Whenever I turn the calendar page to August, a chill runs up my spine. Although we’re three months shy of the busiest gifting season of the year—Thanksgiving through New Year’s—a detailed mental image of me standing in a well-respected supplier’s office continues to haunt me. I instinctively flinch, recalling the day I learned one of the earliest lessons as I began helping clients with their holiday recognition moments. The supplier, with whom I still do business, glared at me as he pronounced, “Those who start to work on holiday gifts after Labor Day are late.” It was a watershed moment that left a lasting impression, one that I willingly share with new clients.

Over the years, we’ve encountered a variety of gift-related emergencies that you might relate to, including a lack of inspiration and time to find the perfect way to let the people who matter most to your business feel like they matter. It is truly a taxing process that further taxes those who are already overtaxed with responsibilities integral to their core business.

Brainstorming ideas that support business objectives and align with a brand are tasks outside the lane they were hired for. Plus, the search for ways to incorporate wit, humor, relevance, and meaningfulness can be downright exhausting, leaving one sapped of the energy to perform their core responsibilities.

Presentation and Packaging and Promotion, Oh My
Selecting the perfect gift and getting it over the finish line to elicit real impact is part art and part science. Aside from being a difficult task, it can feel like a land mine wrought with pressure-laden questions and doubts:

• How do you know when a group gift is appropriate? After all, you don’t want a gift basket to land in a breakroom where no one knows who sent it and the contents are barely eaten.
• Should higher-value clients receive a more expensive gift?
• Who in the client organization should we gift?
• How can we settle on a gift that resonates with clients?
• What if the recipient’s company policy limits gifts?
• Should we consider gifting at a less “crowded” time that could mesh with our mission?
• Does imprinting a logo make the gift too promotional?
• How should the gift be packaged and presented?

Successful Giftings Future
Make gift planning easier, more efficient, and cost-effective, and ensure a successful recipient experience when you thoughtfully plan. We use the timeline below to stay on track and minimize stress. The benefits that follow make planning worthwhile.

 

Minimize risk with details and cross-checks that further ensure accuracy.

• Decrease overlap and waste with organized actions that avoid aimless activities, duplicated effort, and limit confusion. In other words, using available resources most efficiently and effectively.
• Increase opportunity for distinctive ideas with an ample timeline that allows for creative, collaborative ideating and avoiding shortcuts that derail intended results. Would a same-old, vanilla or an authentic, wow recipient experience make you feel like you matter?
• Make sound decisions based on assessing gift options, reviewing budgets, analyzing recipient lists (more about that below), and creating recipient tiers.
• Ensure accurate quantities to avoid storing leftovers that never seem to get used, or worse, having to make a last-minute dash to make up a deficit with less-than-desirable items.
• Prepare for potential hiccups. Current market conditions (such as shortages and tariffs), supply-chain inconsistencies, and staffing issues require sharper planning than ever. Timely decisions help guard against the disappointment of out-of-stock products, price increases, or delayed delivery due to slower production processing or shipping delays.

Recipients Own Meaningful
What’s meaningful to your team doesn’t count for much when it comes to gifting. A gift that lacks meaning to the recipient can translate into feelings like “This company doesn’t know me,” or “I don’t matter.”

Of course, it’s too challenging and expensive to order a different gift for each person on your entire recognition list. Still, you can evaluate and group recipients by commonalities and the value they provide your company to help you decide which gift from those you plan to source goes to who.

Here’s where a CRM system that captures information from all client-facing personnel, such as business analysts, sales, business development, and customer service people, is gifting gold. Some thoughts about searching data:

• Client company’s gift policy
• Hobbies and interests include reading, cooking, playing sports, and listening to music.
• Values and beliefs such as social justice, environmentalism, spirituality.
• Favorite books, music, TV shows, and movies open up possibilities.
• Ways to relax and recreate.
• Personality, personal style—maximalist, minimalist, sentimental, practical, indulgent.
• Cultural or religious traditions.
• Professional work needs, i.e., in the field, at a desk, or travel.
• Favorite, preferred colors.
• Personal challenges such as dietary restrictions, allergies, mobility issues, etc.

Curating a Wow-Worthy Gift Selection
Selecting products can feel overwhelming with a world of choices. Here are some questions to ask as you evaluate possibilities:

• Do the products you are thinking of align with your company—its ethics, values, and promises to your stakeholders (employees, clients, etc.)?
• Does the product quality support the reputation you have built for your company? Think of your end-user’s brand experience with the product as a good investment that will pay off.
• Is the product high functioning, solving daily challenges, or something that people will interact with often?
• Is the product creative and interesting enough to spark dialogue and share on social media, extending brand awareness?
• Does the product humanize your company, making it a “brand ambassador”? Messaging and packaging help.
• Does the product incorporate a current trend to enhance its value to the recipient and position your brand in a highly favorable light?
  • Sustainability (environmental, social): Products made from repurposed/upcycled materials save landfill space; manufactured closer to home, lower carbon footprint; manufactured with disadvantaged labor provides meaningful work to those with disabilities; manufactured by a certified B Corp to create positive global progress, balancing purpose alongside profits.
  • Highly customized and/or personalized products: fully branded apparel, customized socks, plants, yoga mats, and more; a completely custom jacket, including material colors and zipper colors.
  • Themed package using local artists, artisan foods, and hand-crafted products; customized platter with locally sourced pancake mix and maple syrup; demonstrates community support.

Balancing the Budget
Inevitably, gifting must occur within an established budget. We advise clients to tier clients around the value they provide in terms of their business relationship and assign pieces of their budget to each tier. Then identify so many gifts within each tier that clients would find meaningful.

If gift planning puts you in a tizzy, don’t panic. Whether you’ve got 75, 500 or 1,000 people who matter to your business, an outside resource can help—from creative ideas to sourcing, packaging, and presentation. Call the gift ghostbusters at Hillary’s and let’s start a conversation.

Call 800-742-6800 or email us today. For more information and tips for engaging your stakeholders, sign up for our monthly newsletter at askhillarys.com (bottom right corner of the page).
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