B2B christmas gifts - navigating the minefield

When it comes to choosing the annual Christmas gifts for customers, channel partners and potential customers things seem to be getting more and more complicated.

How do you find a gift that resonates with your brand? Is there a correlation between what you stand for and what you are sending out? As much fun as novelty desk toys can be they don't reinforce the message of quality and high performance or the market leader image you've been building up. Likewise the standard company diaries and 2009 calendars don't really say innovative, edgy and thought leader do they?

A well thought out Xmas gift was recently sent out by a construction company who has been doing lots of regeneration works and to tie in with this and over achieving in meeting their carbon footprint targets they decided to send out saplings to each of their employees, customers and partners. This sat nicely with their message that everyone connected to the organisation can do their bit to improve their carbon footprint, get greener and improve the local social environment.

Not all companies get it quite as right. Receiving chocolates (which had obviously been ordered well in advance of the Christmas rush) that had passed their sell by date really makes a company stick in my mind for the wrong reasons. As does the entire team receiving a gift from one particular supplier apart from the person who actually processes the payments - how to ensure you are always last on the payment run!

So what are your options? What should you consider?

Before looking through the endless promotions and incentive catalogues decide what the point of sending the Christmas gift is. Ask yourself a few questions...Why are you sending gifts - to raise awareness, as an incentive, just to spread christmas cheer? What are the most important aspects of your brand and does your choice of present reinforce (rather than contradict) your brand values?

Other things to consider include;

• With monetary gifts such as gift vouchers or gift cards - be aware of tax implications for those who receive them.
• Sweets & Chocolates - although having the benefit of being able to be shared amongst an entire office another minefield opens up. What if your gifts may contain nuts, are not diabetic friendly or they don't allow for the increase in varieties of food intolerances. Chocolates are dropping down in the Christmas gift rankings.
• Alcohol - Although a personal favourite of mine many people do not drink for personal or religious reasons and these gifts often cannot be shared amongst a team (unless they are opened in the office which would be a no no in several organisations)
• Desk toys - test them first. Don't send a gift that breaks shortly after receipt.

How to make things easier...

• Send a gift an entire team can enjoy rather than sending things only to the main contact.
• Have a bit of quality control - don't just just order from a catalogue. See, feel, test any gift you want to send out. The negative comeback for a poor quality gift will be directed at you and not the manufacturer.
• Get your data right - make sure you are sending things to the right people in the right office. Otherwise it is budget straight into the bin.
• Send them early - Although November might be a little too early don't leave it too late either. Many staff start Christmas holidays way before the 20th Dec to tie in with school holidays or just to use up excess holiday built up during the year. Don't send your gifts too late - they might not have the same effect when opened on January 5th!

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Marketing in a credit crunch

After a long time of being told that, as a B2B marketer my role is lead generation, lead generation, lead generation and if I have any time left a bit of branding, it was interesting to hear about a new push for educational marketing.

In a time of all marketing camapigns being focussed around the credit crunch, surviving the downturn and how to get through the economic doom and gloom it is refreshing to hear that some companies are still looking at value adds for the customer rather than trying to undercut / discount / offer BOGOF deals.

So how can a B2B company start up a programme of educational marketing?
And how will this benefit the bottom line?

• Become the expert you say you are

Do you really know as much as you think you do? Proclaiming yourself or your company as an expert in a particular field is all well and good but make sure you know your stuff. For example, as a professional services marketing expert you will be red faced if you can't answer questions on the recent Legal Services Bill.

• Offer you knowledge and expertise FOC

Obviously not unconditionally, but offering small tasters of help, advice and expertise to your potential marketplace is an incredibly strong way to build reputation. This can be done through events, speaker opportunities at industry events, industry or company newsletters or via your website or blog. This builds reputation, goodwill (when the advice is useful) and keeps your name in the mind of your key decision makers.

In summary this is a realtively low cost way to build reputation and increase your share of voice in the market place. And in the current market being remembered for your expertise rather than for short term give aways and promotional campaigns can only be a good thing.

Any way to differentiate from the crowd = competitive advantage

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Keeping your team happy and productive - for free

I recently saw a 'Happiness at Work Index' report talking about the top thing stressing us out and affecting our performance at work. The findings show that our teams are working longer, harder and are feeling the strain a lot more than in previous years.

So what can we do to make things better? Of course we would all like a big pay rise but even without the current economic climate this would be tough sell to management. Here are a few tips on how to get more while spending less...

Show you care: Sounds a little cheesy but a little appreciation goes a long way. Praise costs nothing and can go a lot further than you think. Public praise within the team can also have the effect of increasing competitiveness and therefore productivity.

Show respect: Never ask someone to do something you wouldn't be prepared to do yourself. People always work harder for a manager they respect rather than a manager they fear. Having a team where all members mutually respect one anaother makes for a much more pleasant working environment and again can help increase productivity and improve results.

Trust: As scary as it can be to let go and let your team run with a campaign, project or event without you, it lets your team feel that you trust them and rate them. No one wants to be micro managed and many people flourish when given a little trust and space to show their true worth.

Personal Development: back to the old adage - Whats in it for me? - offering something to your team for inputting more into a task or project will get greater performance out of them. Whether it is the chance to gain a new skillset, increase experience or to provide variety, most people want to be challenged, stretched and given the chance to develop their skills. Giving your team the chance to take on new responsibilities or projects could be more welcome than a straight pay rise for continuing with their current job.

Harmonious teams: Trying to ensure your team get along cannot be underrated. They spend so much time together that any conflict will reduce productivity and cause more stress. Keeping the team buoyed will impact their performance.

Keep your team in the loop: In uncertain times people want to know what is going on and if they feel they are being kept in the dark rumours and gossip will flourish. Knowing what the team and organisational goals are will help employees feel part of something bigger and they will be more likely to drive things in the right direction.

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