Corporate Gifts – The Do’s And Don’ts
Running a company is not just about doing your work, it is about keeping your clients and the people that work for you happy and one way to do that is by gifting them for the right occasions with the right thing. The occasion could be a holiday or special milestones at work (in the case of your employees) and corporate events or moving to a new office space in the case of your clients. There are many more events where corporate gifting could earn you a few brownie points. The trick is in knowing what to give and when.
The Do’s and Don’ts
DO’s
- Remember that the gift is given with a goal. The goal is to make you look good, not to give for the sake of giving. The idea should be to market yourself well and stay in the minds of people for a long time.
- Check the company policy on gifts and budget. Use your judgement and confirm with others to check if what you are giving is right and within the policy limits.
- The gift should be thoughtful with a thoughtful presentation. If you can personalize or customize, then so much better.
- When you have a budget, use that to buy higher-end products of a smaller gift rather than a lower-end product of a bigger gift. Remember you are trying to make a good impression with the gift and by giving a cheap product you are not going to get it. The quality of the gift should say it all.
- Consider seniority and status. Give a thought as to how it might come across before you give the gift, it shouldn’t look like favoritism or bribery.
- Deliver personally. When you deliver a gift personally it adds more value to the gift.
- Give gifts that are unique. Corporate gifts don’t have to be boring. You can get as creative and unique as you can. If you can find out what a person likes and get something that they will use, that will be great. In case of a group this might be difficult, though.
- For a group, find something that they will use, like an umbrella or a bag or a scarf that will get used rather than something that will get thrown in the cupboard and get lost forever.
- Spell check! See if the names have been written correctly.
DON’Ts
- Don’t set a big budget, lest it looks like a bribe. Also, expensive gifts are something people are not comfortable receiving.
- Never buy personal gifts or gifts that can offend people. This includes religious, sexual or racial gifts. Corporate gifts should always be something that both, the person who gives and the person who receives are comfortable with.
- Don’t put your logo everywhere. Use discretion. Less is more in this case.
- Don’t forget the first point of contacts like Security, Assistants and Gatekeepers.
- Don’t send the same gifts every year. Especially to clients that you send gifts to regularly.