“Client Gift-Giving Advice”

Before you know it another business year will be coming to an end. Halloween merchandise is already in the stores and the winter Holidays won’t be far behind.  And we all know what that means, right?  It’s time to order your client's Holiday calendars!  That’s right, it’s time to start thinking about ordering those calendars to give away to your existing customers and potential new clients during the Holiday season.

The question is, what theme should your calendar embrace? Will it be landscapes? Golf? Unicorns and rainbows? Or maybe photos of your own products? Either way, the calendar will be featuring your company name with the hope it will hang near the desk of your favorite Buyer.  But no matter what your marketing department decides for this year’s calendar, I’d like you to consider the following advice from the Buyer’s Desk. And remember, this is from someone who is on the receiving end of those wonderful calendars.  Ready?  Here's my advice:  DON’T HAND OUT CALENDARS!

Hopefully I’m not too late in providing this recommendation. Hopefully your company hasn’t already dished out thousands of dollars on picturesque calendars featuring waterfalls, hot air balloons and puppy dogs. It is after all marketing’s theory that if your company’s name is staring the Buyer in the face all year long, at some point they’ll think of you when sending out RFQs or when awarding Purchase Orders.  And for the most part, your marketing team is right!  Research has shown that people DO respond to advertising that leaves an impression.  The best advertisements use images, jingles and stories to focus attention to their brand. Advertisers attempt to get potential clients to connect their brand name with a positive impression; an encouraging reinforcement that their products and services will bring satisfaction.  That’s why your marketing department is so insistent on ordering calendars with incredible scenery, calming subject matter, or leisurely pursuits such as golf. 

But from the Buyer’s perspective, the problem ISN’T the fact that you’re giving me a calendar for the Holidays. The problem is that EVERYONE is giving me a calendar for the Holidays!  On an average year, I receive dozens and dozens of calendars from the supply base, all with the intent of advertising their brand name with the hope of continued business.  But consider this reality: How many calendars can I actually use? How many will I keep?  How about . . . ONE.  Oh, I might bring another one home for my family, but that’s about it.  And odds are, the calendar I keep won't be the one YOU gave me.

So what happens to the rest of the calendars Buyers receive that they don't use?  One of three things will happen to them: (1) They end up in a pile on an un-used office desk for non-procurement employees to take. And of course, none of them will buy anything from you because they're not in Purchasing. (2) They end up in a box to be donated to a local charity for kids or seniors who don’t normally receive calendars. And I guarantee THEY won’t be buying anything from you either. Or (3), they end up in the trash can.  What a shame.  What a waste of a thoughtful gift.  And what a waste of your company's marketing expense!

So what do Buyers recommend Sales Reps bestow on their loyal clients and potential customers during the Holidays?  How can a supplier stand out from their competition and offer something they’ll be remembered by? From the Buyer's Desk, the first thing to consider in corporate gift-giving is to find out if you should even offer a gift!  Many companies do not allow their employees to accept gifts, lunches, outings . . . or even a pencil.  Different corporations define different standards of corporate ethics, including what a Buyer can and cannot accept.  A good Sales Rep should always be familiar with any client’s defined corporate ethics before offering the Buyer anything, much less a Holiday gift.

Most large companies have ethics guidelines on their corporate website.  Find them, read them and comply with them.  If you can’t find anything about gift-giving policies on their website, ask for a copy of the ‘corporate ethics code’ and the ‘supply-based ethical guidelines’ from the Buyer or from their Human Resource department.  NEVER tempt a Buyer with even the smallest of gifts if their ethics code does not allow it.  Never put anyone in jeopardy of losing their job!  Not only will it upset the Buyer to be called into HR, it will also guarantee that your company will never provide product to that client again. 

Second, if you ARE allowed to give a gift to the Buyer per his company’s approval, find out what the dollar value limitation is.  If it’s $25 . . . keep it at $25!  Don’t hand the Buyer a gold-plated pen set worth $100 with a wink and a smile and tell him it’s only worth $25. Giving a gift beyond the true value limitation is just as bad as giving a gift when NONE are allowed.  In my opinion, it’s WORSE!  Not only are you not complying with their corporate ethics guidelines, you’re also trying to pull the wool over their eyes.

Third, once you are educated on the ethics rules and dollar value limitation, your next step is to rethink your gift-giving strategy.  Due to the fact that nearly every Sales Professional and Business Owner hands out calendars, try thinking outside the box and consider other useful office products stamped with your company name. Keep in mind it should be something that could stay within the confines of the Buyer’s general work area and be noticed every day.  Pens are okay, but supplier’s names are usually too small on it to be noticed. And pens usually have a habit of disappearing or being lost.  A few times in my career I actually had suppliers provide pens that stopped working after a couple days. That didn’t say much about their company’s technical capabilities!

From the Buyer’s perspective, here are just a few inexpensive items you can hand out that could incorporate your company’s name, items that will be used and noticed on a regular basis by the Buyer:  Calculator, flash-drive, paper weight, tape dispenser, mouse pad, coffee or drink holder (forget coffee cups; they're as bad as calendars), paperclip magnet base, office accessory valet, desk clock, portfolio, business card holder, small dry erase board, cell phone case, etc.  These are great, practical gifts to hand out for a number of reasons. (1) They’re used on a weekly if not daily basis by Buyers. (2) They’re small enough to remain on or around the Buyer’s desk. (3) Most would be at or under a minimal gift dollar value. (4) They’re large enough to incorporate your company’s name. (5) Most important, the majority of your competitors won’t be giving them away!

Check out office gift catalogs on-line for items that can be personalized with your corporate name on it.  Or, simply have professional looking stickers created with your corporate name and logo to place on the item.  Either way you’re sure to make an impression on the Buyer or End-User with a thoughtful gift that won’t be given away or end up in the trash.

Here's the last bit of advice about corporate gift-giving: Don’t forget the Family!  So many Holiday gifts handed out by Sales Professionals only focus on the Buyer. In doing so, they miss out on a great opportunity to make a much bigger splash with someone more important than the Buyer, and someone who has more influence on them than the Buyer’s manager: It’s the Buyer’s Family!  Due to the fact that most Sales Reps give out calendars and golf balls, they overlook a prime market in the Buyer’s own family.  Find out if the Buyer is married or has kids.  If so, present a gift or gift certificate that focuses on the family, i.e. a certificate for a salon treatment, golf driving range, pizza parlor, movie tickets, gift basket, etc.  By giving a promotional Holiday gift to the Buyer’s family you are 'secretly' creating your own ‘sales force’ within the Buyer’s house.  That’s because it will create a memorable impression that the spouse and family will never forget. But most important, they’ll never let the Buyer forget! 

The bottom line from the Buyer’s Desk: When it comes to corporate gift-giving, do something different for your clients and be remembered. Think ‘outside the calendar’ and stand out from your competition. 

Buyers who prefer NOT to receive calendars:  79%.*

Sales Reps who hand out calendars:  92%.*

  * Based on the collective responses of 100’s of diverse Buyers across the Nation. 

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