Corporate Gift Baskets: Going Beyond Business

In the world of business, all is not business, especially during such special events like holidays. After all, what is business if not an environment composed of organizational entities which are, in turn, composed of individuals holding various ranks? And because individuals make up business, it makes for good business to “appeal” to the human side of business, and one of the best strategies is gift-giving. In order to maintain the professionalism of the relationship while trying to achieve closer personal ties, corporate gift baskets are an ideal solution.  

So, what criteria should you use for selecting who gets the goods? Ideally, recipients are those in the corporate organization who have a direct or indirect yet discernible influence over business-related activities between the giving and receiving entities. These include the gatekeepers, influencers, buyers, recommenders, decision makers, and end-users. The value of the corporate gift to be given will be dependent on the position of the aforementioned influencers. A gatekeeper will almost always certainly get corporate gift baskets with lower dollar values than those for the decision makers. 

What should a corporate gift basket contain? This really depends on how well the recipient is known. The sad fact is that the recipients are not really that well known to the gift giver so that the tendency is to just have standard gift, with the value based on rank of the recipient. As a result, the gesture takes on an impersonal air and fails to achieve the result of developing a stronger relationship. 

Surefire corporate gift baskets are those that contain food or beverages. The reason for the popularity of food is simple: The quickest way to a corporate client’s heart is through his stomach. Hence, a filled stomach is a happy stomach, and a happy stomach makes for easier conversations and business discussions in the future. Also, because of the perishable nature of food, it will invariably be consumed during the event for which it was given in the first place, thereby ensuring strong recall on the side of the recipient. Gourmet fruit, wine, cheeses, gourmet cookies, chocolates, etc. are favorite contents of these types of gift items. 

Corporate gift baskets should always bear the brand marks (i.e., logo and/or company name) of the giver. The reason for this is obvious. Corporate gift baskets are easily justified on the basis of their effectiveness as a medium of advertising. These are, therefore, given to establish top-of-mind brand recognition. It is also important to highlight the fact that the real giver is the company and not the employee. That way, the “rapport” built is both at the corporate as well as the personal level. 

There are many reasons to give corporate gift baskets, but the most important one is to establish an edge over your competition. Providing a memorable gift can aid in building that key relationship which can help differentiate your company where the industry is super competitive. For sure, business will go on without these holiday perks. After all, there is no company will do business with you just because of a nice gift. It is, however, valuable because it establishes a bond between giver and recipient. As long as the gift is in line each company’s values and culture, it will invariably allow you to conduct business with less formality and protocol. In other words, it puts business within the context of personal relationships.