Although it may feel like giving business gifts is a good idea ? and usually it is ? there are several things to be aware of to ensure that your gift giving doesn't turn into a big problem. The reason companies do business gifting or corporate gifting is because they want to thank a loyal customer for their patronage or they want to say thank you to a customer who has spent much money with them. Both reasons are appropriate but, before you buy business gifts read through this article to discover some of the traps you might find yourself in after you deliver the business gift.
One area to be sure to take into consideration is when you are buying and giving business gifts to members of the opposite sex. There is always the chance that if you choose inappropriately the message you send can be taken the wrong way or be misinterpreted and this is NOT what you want a business gift to convey. Stay clear of any kind of business gift that could be interpreted as intimate.
Another business gift faux pas is to send a group gift when the group do not know each other. This can happen when the company you are working with has many employees and you deal with several of them through your business. If all of the people you work with are in the same location, this is fine. If they are not, do not send to just one of them and expect that employee to get part of the gift to the others. This is a sure way to hurt feelings and maybe damage business relationships.
If you are having your business gifts personalized with each person's name on the business gift, take extra time to be sure the name is spelled correctly when you send the order and then take time again, to be sure when you receive the order that the names were spelled correctly. A little time checking can save a lot of embarrassment and make your business gift special to your clients.

If you have clients from other countries, it is vital that you understand the customs of gift giving and receiving etiquette in their particular countries. Although people are forgiving and understanding about other cultures, you do not want your gift to be an embarrassment and require an apology. But, if you do make a cultural fax pas, fix it immediately by a call, e-mail or whatever is appropriate. Another thing to be sure you understand is whether or not your customers in other countries will have to pay a duty or tax on the business gift you give them. If you discover they will, work out a way to send a gift that you buy locally in their country.

Because the whole idea of business gifts is to build a relationship or keep a relationship strong, it is not a good idea to send a food product or products that the customer is allergic to or has an illness which precludes them from eating the items in the gift (diabetes, celiac sprue etc.).
No one has been in business very long before they learn that administrative assistants help you reach your clients and get business done. So, when gift giving, remember assistants.
If you take the time to read through this list of things to ensure your business gift giving is appropriate, you will score every time when you send a business gift to a client or customer.