No more gift baskets for your customers

It's that time again. The end of the year is approaching and so does the question on how to reward your customers for their business loyalty. What gifts to choose?What if you choose something which would hurt you in the eyes of our custom

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ers?

First of all, remember that the purpose of the gifts is to thank your customers. The purpose of the gift is not to force them to buy other products from your portfolio or to get rid of the promotional items laying around in your storerooms.

If you want to know what you should never give your customers, read the following list of the worst gifts for customers which was recently published on Inc.com. Be honest and answer the question of how many of these gifts you have already given your clients.

Bottles of wine with your company's logo

This gift is really out of fashion. What can your customers do with all those bottles they cannot give as a gift to someone else? When giving a bottle of wine with your logo, you look cheap and uncreative.

Pens and other office supplies with your company's logo

When something is for free, it does not make a suitable gift. These are your promotional tools, not gifts. You will do better giving them to your employees to use at work.

Special offers

"We wish you a Merry Christmas and enclosed is a voucher for a special discount on all purchases over 1,000 dollars ... " Do you really think this is a gift? It is rather a way to get rid of your customers very quickly.

Lottery tickets

Another obviously inexpensive gift that shows that you, in fact, do not care about your customers. It is the same as if you said, "Merry Christmas, but you will not win anything."

Gift baskets

Have you ever seen anyone who is really pleased with a wicker basket full of strange foods, such as colourful vegetables in a pickle? There you go.

Clothing

Do not give T-shirts or other clothing with your logo. In addition, eliminate any clothing with a "universal size" - a size suitable for someone who does not really exist.

What's the worst gift you have ever received as a customer? And as an employee?

Find inspiration for suitable gifts for employees and colleagues in our previous article Gifts in the workplace? Yes, but with caution.

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Article source Inc.com - a U.S. magazine and web focused on starting businesses
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