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These days there aren’t clear-cut rules about what kinds of business gifts to give clients, and you could start a whole debate about what’s appropriate or inappropriate. You’ll be surprised, however, that some very enlightened companies actually take this appropriate issue very seriously, only because their gifts are a mirror of their company’s image.
Companies who go with the “anything goes” or “whatever won’t ruin our budget” philosophies don’t engage in forward thinking and planning much – a pity, really. All they’re concerned about is the profit and loss number, nothing else. It’s just a question of time before that careless attitude brings your company’s reputation a few notches down.
Your clients deserve only the best. You worked hard at honing your marketing strategies to lure them away from the competition, so your next job is to keep them in your fold. One wrong move and you’ll lose your most valuable assets. You know the saying about customers being a fickle bunch. They won’t think twice about giving their business to someone else. Giving them the right business gifts will give your company an edge over the competition.
Deciding What’s Appropriate
If you’re knockin’ your noggin’ about what’s appropriate as a gift, a good exercise to do is to play word association – that old game we used to love to play when we were kids. The intent here is to provoke some images that may come close to gift ideas. We will arrange this word association game in three columns: the first column is the type of business you’re in, the second is to list down words that best describe you, and the third contains some gift suggestions:
Business |
Words that Come to Mind |
Gift Suggestions |
Software |
creativity, logic, geeks, design, compatability, templates, user interface |
gift certificates to a software store, upgrades, troubleshooting cards, personalized user manual, anti-virus software, Xbox, DVDs and CDs |
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Food |
diet, restaurant, spices, cooking, hungry, lunch, dinner |
restaurant certificates, gourmet cheeses, caviar, personalized lunch boxes, spice rack, recipe book |
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Transportation |
delivery, distribution, supplies, trucks, highways |
especially mounted maps, miniature trucks and cars, basket of company products, GPS, collection of road maps for all continents in the world: Europe, Asia, Australia, etc. |
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Writing Services |
freelance, articles, blogs, e-books, SEO, copywriting |
free e-books, web site templates, subscription to a flash site, five free articles or blogs, list of article directories, free submission to article directories, courtesy sales page. |
So you see, you don’t really need to knock your brains out for ideas because the word association game is the perfect trigger for gift suggestions.
What’s inappropriate as a gift is something we should also think about. For example, if you’re a company that specializes in beach wear and accessories – bathing suits, umbrellas, sun tan lotion and all that – you wouldn’t really want to give your clients a miniature Eskimo or miniature iceberg – unless of course you’re trying to be funny!
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your promotional gifts requirements. Call us: 0870 787 5527
- Our Promotional Staff are highly experience and will provide
you with the dedicated professional service you would expect from
a major corporation.
Browse our massive online catalogue of promotional items and promotional products for a diverse
selection of gifts all at great low prices.
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