The practice of giving business gifts is an age-old method of strengthening business relationships and showing your appreciation for clients and staff. When should you give out such items? Check out these guidelines for choosing the right occasions to give business gifts.

Professional Events

There is a wide variety of professional occasions on which you can commemorate the event by giving business gifts. You can thank valued long-time clients for a large order or contract, or give a gift to a new client you've begun working with. Giving business gifts to staff will boost their morale and productivity, and make them feel like valued members of your company team. Give a business gift to an employee who has been promoted, or reward a member of staff who has secured an important client or has a consistently high sales record. Incentive gifts for employees is also a great option?create a reward scheme for employees that offers a prize for the top employee in your sales division, for example, or reward each employee who reaches a certain goal within a specified time frame.

Company anniversaries are also a great time to distribute business gifts?not just your own, but your business associates, too. When your clients? companies celebrate their own five or ten year anniversary, for example, acknowledge the occasion by sending business gifts to your contacts in the company.

Seasonal Gifts

The holidays are the perfect time to impress clients and show your appreciation to staff by giving business gifts. Christmas and the New Year holiday period are the traditional times to give gifts, but you can also include other holidays if you wish, and choose gifts that are in keeping with the theme of the holiday. When giving holiday gifts at Christmas, remember to make sure the gifts and any messages or greeting cards you include are non-denominational, so that they are appropriate for people of all religions.

Personal Events

Personal events in the lives of your employees and business associates are a great time to give business gifts. The recipients of your gifts will be very appreciative of your thoughtfulness in remembering personal events such as wedding anniversaries, or the birth of a new baby, for example. The retirement of an employee is another great occasion to show your appreciation of a long-time member of staff.

The Art of Gift-giving

Choosing what gifts to give is another important consideration. A good rule of thumb is to give work-related items for professional events, and more personal items for personal events. However, like all general rules, there are exceptions. An employee incentive program, for example, should not necessarily reward employees with work-oriented items.

Make your gifts count by packaging them attractively?presentation is an important concept in gift-giving, and your gifts will be more valued and appreciated if they're presented in a way that shows you've put some thought and care into the matter. Adding a hand-written note is another great touch that makes even the most mundane gift a more personal one.