I love christmas! The cake looks delicious but I can't eat it because I'm diabetic.

I did get some good recipes from wellness-junction.com though, so I can still enjoy the festive season!

Thought-provoking, Drew. We often don't think of business gifts as an extension of our brand, but they certainly are.

I have two schools of thought on this. For corporations and businesses with big revenue clients, I imagine that a special and expensive gift is expected. A fruitcake for a $500K (annually) customer may not cut it.

For small and mid-sized businesses and nonprofits, I think a promotional item with their logo on them is a nice token of appreciation for customers and major donors. Even better is a donation to a charitable cause, perhaps one with which the business already has a partnership.

In these cases, it's about being top of mind and expressing gratitude for the relationship. It needn't be an overly expensive item, but it can't be cheap-looking or break easily, or the brand experience goes out the window.

I think one of the key issues you have to consider is: who is the gift really for? Your contact for that company, or the company as a whole?

If your gift audience is primarily an individual, a more personal, selective (WIIFM as Drew put it) gift is most likely to be remembered and appreciated. Adding some type of personal note to the gift can also do WONDERS in my experience.

However, if the gift is for the company as a whole, or a number of people, you should consider (1) does the price and perceived value of the gift reflect the importance of the business relationship, (2) why are you choosing this gift in particular, there should be some relevance (if you're an internet marketer, some form of internet prescription; for a high tech company, the latest gadget).

As one last though, I think in many cases personal thought and time allotted means a lot more than money. Especially in the case of clients, some clients may feel offended that you are spending their money to get them an expensive gift. A more creative or practical gift is probably better (of course, that high profile partner will probably be offended by a cheap item, as was mentioned).

Quite the balancing act, as all initially "good will" thoughts seem to become in business.

Elaine,

We have a vendor who sends out a card that invites each recipient to choose one of 3 charities...and then they will make a donation in your name. I've always thought that was a nice show of holiday spirit.

And then of course the pragmatic me also appreciates that they don't have to say how much they donate, so it might be a lot cheaper than getting every client a gift!

Drew

Drew, it may be cheaper in the long run, but the recipients will never know. It's the ultimate gift for the theme of the season.

Drew asks:

"P.S. Anyone want a piece of fruitcake?"

No -- thanks. I'm good.

: )

I would rather send gifts to the people who deal with us in the trenches, the receptionist, the administrative assistant, the person in customer service who takes the call...They truly appreciate the small token of our thanks and the seasons greetings. Bah Humbug to the decision maker... He/She made a decision that hopefully is financially justified. What else do they need?

We have made it a practice to choose a cause and a charity to support during the holiday and all year instead of providing holiday gifts. It gives back to the community and serves as a better gift than a $10 Starbucks card or a widget.

Our latest is www.hungeringeorgia.com

Brian,

Hmm, I hadn't thought about clients viewing the gift as us spending "their" money -- but you make a valid point.

I think one of the messages that is bubbling up from this discussion gets to my original question. Is a generic gift noteworthy or do/should we be personalizing the gifts?

Drew

The Minneapolis PR agency that I worked at was located on the Mississippi River and St. Anthony Falls. We had a 4 or 5 year series of original, signed black and white photographic prints of the downtown Minneapolis skyline and the river/falls. Each year, the photo was taken by a different photographer, which resulted in different prints (composition) and size. They were sent to our clients and business partners, with our Annual Giving Report documenting employee's invovlement with community organizations. For some of our larger clients, we had the discretion of also having more personalized gifts.

Elaine,

Oh....I know. I was just showing a bit of the Grinchy thinking! :)

And I wholeheartedly agree - hard to argue with the spirit of giving to others during this time of year.

Drew

Ann,

I am right there with you -- blech!

Drew

Hmm, Bah Humbug to the decision maker.

Have you ever had a decision maker say anything to you about getting his/her admin a gift and not them?

Drew

Harry,

It's hard to argue with a charitable gift. How do you "package" that gift in terms of telling clients what you're doing?

Drew

Joe,

The photography idea is a great one. As a MN native...I know how beautiful the scenery is there, so I'm sure the shots were remarkable.

You bring up a good point -- we don't have to give everyone the same gift.

Any idea of what those discretionary gifts were?

Drew

I usually just send a card with a personal note.

The idea of making a donation to a charity is a good one, though. What I usually do is buy cards that are connected to a charity, like from Ronald McDonald House or UNICEF. I won't do a "trendy" organization like Susan G. Komen, since I don't feel like being a me-too.

Drew, I'll definitely pass on the fruitcake.

David,

I'm pretty sure that buying those cards IS a charitable donation, isn't it?

Do you send them this time of year or are you one of those Thanksgiving Day card senders?

Drew

To Paul's example, "We won't be giving you a gift this year because, as your vendor, that would mean we were overcharging you. Thank you for helping us put an end to profiteering."

I send cards this time of year, not too early like at Thanksgiving. Yes, the cards do benefit a charity.

Except one year, David (and a few others) sent me a pony.

(....oh wait -- that was my birthday. Never mind....!)

Hey, I'm diabetic too! I'm using the diet at http://www.weightlossdude.com which includes some recipies for healthy living too!

Hi, Drew,

Here's what we've done for the past 12 years:

Each year I sit down with 3 or 4 clergy in the area between Philadelphia and New York City. (We do the bulk of our business in that corridor).

These folks have first-hand knowledge of families who have very specific financial needs due to sometimes unimaginable crises.

We pick 3 to help. At Christmas, we contribute a portion of our revenues to the 3 selected. However: it is done in the name of specific clients, since that is where the money originated (for which we are thankful!).

Finally, we send a greeting card and letter to each client, explaining that a percentage of their business with us has been given to help alleviate the distress of a particular family. The letter describes the situation and how the money will help provide relief.

This has been a joy for us, and the long-time clients look forward to hearing the new stories each year.

I never liked fruitcake myself:-)

Steve,

That's a great compromise-- more personal than just choosing a charity but still avoiding the ball cap with your logo on it faux pas.

Great idea...I'll bet you have quite a collection of stories.

Drew