Business gifting is more than just a show of appreciation to your clients. It is a tool to spread goodwill about your brand and get referrals through positive word-of-mouth.
A gift carries a lot of symbolic meaning and adds to the feel-good factor your clients get when doing business with you. Also, a memorable gift leads to brand recall every time the client sees or uses the gift. It adds to the overall “experience” of the client in interacting with you. So, not only will the client look forward to doing business with you again, but you can also expect to get high-quality business referrals from them.
Choosing the right business gift is an art and it takes a while to master.
Common Mistakes While Choosing Gifts
No matter how expensive or sophisticated your gifts are, they may not have the desired impact in the following scenarios.
1. Picking Gifts Subjectively
While selecting gifts, people often tend to make subjective decisions. Selections are influenced by personal tastes, feelings, and opinions. “I love it, so the person I’m gifting it to will also love it” is a common, but a slightly pretentious way of thinking. The very purpose of gifting is defeated if your well-thought-out gift is not appreciated by the recipient.
When it comes to corporate gifts, the ideal scenario would be finding out the personal preferences of each client. But that’s not always possible. Even if you do manage, it’s a time-consuming activity and if you ask too many questions, you might end up disclosing the gift to the recipient before it’s actually delivered.
2. Picking the Same Gifts for Everyone
Opting for one standard gift for all clients is tempting. Isn’t this move a great time-saver? Maybe it is, but gifts bought in bulk can be spotted from miles away. The main intent of giving gifts is to forge stronger relationships. That is certainly not achieved when your standard run-of-the-mill gifts give your clients a negative impression and they begin to feel less important.
3. Ignoring the Data
Ok, so you know that gifts based on your own preferences may not be a good idea. Also, standard gifts don’t make a very great impression on the recipient.
So, it’s a bit of a challenge to understand what gifts would make your intended recipients happy. How do you handle it?
Many senders are not aware of how important a role data can play in helping you choose the right gifts. By tapping technology, some smart moves can help you get information related to the tastes, preferences, and requirements of different classes of people.
Choosing the Right Business Gifts
We’ve put together some points to help you choose the most memorable business gifts.
1. Understand the Preferences and Life Stage of the Gift Recipient
With the wide array of gifting options available, the first thing to do would be to zero in on a specific type of gift based on your budget.
People in different life stages tend to prefer different categories of gifts. Ask yourself questions like, “Do they like tech or not?”, “Are they into wine or coffee or tea?” or “Will they appreciate stylish, decorative art pieces?”
Before gifting something useful for their homes, checking whether they have kids or pets would be a good idea. If you know about any of their passion projects, gifting something related is sure to make them extra appreciative.
2. Don’t Make It Promotional
Many companies put their name and logo on their gifts. While this helps in branding, going over the top with this can make the gift look like a promotional piece. Gifts should always appear less about you, and more about the recipient. Having said that, if you’d like to include logos and branding on the gift, ensure it’s done smartly and subtly.
3. Figure Out What Does Not Work
Along with knowing what items are likely to be hit, it’s important to consider possible misses. Try to figure out items that are a strict no-no. These could include things related to specific allergies, some dietary restrictions, etc.
A gift that stays unused might simply be ignored or given away, and soon be forgotten.
4. Consider the Occasion and the Current Gift Trends
Different occasions call for different kinds of gifts. Make sure WHAT you’re gifting is in line with WHEN you’re gifting it. If the two are not in sync, no matter how expensive your gift is, you’re not going to be able to generate the goodwill a gift normally does.
It’s advisable to keep track of contemporary gifting trends. This shows that you have a progressive mindset and are in tune with the times.
For example, considering data such as that shown in the image below gives you a good idea about people’s preferences when it comes to receiving coffee and wine as gifts.
As you can see from the ‘preference data’ collected based on our Evabot.ai, 70% of the people in the US preferred Coffee over Wine as gifts!
5. Be Creative
Business gifting doesn’t need to be all about boring, formal gifts. You can go ahead and have fun by making creative choices. These can have a unique twist which will most likely be appreciated by the receiver.
To truly delight your clients, consider gifting exclusive, top-rated items from Eva such as the Waxing Kara – Serenity Spa Tower or the Knoki-Knoki Smart Device. The Sphero Mini Smart Ball is an ideal option for clients with kids.
6. Show Appreciation Year-Round
Gifting during the holidays is pretty much the norm. The concept of all-year-round appreciation is gaining popularity among many companies, and implementing it in yours too will hold you in good stead. If you especially take time to appreciate your clients at different times throughout the year, when they least expect it, then you’ll surely stand apart.
Wrapping It Up
When it comes to gifts, the adage “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander” may not always hold true.
There’s not much difference in how the business world and personal world react to gifts because people run businesses! Therefore, business gifting strategies should take cognizance of the fact that the dealing is with people, rather than corporations or brands.
When they receive quality, thoughtful gifts, your clients will feel the same as you would when you receive gifts you really like.
To find perfect gifts for your clients and make the entire business gifting experience quick, easy, and hassle-free, try Eva Gifting Assistant.
[…] Hence, showing appreciation and acknowledging the role that each employee plays in the company can have a direct impact on the profits and growth of your company. […]