Title: Increase Your Customer Loyalty The Easy Way Word Count: 1057 Summary: People may assume that corporate gift giving is only performed by the big corporations who make millions of dollars every year. Yes, it is true that most large businesses do make sure to give a lot of perks and accolades to their business partners and their clients in order to keep their business. The practice is a valuable one, but not one that should be limited to billion dollar companies. No matter what size your business is it is a good practice to keep your business i... Keywords: corporate gifts, corporate gift baskets Article Body: People may assume that corporate gift giving is only performed by the big corporations who make millions of dollars every year. Yes, it is true that most large businesses do make sure to give a lot of perks and accolades to their business partners and their clients in order to keep their business. The practice is a valuable one, but not one that should be limited to billion dollar companies. No matter what size your business is it is a good practice to keep your business in the minds of your clients and other business associates. Corporate gift baskets are one of the most popular ways of showing appreciation to the people who have contributed to your company’s success. Corporate gift baskets are tastefully decorated baskets or containers that hold a selection of different types of food items or other gifts. They can be large and elaborate, but don’t think that all of them are in that range. There are many tasteful and yet smaller gift baskets that are reasonably priced. These gifts will still accomplish their goal of making a good impression on your best and even future clients. Most commonly, these gifts are given to clients near the end of the year around the holidays. It lets them know how much you appreciated their business the last year and how much you are looking forward to working with them again in the coming new year. The best gift basket to give a business associate is one that includes a tasteful container and is filled with a variety of foods or items that are grouped together. For instance, a high quality basket that has a gourmet selection of chocolate truffles, fresh fruit and other assorted desserts and pastries can be quite reasonable and make a big impression on them. Always be sure to include your company name and logo throughout the basket. Corporate gift baskets are also a very effective way to keep morale high in your own company or department. Gift baskets are great to present to an employee as a statement of Kudos, or a job well done when they went over and above to complete a project on time and under budget. They also make wonderful congratulatory gifts when someone in the office earns a promotion. Another huge dilemma that corporate gift baskets solve is what to get the boss for his or her birthday or for Christmas. A beautiful array of gifts can be chipped in and purchased by everyone. So, you see it really doesn’t matter if you are working for a national corporation or a four person insurance office; choosing a gift basket can be a pleasant solution for many situations. Plus, the are readily available with hundreds of websites that specialize in gift baskets for any occasion. Some sites concentrate on corporate gift baskets exclusively and they can offer a large variety and a wide choice in prices. Many of these corporate gift baskets have containers or foundations that are like works of art that can be used as a focal point in an office, which means the clients that you give these to will have a reminder of you every time they look at it. Because of this, be sure to have your name and company name on the basket or container. Many sites realize that corporate gift giving has more serious ramifications than a birthday gift to your sister-in-law. Business can be lost based on inappropriate behavior or gifts. Most gift companies take extra care in finding the most tasteful items of the highest quality to pack in their baskets. They also try to create gifts that don’t simply get thrown away when all of the treats have been passed out and eaten. They realize that this gift represents business and money to your company and they strive to create a product that packs quite a complimentary punch. Investigate some of the gift basket sites for yourself and see if you don’t agree that this is a practice that you can’t afford not to. And then consider your office morale and how it could be improved with a little TLC from the boss or supervisor. Some companies buy one every month and “raffle” it off. Not with money, but employees earn tickets for the monthly drawing every time they excel at a project or save the company money or do anything that puts the business in a good light. No matter what size your business is, it can definitely benefit from a plan such as this. This type of corporate gift giving can be beneficial even if you are a salesperson who mainly works on your own. You have a client list and your commissions may rely on repeat business. There aren’t many salespeople who are in a business that has no competition. There are many other companies and sales people who are all vying to take your customers and make them their own. Sometimes, it is that one person who adds the personal touch, who remembers birthdays and anniversaries and who gives a lovely gift once or twice a year who will keep their customers for life. Plan on being one of those salespeople. If your business is so small and the profits just aren’t large enough yet to afford this, you may still be able to. Consider putting together your own gift baskets. View the types of corporate baskets that are available online and gather information from their gifts. Keep an eye out during the year for sales at arts and crafts stores. Many hold yearly sales on all of their wicker baskets and decorative vases, urns and other gorgeous foundations for your gift basket. Take advantage of buying your chocolates, coffees, teas and other treats in bulk either online or at membership warehouse stores. Doing it this way, especially if you plan ahead, you can save a lot of the cost and still have a beautiful arrangement that will wow your clients and business associates. Corporate gift baskets are appropriate for any sized business and you may find that the extra good will that is created may be too hard to ever live without. Give the practice a try and see if you don’t see an increase in your client loyalty and the bottom line.