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Anna Musson
Anna adds that‘ joke’ gifts or anything cheeky that wouldn’ t go down well at home, should definitely be avoided.
CLIENT GIFTS
As the person charged with organising gifts for clients, it’ s important to remember that these gifts reflect your brand as well as saying thank-you.“ If you need to buy a lot of gifts, wine can be a great option,” says Anna,“ Wine accessories such as a carafe or glassware are also a great option if they’ re good quality. The bonus of giving a gift like this is that your clients will think of you each time they use it. Even branded umbrellas and pens can be appreciated, so long as they are good quality.” Anna’ s recommendation is to individually wrap gifts wherever possible to show that you have gone to some effort.
Danny King, Director of Danny King Legal in Sydney, involves her whole team with the Christmas gift planning.“ I always make a point of sending Christmas gifts as it is a great marketing opportunity and a way to get into the hearts and minds of the people who are important to us.”
Danny and her team send gifts to current clients and key contacts who are important referral sources.“ We get so excited and the whole team gets involved. We spend an hour here and there chasing cool options and checking out samples.” Last year 100 of Danny’ s clients and contacts received headphones in a zip up leather case that were branded with the Danny King logo.
In terms of receiving gifts,“ I have received Oxfam vouchers in the past from business contacts,” says Danny,“ they’ re a lovely thing to do and they make you feel warm and fuzzy because the money goes to charity.”
Kate Nurse, who is marketing manager for Corporate Gift Cards at Coles Myer says bulk orders of gift cards can be an easy and appreciated gift for clients.
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“ Nowadays these gifts come in a complementary presentation folder and you can apply a special message to add a personal touch. It doesn’ t matter where your clients are based as you can go with a national brand and give a gift card that can be redeemed in stores around the country. The beauty of this kind of Christmas present is that it’ s your gift, but it’ s their choice.”
“ With Christmas,” Kate clarifies,“ it pays to get your gifts organised early. A gift card is a win / win. Your client can purchase exactly what they want for themselves. You can avoid the wasting time in endless Christmas queues by ordering online and having beautifully presented gift cards delivered straight to your clients’ offices.”
In terms of Christmas cards, Nadia, Danny and Anna all lean towards the old way of doing things.“ I find it more meaningful to send a handwritten card,” says Nadia,“ You don’ t need to write a lot and people find it nice to receive something in the mail that’ s not a bill! Although that being said, people are time poor, which is why sending cards digitally is easier and more time efficient. It is almost at the stage now when sending a card or arranging a gift is a unique networking tool.”
Danny always makes a point of handwriting cards.“ My younger staff have friends who are doing art degrees. We pay a student for a bespoke design and have cards that give the artist credit printed in the office. Last year we put on a movie and sat around writing the cards out together.”
Anna doesn’ t mince her words on this subject of Christmas cards.“ eCards are basically spam. They say‘ I don’ t care, I’ m too busy to write these by hand. On the other hand, receiving something to open and read
Corporate Gift Ideas
For the boss * Gift voucher * Quality wine or champagne * Personalised stationery / luggage tags * Movie voucher * Magazine subscription
For clients * Wine decanter * Gift hamper * Branded umbrella * Leather bound folder * Gift voucher with a personalised message
For colleagues * Christmas themed gift voucher * Expensive chocolates * Scented candle / quality soap * Nail polish or manicure set * Personalised coffee cup or water bottle
Nadia McCrohon
feels special. You have to consider whether or not the relationship is important to you.
GIFTS FOR COLLEAGUES
Most people don’ t have the budget to go overboard on gifts for colleagues, so a Kris Kringle or Secret Santa is the way to go at Christmas.“ It’ s a token gesture,” says Nadia,“ but it makes an end of year team gathering much more special.”
“ Set a price limit and do your homework about the recipient,” says Anna,“ While I wouldn’ t recommend this for bosses or colleagues, a personalised mug is a nice Christmas gift. We all know what it’ s like to have our favourite cup go missing!”
Discount websites can be a good place to shop for Christmas gifts that look expensive but don’ t cost the earth.“ Just make sure what you’ re ordering will be delivered on time,” says Anna,“ saying that something hasn’ t arrived yet is a bit of a cop out.”
Anna also suggests that as a rule of thumb, you never regret spending a bit extra on someone to make them feel special.“ People do admire generosity- but you don’ t have to admit what you have spent!”
Kate Nurse recommends taking the stress out of buying for someone you don’ t know well by going with a gift card that is valid at a range of different stores.“ You can spend anything between $ 5 and $ 4,999 and gift cards have a two year expiry date to give the recipient time to think about what they would like to buy. Go with a festive Christmas design to enhance the mood of the festive season or add a bottle of wine or some chocolates to make it extra special.”
Etiquette expert Anna’ s final advice for giving corporate gifts is“ No matter who you are buying for, stay away from the Two Dollar Shop! It’ s also important to skip anything that could be ambiguous. Keep it G rated and remember that if there’ s ever a time to be generous, it’ s at Christmas.” E