Business Compliments - the New Corporate Gift
Corporate Gift Giving comes in many forms. For a very long time, companies thanked their clients with gifts that ranged from a fruit basket to flowers to wine to more extravagant and pricey items. Post Pandemic, we are seeing the gift of a compliment, the written word, becoming more and more the norm.
Many firms have a gift limit that you can spend or receive. Often, particularly in government related entities, that amount is nominal around $20. It is why promotional items displaying their brand, such as mouse pads, pens, flashlights, and key chains are often common gifts of gratitude and thanks for choosing that company for your business. They make an impression while help marketing your brand and are not seen as over the top or inappropriate gifts of gratitude.
However, the gift of a compliment can also achieve that same goal and comes without a dollar cost. It is a gift all firms love to receive and one all can give, regardless of marketing budget.
Recently, a Facebook acquaintance who runs a local not for profit animal rescue, sent me a message. It said ‘While I am not any longer a business owner, I love your "Making a Point" blog.’ This mesage was unexpected and made my day. Its show of support for my Blog gave me great encouragement knowing the Blogs were meaningful to a reader and well received by someone not necessarily in the target audience of the Blogs. What greater compliment could there be? It likely did not take long to compose and send but the kindness of that act, so unexpected, will stay with me for quite some time! Certainly longer than the ink in a pen or the battery in a flashlight!
Whether you choose to send a simple note or provide a social media post or review, please consider giving the gift of a compliment to the many businesses you work with daily. Other than your time, it is of no monetary cost to you and the impact on the receiver can likely be priceless, as in my example above.
While taking a client to an event or sending them physical gifts of gratitude may be appropriate for certain clients, a spoken compliment, a written compliment, a social media review, may not only make their day but provide support and encouragement for them to continue doing what they do best.
If we could all provide one spoken or written compliment a day to the various businesses we encounter, the world would surely be a truly kinder place.
Be well.
