Giving gifts is about the thrill the person receiving them gets, as well as the pleasure of getting it right. While December is the biggest gift-giving month of the year around the world, there are endless reasons to give gifts throughout the year: personal gifts for birthdays, weddings, graduations, and holidays, as well as business gifts to say thank you for a job well done, congratulations on a promotion, or I'm sorry for not performing as expected. Our favorite gifts are the ones that allow us to express emotion and make us feel special; they are personal expressions of our feelings for each other. Personal gift giving Traditionally Australians give gifts to their family and close friends. For the receiver the thought that goes into a gift is important. For the giver, the message conveyed with the gift is important, as well as budgetary constraints. Tips for personal gift giving: " Give gifts that will make the recipient feel special. " Thoughtful gifts that take into account the preferences of the receiver are always the most well received. " Your gift does not have to be large or expensive. For example if someone really loves coffee, a small bag of premium coffee beans and a small packet of biscuits would be well received. " Shopping online can give you more time to find the right gift within your budgetary constraints, where the gift ideas are often already segmented into your dollar amount. " Present your gift with style. After you have carefully chosen the gift, presentation is important. Gifts beautifully wrapped and presented enhance the pleasure of receiving. " Include a personally worded card or note. Corporate Gift Giving in Australia: Gift giving in Australia is rarely expected and traditionally, Australians give gifts primarily to family and close friends. However, in the corporate arena, gift giving is becoming more popular. We give them to promote goodwill, to demonstrate gratitude and to continue good relationships. We give gifts when we close a deal to show good faith and to demonstrate happiness that the arduous process has ended. We give gifts to demonstrate good will on an ongoing basis. We also give gifts to celebrate a windfall. In addition, personal occasions within the office such as birthdays and marriage, as well as retirement and long service leave, are often cause for office celebrations. At such functions, a combined gift from all colleagues, or individual gifts from those who work closely with the recipient, are a sure sign of goodwill and morale. While gift giving is a nice gesture, it is important to avoid gifts that will be perceived as bribes. Small individual gifts such as pens, business diaries, and mementos with company logos are common. However, increasingly corporate Australia is shopping on line to send gifts as an expression of thanks, congratulations and to promote good relations with clients and colleagues. Tips for corporate gift giving: " Be discerning about promotional gift items, they're not always appropriate. " While giving gifts can be an effective way to market, don't turn your gifts into obvious marketing ploys. There's no need to embellish your gifts with a bold presentation of your company logo, which can make them seem more of a company give-away than a gift. If you must include your logo, keep it small and subtle, or use it on the packaging, not the gift " Remember that gifts to employees and coworkers are just as important as gifts to clients. " Flowers and quality food and wine hampers are traditional tokens of thanks that never go out of style " Be aware of company policies on gift receiving |
