Gift giving is a kind gesture, almost everybody loves to receive gifts! But then, despite your best intention, the way you give a gift or the choice of the gift may send the wrong signals.

When can corporate gift giving run wrong? What can you do to avoid common pitfalls? Here are 7 mistakes to avoid when giving a corporate gift:

Playing favorites.

Corporate gifts are usually given to a group – either to your own employees or to your group of clients. As much as possible, don’t play favorites when you give corporate gifts away. To do this, you’ll need to (1) give to everyone and (2) give the same gifts as much as you can.

From the big boss to the janitor, don’t miss anyone out. Give a gift to all. And to be very safe that you are not playing favorites, find a gift that is suitable for everyone. Some of you may argue that giving the same gifts will not achieve personalization and that not all people share the same excitement unwrapping a box that has a mug in it, but still, find something that is commonly useful to it. Worried about personalization? No problem. Not because you’re giving away the same gift means you can’t personalize. Print a name, add a personal message and you will achieve personalization on corporate giveaways. You can make different people feel special even if you give the same gift to all.

Giving to a selected few and not being discreet about it.

If you can’t avoid giving gifts to a selected group, then please do so in a discreet manner. You can’t flaunt the idea that you have a favorite lot without making other people feel jealous. Be sensitive and do not let the essence of gift giving backfire on you!

Giving inappropriate gifts.

Excuse me sir, but you just gave a set of inspirational CD to a deaf person. Try to avoid inappropriate gifts this way, or even gifts that contain inappropriate language or meaning. Yes, you can personalize gifts, but be careful and don’t give gifts that are too personal. A gift you would give your secretary should be different from a gift you would give your wife – otherwise, you could send the wrong message.

Gender inequality in gift giving.

If you are giving a $200 gift to a woman, give a gift with the same value to a man. Of course, a gift for a woman is different from a gift for a man, but the price value should be the same if not close.

Thinking that throwing a party replaces giving a gift.

Budget will always be a consideration when buying gifts or throwing a party, but one cannot replace the other. Be wise and budget for both party and gifts. If you planned to throw away a party and not give a gift, then you would have undermined the success of the party by not having a gift to cap the night off. If you planned to give a gift but then not throw a party, it still would send good cheers, but not as much as when the gift is given during a party. It only happens once a year, and as a company, it’s an opportunity to pay your employees back for helping you achieve your goals. Show some love – and you will get love in return.

Stay calm when gifts are returned.

Yes, gifts could get returned! Stay calm when this happens. There can be a lot of reasons a gift is returned – the person may have received the wrong gift, the person may honestly not have a need for it, the person may not find it suitable, or let’s face it, the person may not like it. Whatever the reason, take heart – returned gifts are opportunities for you to give to the right person, or to give a suitable and more meaningful gift. In the rare occasion when a person returns a gift simply because he or she does not like it, take a deep breath and turn up your creativity to give one that will be truly appreciated. You will be loved even more for this humble gesture.

Double-meaning gifts.

Please don’t give double meaning corporate gifts! Your gift should communicate your message clearly. Don’t make people guess, don’t make people wonder what your gift means or why you are sending them. You will defeat the purpose of giving gifts if you send people confused! Gifts are meant to spread good cheers – stick to this goal!

Giving gifts is a wonderful gesture – but be mindful how you give the gift or else it could backfire. The last thing you want to happen is for people to misconstrue your gesture. Especially if you are giving to a large group of say, a hundred people, it will take time before you could arrest the confusion or before you could explain what you truly meant by giving that gift away.

Give gifts that delight, that make people smile in simple ways. Give gifts that communicate your appreciation for them. That is the essence of gift giving – it is about making others feel special. It is about making someone feel a warm, grateful feeling deep inside.

Take time to think about the gift you would give. Weeks ahead of the gift-giving, consciously seek inspiration on what gift would be most suitable, most meaningful, most useful to your recipient. If the inspiration doesn’t come, then try to speak to the corporate gifts supplier for ideas. You might be surprised to know of products that are available for giving away which you have never heard about before.

Finally, wrap that gift! Wrappers will just be torn away, yes, that is true. But they are still worth every effort. Choose a nice wrapping, send a nice message. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it just needs to be wrapped. Remember, part of the joy of receiving gifts is the surprise that awaits. Part of it is creating wonders about what’s in the box. So please – give gifts with good intentions, and start with the wrapping!

When you give corporate gifts to your clients, what message are you sending out? Is it “I want you to know that I genuinely think about you?” or is it “I’m bribing my way to you signing the deal?”

Corporate gifts which are meaningfully given away can strike the right chord between you and your client. But giving out corporate gifts which are not well thought out could also backfire with the wrong message. And you don’t ever want this to happen to you.

Here’s one situation that best demonstrates this: A sales representative visited his client with a gym membership voucher as a gift. The gym membership was for the client and the sales representative, which, if you think about it, is actually a brilliant idea – going to the gym with the client means being able to spend more time with him; time which the sales representative can creatively use to discuss about the products he is selling, and possibly close some deals—all in a casual, relaxed, and informal setting.

However, what the sales representative said next totally blew up what would have been a great plan. These were his words:

“Mr Yap, we’ve chosen the gold package for this gym membership for you. In return, perhaps you would remember to order from us again?”

Obviously, that sent the client’s temper flaring up! His reply:

“You can’t buy my loyalty with your gift! Here, you can take these vouchers with you!”

As you would have guessed, it would be very hard to win this client back.

Unique corporate gifts ideas that will be memorable the whole year through

Based on that actual scenario above, you might argue that the problem wasn’t in the giving. The problem was in what the sales representative said after he gave the gift.

While this is true, you should also keep in mind that your choice of corporate gifts inevitably comes with a message – so you better choose to send the right one!

Here are 5 corporate gifts to give your clients (or even your own employees) in a way that will make them think of you positively the whole year through:

 

1.  Stainless steel vacuum flask.

Quality never runs out of style. This vacuum flask is a practical choice for use in the office or even outdoors. We can always use a clean, safe place to store water in a way that’s easy to lug around – and this flask does the trick.

Hot tip: To make your client feel good using the vacuum flask, you can inject a message on doing the environment good by using a washable flask instead of disposable paper cups for drinking. Save trees, use paper cups less with a high-quality vacuum flask.

 

2. Luggage strap with weighing scale.

Give this gift away and you would make troubles about having to pay extra for overweight luggage a thing of the past! This innovative product is the answer most travelers have been looking for.

 

Check this link for more information on this product.

 

3. Reverse umbrella.

 

 

It’s sunny year-round in Singapore and protecting against the harmful rays of the sun is always a bright idea. Time your gift giving during the summer and this handy and lightweight umbrella will be just what your client’s need! The double canopy makes this umbrella very fashionable, too. Gearing up for the rainy days? No problem. The reverse umbrella is also your best rainy day companion as it reverses to quickly dry up.

 

Check this link for more information on this product.

 

4. Simple phone stand.

Your clients would appreciate you helping them organise their office tabletops. This simple phone stand is definitely a hit – for use in the office or even at home.

 

Click this link for more information on the product.

 

 5. Shoe bag with three compartments.

One of the items that are difficult to pack during travels are shoes. For companies who have employees who are always on the go – the three-compartment shoe bag removes the hassle of having to pack shoes along with clothes. Give this gift and your client will in turn solve their clients’ or employees’ travel packing dilemmas!

 

Click this link for more information on the product.

 

Corporate Gifts: It’s the thought that counts!

They say that when it comes to gift giving, it’s the thought that counts. When it comes to corporate gifts, making you stick to the thoughts of your clients or your employees is what counts!

Giving what is unique and practical will make your gifts not only memorable but also of absolute use the whole year through.

Remember, your clients are also getting a lot of corporate gifts from other suppliers. The choice of gifts and how you give those gifts will make it stand out.

If you are buying corporate gifts for your own employees – remember that these little gestures can go a long way into winning their loyalty, inspiring and motivating them to do their best at work, and even making them feel proud being a part of your organisation. Invest in a good corporate gifts provider to have access to unique, durable, and practical gift ideas that will surely go a long way throughout the year on building your relationship – whether amongst your employees or with your clients.

More importantly, remember to stay in touch with your clients after the gift giving gesture.

Do not let the momentum of good feelings die – keep them remembering you for a long time by communicating with them afterwards.

Well selected corporate gifts build on relationships that are just budding or are already blossoming. But relationships based on gift giving alone may not stand the test of time. Make sure that corporate gifts become the vessel through which your honest and genuine intentions may be communicated – but the work on building genuine relationships of trust does not end there.

Choose to partner with a reliable corporate gifts supplier for you to access the latest products ever to hit the market. Well established suppliers constantly upgrade their portfolio to be responsive to changing needs of the market – so you can be sure that your gifts are not only novel – they are also relevant and useful.

Finally, remember to include your brand on the corporate gifts you give away. You can decide whether to be subtle or loud on your branding – this depends entirely on the parties you are giving the gifts to. For instance, if you are buying gifts for your employees, then it doesn’t hurt to put a big logo of your company and even your slogan printed on the gift. But if you are giving away gifts to your clients – then this might call for more subtle branding because your clients might like the gift, but might not be very comfortable wearing your brand big and loud especially if they are also buying products from your competitors.

In summation, choose your corporate gifts meaningfully, and give with the best intentions. You will never be wrong when your intentions are right, and when the gift you chose reflects your right intentions clearly.

Seek to understand the people receiving your gifts, instead of seeking to be understood first. When you do this, you make the gift-giving experience richer, not only for people who will be delighted to receive your gifts, but also to who as the giver.

Truly, the gift is in the giving.