Corporate Gift Giving-Timing

Always keep in mind the difference between appropriate and excessive corporate gift giving.  For example an important client or valued employee should not receive a gift just because their son or daughter hit a home run in their last baseball game. There must be a really good reason, that doesn’t seem gratuitous.  Furthermore, do not give a corporate gift to a client during any sort of competitive bidding process – doing this may cheapen what may have otherwise been good intentions.
A positive reaction to a corporate gift can largely be attributed to the timing upon which it’s received:

Holiday seasons are good, but they’re not always best – A large amount of corporate gift exchanging takes place during the holiday season – why have yours get lost in the mix? Pick a different holiday not normally known for gift giving and send a uniquely timed token of your appreciation.

Choose to give a corporate gift based solely only on achievements – Decide what constitutes an achievement – big sale, anniversary, birthday, etc. – and reward the individual or group for their milestone.

Make it a personal reflection of your professional relationship – If you are aware of a special date or personal achievement for a valued client or important employee, use it to your advantage and celebrate with them on a level more personal than your day-to-day professional exchanges.

Selecting when to give a corporate gift is really no different than choosing the date to start a marketing campaign; in both cases, what it really comes down to is that timing is everything.