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The Art of Corporate Gift Giving
Corporate gift giving is serious business. As part of a well considered
program, it can help establish or enhance critical relationships and
become a cost-effective means of recognizing activities that benefit the
business. This article describes the many issues to consider if a
corporate gift program is to succeed.
According to many surveys, most corporate gifts and awards are given to
major clients. After that come employees, then prospective clients.
Reasons for gift giving range from thanking long-standing customers for
their business to recognizing a valued employee for working on a weekend.
The general reason is the same: to affirm relationships and enhance the
personal connection between giver and recipient.
Gifts differ from incentives in that they are offered with no explicit
preconditions for performance. They differ from ad specialties in that
they do not contain any blatant imprints or advertising.
That doesn't mean there's no bottom-line benefit to be derived from
corporate gift giving. For some companies, it's an essential part of
marketing strategy. Just about everyone agrees that, done correctly, gift
giving is a cost-effective way to build a feeling of partnership with
valued associates.
Although there's hard evidence relating corporate awards and gift
giving to increased business activity, it won't exactly give you the
confidence to make specific return-on-investment projections in your marketing
plan. Chances are you won't be expected to come up with that kind of
hard data anyway.
The Promotional Products Association International conducts regular
surveys of corporate gift givers and recipients.A recent one shows
that vendors who gave were twice as likely to increase their chances of
being contacted by customers as those that didn't have a gift program.As long as you do it right, gift giving will help to build the
relationships that are the lifeblood of your business.
GIFTS VS. INCENTIVES
To recognize what an effective corporate gift strategy is, it helps to
understand what it isn't. Start by making the distinction between
corporate gift giving and incentive award programs. Though gifts and
incentive awards often involve similar types of recipients, they are different
on both strategic and practical levels. Corportae incentives are awards
for achieving defined levels of activity, such as sales quotas, safety
improvements, or good attendance. In contrast, corporate gifts are more
or less spontaneous, given not as part of any defined exchange between
giver and recipient. The corporate gift recipient doesn't consciously
set goals in anticipation of an award, whereas the incentive recipient
does.
It's tempting to view corporate gift and incentive programs in the same
light. After all, you want to know that you're getting your money's
worth from any business investment, and most givers want to motivate the
recipient in one way or another. But be careful. Leaving customers or
employees with the impression that they're being bribed can do more harm
than good. Instead, look at gift giving as a subtle, long-term process
of relationship-building, following the basic guidelines described in
this article.
THE ETHICS OF GIVING
A few words of advice:
Giving gifts during a bidding process is a definite no-no, even if a
holiday happens to fall during this time.
Lavish gifts, such as cars and luxury vacations, are suspect and should
be used only after careful consideration.
Even when there isn't a stated restriction, be careful not to create
the wrong impression with a gift. Anything that might embarrass your
recipient or lead to a reprimand can sabotage a valuable relationship.
THE ETIQUETTE OF GIVING
Consider the following major areas before you go shopping:
Appropriateness. Care should be taken that the corporate gift is
appropriate to the business relationship. This has less to do with the dollar
value of business transacted, or even the amount of time one has been
doing business with the recipient, than with the closeness of the
relationship. If a client seems aloof and excessively businesslike, don't try
to loosen him or her up with baubles. It can backfire. With a new
relationship, don't get too personal or too lavish with the gift. Frequency
of giving generally should be restricted to major holidays and special
occasions. Again, be sure to avoid the impression that you're bribing
the recipient.
Personality. It's great when a corporate gift has personality, but the
real issue is whether the gift reflects the personality and interests
of the recipient. Is she a sports car nut? Does he have an obsessive
relationship with his sailboat? What's her favorite color? Try to find out
these kinds of things discreetly because when you do (and your gift
reflects it), the impression is that you care about the person and have
taken the time to understand their style and taste.
Timing. The most popular times for giving, of course, are holidays, but
the true champions of corporate gift-giving know that other times of
the year can have a more profound personal impact on the relationship.
For instance, birthday gifts are bound to impress, since they show that
you've bothered to learn a thing or two about the recipient. Important
dates, such as the anniversary of a new job or the day you initiated a
business relationship, may be good occasions for a gift. You can also
mark such events as a promotion, the birth of a child, or completion of
an important project. Whether you stick to established holidays and
impersonal occasions or get into the personal life of the recipient depends
on the nature of the relationship. It may seem slightly presumptuous,
or even intrusive, to choose the wrong occasion for a gift.
Presentation. Special care should be taken in preparing the gift.
Invest in some nice wrapping paper, and take the time to compose a personal,
handwritten card. This can be as important as the gift itself, since
your message to the recipient conveys your intentions and sincerity. Then
there's the issue of whether to mail or present in person. Mailing can
reduce any feelings of obligation on the part of the recipient, and it
can provide some unexpected pleasure in a routine work day. If the
relationship warrants it, mailing to the person's home may add a personal
touch, particularly when the gift commemorates a personal occasion like
a birthday.
Customizing. To logo or not to logo, that is a key question. For many
businesses, customized corporate gifts keep the company name in the
minds of recipients. When the item is a practical one that is likely to be
used every day, such as a calendar, coffee mug or tote bag, this
amounts to free daily advertising. But there is a tackiness quotient to
consider. They may make great trade show premiums or leave-behinds, but
customized items should never be considered for personal, deeply heartfelt
gifts. In general, avoid obvious self-promotion when giving expensive
gifts or any time you want to leave the impression that the gift is
coming personally from you.
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