13 Tips about corporate gifts
1. Price is not always the most important thing.
Why do we say that? Firstly is because a lot of the suppliers will tend to quote you a cheap price to give you a cheap or a lousy quality product. Secondly, a lot of people when they see the price will give them a very price limit and very few creativity. Thirdly, when you pay a cheap product most likely you will get a lousy quality, lousy service, and a lousy product. You would rather purchase a good quality product that would cost a little more and it is long-lasting than a cheap product that will do nothing but give you trouble. The supplier might even close down their business and most likely you won’t get a warranty or after-sales services.
2. Quality is the top requirement.
We should look at the quality when it comes to corporate gifts ideas. How do you know if the product is of good quality? The product must feel good, touch good and use well. We human beings have 5 senses. The 5 senses are Eyes, ears, nose, touch, and smell. The quality of the product must achieve 2 out of 5 senses. Quality is always the 1st impression of your customer as they can see and touch and might even give you feedback on how good or lousy the product is. When the quality of the product is good, it will help you to gain more business opportunities.
3. A logo is critical to your client.
The reason why we say that is because if you don’t put your logo on the product, your customers will assume that you bought it from Taobao, qoo10 or any other online shopping platform. When you put your logo on the product, 85% of your customers who receive your gifts will remember you, your company name and your logo and then they might even do business with you. To have your logo on the product is also important because this is what the company stands and loan for. It can give your customers the first good and last impression of you, the product and your company image.
4. Let your corporate gift supplier recommend you.
There is a difference between a supplier and a consultant. A supplier is when you want to buy something, for example, a pen and then you just buy a pen. A consultant is when they know their work, they know what to recommend you, they know what is right and wrong for you, they know what products are hot selling and what products are not. They know what products are the latest trend and the latest news. It is highly recommended that you tell your corporate gifts supplier of your requirements, your concern, your budget, which products you are interested in and let them recommend you as they know what product is fitted for your event and for your client, the timeline, the production, the boundary and also the deadline that you need to receive the item. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to have any issue when you receive the item.
5. Always ask about the deliverables.
What do I mean by that? Deliverables are the deadline that you need to receive the item. Before you purchase any product, always remember to ask the supplier how many days do they need to do the production. Because the production needs to take for example 3-4 weeks but your event starts about a week from now, it will be too late for you. Also, always at least prepare 3-4 days in advance so that you can baffle, back up and standby for your event. Make sure you plan in case the supplier plays a prank or there is some delay going on. I’m sure you don’t want to face any problem or any issue.
6. Check the production timeline.
First is consultation when you meet the customer and the supplier will liaise with you. Second, is when the supplier gives you a quotation? Third, after that, the supplier will give you artwork for your approval. Forth, the supplier will give you a sample of the product so that you can see and feel the item in real life if you like the product. Fifth, after you approve the artwork and the sample, it will then go for mass production. All of these have their number of days so always check how many days the supplier needs before producing the goods with them. Also, remember to ask them for the deadline first.
7. Check online for the latest trend of the product.
As a client for your event, always know what is the latest trend in the market. It is a good idea to search on google or to read a newspaper to see what is the latest hot trendy product/fashion. Another good tip is to go amazon or any other online retail platform to see what are the most commonly purchased items, trendy products, and the most popular search items in the retail platform. Once you have a brief idea of what item you are planning to get, you can then work from there and see what gift you want for your event or your client.
8. Check your budget and quantity first.
When you do corporate gifts for your event/client, you must make sure you know how many pieces you need. Example: 100 pieces, 200 pieces. Do not contact your supplier or plan before you know how many pieces you need to order. Otherwise, you will make things very difficult for the supplier and yourself and the supplier is unable to quote you. Always know your budget what is the minimum or maximum budget you want to spend for each gift before contacting the supplier. It can be a budget for the total cost, a single product or for a single customer.
9. Know what your customers like.
As a corporate gifts supplier, we have different types of customers. Business management, boss, director. All these are for premium / high-end clients. We also have normal executive, normal customers who attend your event and also a promotional product that is suitable for everybody in the market. You must first have a brief knowledge of your client/customer age, gender, job title so you can work from there. For example, if your customers are ladies in their 40s, it is a good idea to give them bags. You can view some of your bags here. If your customers are business people, it is good to give them premium / good quality products like a leather name card-holder. Always know what they like and what they will normally use daily.
10. Know the culture.
Before you give your client a gift, you have to understand the culture of the customer, the culture of the place or the event that is being held. If you are giving a gift to the Chinese people, they have some certain colors to avoid. For example, during Chinese New Year nobody wears black color clothing and at the funereal nobody wears red color clothing. You also have to know the culture of the country. For example, if the event starts at 7 AM in Japan, you will have to be there by 630am. Punctuality is very important as well for certain events and certain countries. Each country/place/client/nationality have their own culture, own religion and own requirement.
11. Always plan 1 to 2 months before.
When you intend to purchase corporate gifts from a corporate gifts supplier, it is always best to plan at least 1 month. Because you need to seek a lot of approval, you need to do a lot of paperwork and budgeting. You also need to wait for the supplier to get back to you and you need to wait for the production timeline. There are a lot of factors you need to take note of before you plan for your event or your client. The reason being is because you will never know what is going to happen, you can’t foresee the future/event. You also don’t want to have any hiccups or any issues.
12. Remember to ask your supplier for the updates.
When the order is confirmed, it is best to have a habit of asking your supplier every week if there is any new update, what is the status, any update of the production, etc. because this will push the supplier to work harder, try to expedite for your order and the supplier will eventually remember you and your order. It is a good idea to also drop an email to your supplier and your client as a sense of professionalism and responsibility. This way, the supplier and the client won’t miss out on anything and it is a double layer of safety net.
13. Ask about the warranty coverage.
Every product has its lifespan. How long can the product last, what would be the first issue and first defect when the first problem of the product occurs? It is ideal to always check with the supplier how long does the warranty cover for the product. For example, if the product is a t-shirt like a round-neck-shirt there is no need for a warranty. If the product is an electronic gadget something like charging-cables please seek for at least 6 months of the warranty coverage. Especially if it is food, please check the expiry date as well to prevent any misfortune news. You can also request to extend your warranty coverage if you want to.