What gives?

The external stakeholders may include existing and potential clients. The provision of gifts to such clients requires the gift giver to take a number of areas into consideration, including:

• The reason for giving the gift;

• The nature of the relationship with the client;

• The budget allocated to the procurement of the corporate gift;

• Is it a potential client or existing client?

• Are there any special considerations to take into account in the procurement of the gift? This includes the client’s religious beliefs, customs, background, and any other consideration that may add to the distract from the value of the gift;

• What is the ‘gift policy’ of the person or organization receiving the gift? Many organizations, have existing gift giving and receiving policies that present stated guidelines in terms of the nature of the gift, cost prohibitions, and other areas for consideration. Such policies also exist internationally, and adequate research must be undertaken prior to undertaking same. For example, in some countries, like Singapore, government employees are strictly forbidden to accept corporate gifts. Essentially, the important element is to research the country and customs before procuring and presenting a corporate gift.

• If giving the gift to an International client, more detailed research and planning needs to be undertaken. It is important to understand the cultural background, customs and traditions of the corporate client, so that you do not create unintentional offense. Understanding International taboos related to gift giving is a useful place to start off your research. For example, if you are presenting a gift to a potential client from China, a clock should not be presented as in Mandarin Chinese, the word for clock is “zhong”. The pronunciation is the same as another Chinese word, written differently, that can mean death or the end or finish of something or to ‘arrange for the burial of deceased parents or an elder.’ Other items that are associated with funerals are: straw sandals, white candles and joss sticks (incense). Avoid these gifts if possible. Similarly, in some Latin American Countries, giving a gift that looks like a knife, should not be offered as it may be considered as ‘severing the relationship’.

• The use of corporate logos is an essential consideration with the presentation of the corporate gift. It is advisable to use the corporate brand with discretion, as the brand is an extension of the organization and should be treated with a level of discernment, as such, logo gifts should be of good quality and standard. This ties in to the reason for giving the gift, as you would not wish for your gift to be construed as merely an extension of a corporate advertisement.

• When receiving a gift, one should always attempt to accept the gift gracefully, with both hands, if the presenter of the gift is before you. If you have received the gift by delivery, it is a good gesture to call to confirm the receipt of the gift, and to thank the sender. It is important that you also understand your own corporate guidelines pertaining to gift giving and receiving to guide your management of the process. If the gift received is beyond the organization’s code for acceptance, it is your responsibility to refuse the gift graciously with an attendant note as to why the gift may not be accepted.

Nicole Dyer Griffith is trained and certified with the European School of Protocol, and can be contacted at 221- 0199 or ndgccmarketing@outlook.com.