When you enter the world of business, you may realize that many new rules and subtleties have to be followed.
One of the key ones which can come as a shock to even the most experienced business owner is the giving of gifts to your clients. If you have a mid to large-scale business or corporation, it is expected that you will send gifts to those that you do business with.
This can make things a bit more complicated but don’t worry! In the following article, common queries relating to the giving of gifts will be answered, so you will have a better idea of what is deemed acceptable and the general rules of the practice.
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What Gifts Are Appropriate?
This is one of the trickiest points when it comes to giving a gift to your clients. It can be easy to go overboard when you have a new client. For example, you may want to send eight awesome new client gifts to them on the first day of business, but generally speaking, you should only send one, and it should be in the lower range. If you are looking for items that are appropriate, it can be best to start with gift baskets that are based around cheeses, wines, or other snack foods. As your relationship with the client develops, you can personalize the gifts a bit more.
How Soon Is Too Soon To Send A Gift?
It is generally considered that as soon as contracts are signed between you and a client, a gift will be sent to their office from your company. As stated before, you don’t want to go too overboard with this introductory gift, as this can cost you a fortune, and if they turn out to be a difficult client, this is not ideal. The longer the client stays with your company, the more expensive gifts become as a rule.
How Much Should Be Spent?
This can be a tricky area to navigate, and it can be a wise idea to have a meeting with other members of your team to discuss this. You don’t want to bankrupt yourself by sending gifts, and the gifts sent should be based on the level of income that that client generates for your business, but overall, the choice is up to you.
What If They Don’t Send A Gift Back?
This is a bit of a faux pas in the business world and can cause a lot of tension. If you have sent a gift to your client and have not received one back, it can be tempting to view it with bad feelings, but the best thing you can do to preserve your business relations is to overlook this indiscretion in the first instance. If it keeps recurring, it may be worth inquiring as to why they are not returning the favor. Perhaps there is an underlying issue that they are having with your work that they have been embarrassed to discuss.
Are Gifts Only For The Holidays?
Generally speaking, the bigger gifts that are given to clients are reserved for the holidays, but there is nothing to stop you from sending gifts to your clients as and when you want to. Some larger entities will send gifts if they find out their client has had some good news, or they may simply send seasonal gifts to highlight their appreciation for their ongoing work.
Read also: Use Your Brain When Choosing the Perfect Gift