Mike Clark's Business Bites: Gift-giving requires careful thought

Look for something that is unusual and/or potentially useful beyond the immediate appreciation felt when opening the gift. Photo / Unsplash

Do you thank your clients? How do you select the gifts you will give and ensure they hit the mark?

"Christmas is a time for giving!" I know it is still more than six weeks away and, yes, I can already see some of you rolling your eyes at the fact I'm covering the topic so early. However, there is a reason behind the timing of this article. As anybody who has ever had to organise Christmas presents for clients will tell you, it is no easy feat.

First of all, you have to decide whether you will actually give presents and, then, what presents you will give, to whom, how much you will spend and how they're going to stand out and not get lost among the plethora of hampers typically given out around this time of year.

Let's tackle the first part of the conundrum businesses find themselves in. Should you give presents? Ideally, this decision will have been made at the beginning of the year when you reviewed your marketing plan and made a plan about how you treat your ABC clients.

Businesses want to show clients we appreciate them and the business they have given us. Additionally, we want to build good relationships that will carry on into the future. A rule of thumb many businesses use is they will spend 3 per cent of their turnover on marketing. Have a look at what you have spent and see if this figure resonates with your business. Do you have the budget to give client gifts? Aim to make gift-giving part of your marketing strategy rather than as a spontaneous gesture done from a place of obligation.

The next step is to consider how appropriate it is to give gifts. Some government departments, blue-chip corporates and councils do not allow gifts to be given to their staff and so companies have to look for other ways to show their appreciation. Some companies have so many people you interact with that choosing a gift has to take this into consideration. Do you give one gift that goes to the decision-maker (a nice bottle of whiskey) or something that can be enjoyed by many of the team (dartboard)?

Nobody wants their gifts to get lost among all the other gifts given. Consider what gift you will choose and how you will make it stand out. A great way to stand out is to personalise the gifts by engraving names on them.

Social and environmental responsibility needs to be shown in the giving of gifts. This is becoming increasingly important to many people. You might want to stand out by supporting a good cause and/or local business (send a native tree). Look for something that is unusual and/or potentially useful beyond the immediate appreciation felt when opening the gift. Beautiful calendars are often appreciated and hung on a wall year-round.

Think about how you will deliver the gifts. Will it be in person - this is ideal but perhaps not practical this year with Covid lockdowns. If you post it, allow time for delivery and ensure the packaging will hold up. You might even consider giving gifts at a different time of year (on the anniversary of when they first started working with you). However you choose to show appreciation ensure it goes beyond the gift-giving to continuous great service throughout the year!

• Mike Clark is director and lead trainer and facilitator at Think Right business training company.