In my last few blog posts I’ve written about how to be a more intentional gift giver this Holiday season. I’ve focused on personal gift giving, however many of the points I’ve made also relate to giving a gift to a business colleague, client or employee. I want to share with you what happened to me last week.
I was at a networking event and one of my vendors came up to me and gave me a gift. It was a box of chocolate covered Oreo cookies with the VirtuArte logo on some of the cookies and her company logo on others. The gift was not wrapped and it had a pre-printed card. I thanked her for the gift. As she walked away I thought to myself this person doesn’t know me. If she did she would have known I don’t eat desserts or candy very often. I also figured I was one of many clients to whom she had given the same gift.
Here are a couple of tips for giving a business gift:
Don’t give a gift just to give a gift. If you are going to give a client, colleague or employee a gift, give them something that has meaning to them and will be appreciated.
Get to know the person. Building on point #1. In my post dated 14 November 2017 I give a list of questions to answer. If you take the time to answer these questions for each of your gift recipients you will know what kind of gift to give each person.
This is a “thank you” gift, not a promotional gift. Don’t put your logo on the gift. When was the last time you received a birthday gift with the name of the person who gave it to you engraved on it. If you must have something on the gift that ties it to your company do something subtle, such as using ribbon in your company colors.
Wrap to “Wow.” In last week’s blog post I wrote about creating a gift giving experience. Part of that experience is in the presentation of the gift. Spend time wrapping the gift. People receive gifts with their eyes.
Hand write a card. The reason for giving a gift is to express your appreciation for the business relationship you have with that person. A pre-printed card doesn’t have the same effect on the recipient.
What is going to happen to the box of chocolate covered Oreo cookies? I’m not going to eat these cookies. Paul, my significant other, doesn’t like chocolate so he won’t eat them either. I ended up giving the box to Paul to take to the office and his colleagues ate the cookies.
I know this isn’t what my vendor had in mind when she thought about giving me a “thank you” gift for my business. However the truth is, this is what happens to a lot of “business gifts.” The item is often put in a drawer or closet, given away or thrown away. If you are going to spend the money on a gift, give something that will be displayed or used by your client. Every time they use or look at it you will be thought of.
Copyright : Wavebreak Media Ltd
Before you give your next “thank you” gift, take the time to think about what will be meaningful to your recipient.
