9 Steps to Choosing the Perfect Corporate Holiday Gifts
What Metrics Do You Utilize When Selecting Your Corporate Holiday Gifts Each Year?
Austin, Texas: Christmas is only a few months away- and many of my clients are starting to think about their corporate Holiday gifts.
Some will take weeks to ponder their Holiday gifts. Others call me up on December 15th and ask for whatever we have in stock (Funny–but true!!)
Here are some tips to choosing the right Holiday gifts this year:
- Understand Your Target Audience: Visualize eight to ten of your best customers (or employees or volunteers) – and put yourself in their shoes. What kind of gift would they like the most? Do they want something with lots of bells and whistles? Do they want something new and different? What would they proudly put on their desks or in their car?
- Decide Why You Are Giving Out Holiday Gifts: What is your objective? Is it as a token of appreciation– a way of saying thank you? Is it because it is implied each year? Is it to keep your name in front of that recipient next year? Is it to be the talk of the office party? Once you know why you are giving these gifts, it can help in the selection of it as well.
- Determine Your Budget: Simple enough– but very important. When considering corporate gifts to clients, think about the lifetime value of that client when considering your budget. Too much can be considered a “bribe”. Too little can be insulting in their eyes. You just need to think this through carefully. Many companies and certain industries have a limit of $25-$50 for gifts per employee that you need to abide by. If this is for employee gifts, the same thoughts of being at the right spend levels needs to be considered, as well as to avoid tax consequences.
- Will Everyone on the List Get The Same Gift? For employee gifts, we usually suggest the same gift to all — as people talk and you want to look charitable without overtly choosing favorites. When it comes to client gifts, that is a entirely different story. Do you breakdown you customer list into A-B-C lists and budget according to their past spend or future potential? There is no right or wrong– but it is something to consider. (We segment our client Holiday gifts into 3 lists, just FYI).
- How Will the Gifts be Distributed? Will they be mailed to various offices or homes? If so, consider packaging and drop-ship options. We drop-ship a ton of Holiday gifts for our clients–which saves them time and labor and freight going back and forth. Consider weight, package size and dimensional weights to keep a handle of shipping costs. Will they be handed out in person? If so, how will they be wrapped?
- Who Will Be Involved in the Decision Process? Why did you choose this particular group? How well do they know steps 1-5? Having multiple decision makers may be a good idea, but we have found it creates delays and gridlock. Ask 3 people for their decision and get 10 votes. Ask 5 people and get 35 votes–which gets you no closer to your goal. We have found it best to survey a few well-informed office colleagues initially for ideas- then have one person narrow it down and choose. Otherwise we will get that panic call on December 15th–lol.
- Can You Remove Your Personal Wants from the Holiday List? Many of my clients love to golf- and they consistently ask me for golf-related tech gifts each Christmas season. Just because the boss likes golf (NASCAR, music, puzzles, etc.) does not mean that your recipients will feel the same way. Take your personal wish list out of the equation- and buy yourself something nice at the end of this process.
- Be Inclusive of All Religions and Faiths. This goes without saying. Stay away from religious-themed gifts unless you are giving these to members of a specific church or religious group. Be strong in your faith if you wish, but keep it out of Holiday corporate gifts. This is a diverse country and not every client or employee shares your faith and traditions– but they all love Holiday gifts. There really is no war on Christmas in the business world – so bite your tongue and call it a Holiday gift – so all faiths can enjoy this great time of the year!
- Bottom Line, Remember to Make the Holiday Season Fun, Joyous and Festive. After all, we are talking about Holiday gifts. They should be fun to give out. Be generous, but don’t break the bank. Have great time playing Santa Claus this year and enjoy the smiles and goodwill you will have created.
What will be you choice of Holiday gifts this year?
