Whether it is a thank you note or a gift showing appreciation for a co-worker; knowing how to give a proper gift is great business etiquette. There are rules of gift giving internationally as well as in the states that must be adhered to keep your business relationships strong. Giving gifts should not be a mundane process, and should have some thought put into it. Inc writer John Treace outlines 5 ways to choose a good gift and keep it from being forgotten.
1. Don’t go overboard
Gifts are meant to show gratitude for the personal relationship you have with the customer–not for the value of the business they do with you. If you send a gift that’s too expensive or valuable, it can imply that you’re trying to buy the customer’s business. When it comes to showing gratitude for that personal relationship, less expensive is best.
2. Give something useful
The best customer gifts are also useful to customers in their daily business activities. Look for something that makes life easier for them or solves a problem. I once had a client whose employees used pencils in their line of work, and I noticed that the pencil jars varied from one store to the next and that the quality of the pencils was generally poor. So, as a gift, my company purchased high-quality pencils with our name printed on them and gave jars full of them to each shop. This simple gift was a huge success: it was useful, and it showed that I cared about my customers.
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