Promotional Gift Items

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Avoid gift giving blunders

Like giving any gift, giving a promotional gift item is filled with potential blunders and faux pas. There’s a certain protocol to gift giving and failing to observe this can sour and threaten business relationships. To help you out, below we’ve outlined a few of the basic things you need to consider when giving a promotional gift item.

The number one consideration is of the customs and traditions of the recipient’s culture. Giving a Muslim pork or something made from pork skin will cause offence as pigs are considered unclean. Similarly, Hindus believe the cow is sacred so don’t give them anything made from cowhide. If you want to be certain your gift doesn’t violate any dietary laws, stick to something simple like a fruit basket.

When giving gifts to international clients, be sure to present something that represents your culture. Certainly ensure you’re not giving a gift that is actually made in their home country. For example, presenting a Japanese client with the latest Toshiba personal organizer might be a little lacking in imagination.

The purpose of giving a promotional gift item is to keep your company in the forefront of the client’s mind. The logo you imprint on the gift needs to be large enough to be noticed but small enough so as not to impinge on the purpose of the gift or seem like blatant advertising. An item with a small logo is more likely to be used and displayed than a gift where the logo is too prominent.

Think carefully about when you give the gift. The holiday season is a popular time to reward hard work and thank clients for their loyalty. It’s also common to give gifts after a deal has been completed. Giving gifts outside of these times may be considered a bribe and should be avoided. Find out the gift policy of the recipient. Some companies forbid the receipt of gifts over a certain amount.

If you order a gift online or send a gift by mail, ensure you purchase something durable that won’t break in the post. Receiving a broken gift will not give the recipient the desired impression. Sending a card accompanying the gift is a nice personal touch. Making sure you spell the recipient’s name correctly sound like common sense but its surprising how many people make such a basic, foolish error.