When should I give a corporate gift?
When it comes to corporate gift giving, there is no
inappropriate time to send a gift. Corporations and individuals accept
corporate gifts all throughout the year, and it is not possible to send a
gift at a time that is deemed inappropriate by the receiving party.
There is, however, a “best” time to give corporate
gifts. Or at least, a time that will make the best impacts on those that
receive them. Here are several criteria for improving the effectiveness of
the corporate gift.
Avoid the Holidays
The absolute least effective time to give a
corporate gift is around the holidays. This is due for a variety of reasons:
1)
The individual is likely receiving many gifts from friends, family, their
employers and other companies that are sending various holiday cards, etc.
Your gift will be lost in the shuffle.
2)
The end of the year is the worst time for businesses to close contracts,
because many employees are going on vacation and will ultimately forget
about the impact the gift had.
3)
Those that receive these gifts are expecting to receive gifts, so there is
no shock impact of appreciation. While they may not have expected gifts from
your company, they no doubt expected gifts from someone, and will be less
wowed by what they receive.
Ideally, you want to send corporate gifts away from
the holidays, when no one is expecting to receive anything from your
company.
Remembering Milestones and Anniversaries
A great time to purchase a corporate gift is around
a milestone or an anniversary – something memorable that perhaps the
individual themselves has forgotten. For example, if giving a corporate gift
to an employee, you can give them one on the anniversary of their promotion.
If giving a corporate gift to a client, you can send them a gift on the
first day you two spoke about your product or on the anniversary of them
signing the contract. These are milestones the company may have forgotten,
and it is a nice gesture that you remember.
For No Reason
Also, much like avoiding the holidays, a great
corporate gift is when you provide the gift for no reason. Much like in a
personal relationship, showing someone that you are thinking about them with
a gift is simply a great way to make a positive impression, and the gift is
virtually guaranteed to make an impact.
Overall, there are no bad times to send corporate
gifts. They will always be appreciated, because they are a free and kind
gesture of appreciation. But there are times where corporate gifts will make
a greater impact, and because you are looking for the greatest ROI of the
gift possible (whether that return in financial or simply in appreciation),
you want to make sure that you send the gift at times that are best for
making a positive impression. Away from the holidays, at unmemorable but
relevant milestones, or for no reason whatsoever at a random time during the
year – all of these will make a great impression and will help you get the
most from your purchase.