Here's everything you need to know about giving business holiday gifts!

1. 2019 BUSINESS HOLIDAY
GIFT GIVING GUIDE

2. Everyone loves to receive gifts! Gifting token items to
your best customers and preferred vendors is a great
way to highlight your business’s identity and values. It
reflects a level of generosity and implies that you care
about individual relationships…
Your small act of kindness has major implications on
your brand perception, the likelihood of repeat
business, and increased referrals.
Julie Chomiak, “Gifts Welcome: How Client Gift Giving Is Good For Business,” Business2Community
Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel 2

3. As the holiday season approaches,
are you faced with this dilemma:
“What do we do for gifts
this year?”
3

4. If gift-giving decisions produce anxiety or
procrastination, it doesn’t have to be that
way. Really!
“If you start planning now, you can head off
the holiday stress before it happens. A little
bit of advance planning can also save you
money and give you more time to focus on
your business during the holidays.”
Rieva Lesonsky, QuickBooks Resource Center
Let’s make this easier for you!
3

5. WHY GIVE BUSINESS
HOLIDAY GIFTS?
4
(The business case…)

6. 1.
TO DEMONSTRATE
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION
5

7. Customers* who feel
appreciated and valued tend
to stick around, increase their
purchasing or loyalty, and
recommend your business or
organization to others.
When you continue to
provide exceptional service,
and what you offer brings
value, they won’t have
reasons to leave.
*Customers include anyone your
business/organization serves including clients,
consumers, members, donors, volunteers, etc.
6Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel

8. The holiday season is an
excellent time to show your
appreciation to customers in
a more meaningful way.
7Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel

9. 2.
TO DEMONSTRATE
EMPLOYEE
APPRECIATION
8

10. As with external customers,
your organization would not
exist without its internal
customers: employees.
“94% of people surveyed said
that receiving a gift from their
employer made them feel
appreciated, happy and valued
– meaning it’s a great way to
reward all the hard work they’ve
done.”
Instantprint survey, 2018
Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel 9

11. 3.
TO DEMONSTRATE
SEASONAL SPIRIT
10

12. 11
When your workplace is festive and exudes holiday spirit, it creates a
warm and inviting environment for your customers and employees.
Try to be inclusive and recognize that there are several religious and
secular holidays from October through January.
Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel

13. 12Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel

14. 13
4.
TO KEEP YOUR
FRONT AND CENTER

15. 14
Giving holiday gifts keeps your
brand top of mind with
customers, prospects, lapsed
customers, and vendors. The
more they see and hear about
your organization, the greater
the chance they’ll remember it
when it’s time to make a
purchase or respond to
a call to action.
Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel

16. The holiday season is busy with
parties, decorations, and uplifted
spirits. Even though your customers
will likely receive other business-
related gifts and greeting cards, you
certainly don’t want your organization
to stand out as one that didn’t send
anything!
15

17. Past surveys of corporate gift givers
and recipients by the Promotional
Products Association International
(PPAI), discovered that organizations
that gave holiday gifts were twice as
likely to increase their chances of
being contacted by recipients as
those that didn’t have a gift program.
16Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel

18. 5.
TO REDUCE YOUR
TAX LIABILITY 17

19. 18
Saving on taxes shouldn’t be the main reason you give out
holiday gifts, but it’s surely beneficial!
Always keep receipts and consult a tax professional
in your country about client gift rules.

20. 19
One thing to note…
Check with your tax consultant if gift cards and gift certificates are
considered taxable income to recipients. Although the cost of the gift
card is fully deductible to your business/organization, you may have
to withhold taxes from employees’ salary if you give these as gifts.
Source: Freshbooks
Wouldn’t it be better to give
gifts that people can use
without burdening them
with taxes?

21. SO, WHERE
DO YOU
START?
20

22. 21Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel
1.
WRITE A
HOLIDAY GIFT PLAN

23. Keep it brief and easy by
including the following:
Your overall budget
A recipient list
Distribution details:
Mail? In person?
Shipping?
Drop dates: for
shipping, mailing,
giving in person
Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel 22

24. For B2C customers:
You can give useful, inexpensive
items when they check out, OR place
them inside shipping packages.
For frequent or high-value
customers, you may decide to give
something more substantial.
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You can develop gift categories for different groups of customers.

25. For B2B customers:
You can segregate customers in a variety of ways: by sales
volume, geography, relationship, future sales potential,
product or service line, etc. You can then decide how
much to spend for each group.
Budget group examples:
1 $50-75 3 $10-25
2 $25-50 4 Token gift, less than $3
Name Company Address City ST/PROV Zip/PC Country Mail/Ship/
In Person
Drop
Date
Budget
Group
James Rodriguez Daniels
Distributing
123 Main St.
#440
Anytown OH 12345 USA M 12-12 3
Hélène Benoit Benoit
Beverages
123 rue
principale
#23
Anytown QC G1A 1C5 Canada S 12-2 1
24Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel

26. 2.
SELECT YOUR HOLIDAY GIFTS
25Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel

27. Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel
Things to consider:
Be sensitive to others’ religious beliefs and cultures.
Not everyone celebrates Christmas.
Don’t get too personal with your gift choices.
Anything someone’s “significant other”
would buy is probably inappropriate as
a business gift.
Recipients from the same place of
business will compare gifts if you give
something different to each one. Either
buy one larger group gift or the same
item for each of them.
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28. Consider practical gifts that people will
use.
Unless you know your recipients well,
some experts suggest avoiding
alcoholic gifts in case some people are
in addiction recovery or are
teetotalers. Consider non-alcoholic
wines.
27Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel

29. Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel
Avoid buying cheaply-made items that can break or
malfunction easily. These will leave a bad brand
impression and likely end up in the trash.
Check for gift-giving policies. Some
companies/organizations may have
gift value limits or may discourage
gifts altogether.
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30. WHY CHOOSE
BRANDED GIFTS?
your logo here

31. Branded gifts (ad specialties
or promotional products) build
brand recognition and team
spirit and deliver your
message for far longer than
other forms of advertising.
They remain less expensive
per impression than most
other forms of advertising.
Recipients have a more
favorable impression of your
organization!
Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel 302018 PPAI Promotional Products Fact Sheet

32. As advertising vehicles,
promo products are
more effective than
broadcast, online,
print, and mobile in
getting people to take
action.
31

33. There are tens of thousands of promotional product
options in all price ranges.
You can use extra promo items during the year for many
purposes, including:
Brand Recognition
Brand/Product Awareness
Corporate Identity
Public Relations and Goodwill
Customer Retention and Appreciation
Generate Sales & Referrals
Employee Communications and Recognition
New Product Introduction
Motivate Behaviors and Incentive Programs
New Customer Acquisition
PPAI Buyer Behavior study, Top 10 Uses of Promotional Products 32

34. 33
WHICH PRODUCTS
SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Check out our holiday gift catalogs for ideas!

35. SO, WHAT
NOW?

36. 41
Trying to source the “right”
business holiday gifts on your own
can be a daunting task, especially
when you have regular work on
your plate. Plus, there are so many
online sites. How do you know
which ones are credible?
Did you know that many online
promotional product retailers don’t
offer consultation and advice?

37. 42Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel

38. 42Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel
We’re here to help you through the maze of holiday gift
options. We’ll give you amazing customer service, search
for creative ideas and products, and check for available
specials and discounts before we research regular-priced
items.
Discover how we can make your life easier during the
holiday season. Read what our clients have said about us
and then contact Allen Fogel at: promos@solutionsmc.net
or 602-380-7230 (MST).
We are marketers and promotional product distributors that ship across the continental USA.

39. One more thing…
We can custom design your
holiday cards with your
choice of image, logo and
message, for less cost than
you’d imagine!
43Business Holiday Gift Giving Guide by Elaine Fogel
Call us for a quote. 602-380-7230.

40. THANK YOU!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!