers, and employees, it won't be feasible to make contact with each and every individual recipient. You may have to task the people within your organization who have the most personal contact with certain clients - such as your sales team - to send corporate gifts on behalf of your firm.

Don't forget employee recognition. Your company is only as good as the people who work for you. Make it meaningful when giving to your employees. Holidays, birthdays, and corporate events are opportunities to show your appreciation for a job well done.

Is a corporate gift always appropriate? Unfortunately not. For example, you will want to be sure to remove from your list anyone involved in a bidding process with your firm. It's important to avoid the perception of trying to exert undue influence.

The company you choose to produce your gifts of branded merchandise should also offer item suggestions and design advice. Working with you, a reputable firm will provide expertise to help create unique promotional items to fit your specific gift-giving needs.

No comments:

Post a Comment