Pub. 2 2019-2020 Issue 4

19 rise to the occasion with unique, thoughtful gifts that acknowledge, and celebrate your employees and clients this holiday. Located @ Trolley Square 602 E. 500 S., Salt Lake City Cal l us to get started: (801) 448-7489 *along the wasatch front ogden to provo Corporate Gifts with Taste make an impression that lasts throughout the year Custom Labels customize bottles with an image, logo, or message Many conventions have been postponed, canceled or moved online. That doesn’t mean you can’t give gifts to potential customers: • Allyoop, which sells beauty and body care products to women, sends gifts before scheduled phone calls and as part of their direct mail. Connect rates for calls and completion rates for meetings both increased 20%, the reply rate for direct mail went up to 45% and the conversion rate increased to 25%. • AlterG, a medical device company, sends potential customers an Amazon gift card and a custom tumbler after a sales call. The campaign’s ROI was 434%, and the pipeline value of the 34 new opportunities this campaign created was more than $1 million. • LiveRamp sent gifts along with direct mail invitations. Response rates were more than 30%, response time decreased 90%, and conversions to meetings from cold contacts increased 35%. For longterm customers, you might want to choose a gift that is better than swag but not expensive enough to break any rules. It should also be clear that you are only saying thank you and have no expectation of special treatment in return. Many organizations have limits on how big a gift can be. For example, a basket of food or dinner and a show might be acceptable, but not if either one is unusually expensive. An association magazine subscription is a surprisingly good gift because it is direct mail, and people like getting direct mail. More than that, it helps you strengthen your relationship with association members. Employee gifts can be used to retain your best employees and to keep morale high. Although it is vital to offer competitive wages and a good benefits package, and things like casual Fridays may also play a role, don’t stop there. You could offer a business retreat for staff where you provide an enjoyable experience combined with team-building exercises. Give people a chance to complete pleasant and interesting group tasks that allow them to socialize outside their regular departments. Provide lower-level employees and senior managers time to become better acquainted as they develop and share their skills and ideas. Some companies allocate part of the budget so managers can reward exceptional accomplishments. They might reward employees who: • Close an important sale • Complete a training program • Do a particularly good job with customers • Have a milestone event to celebrate • Put in long hours to complete a vital deadline • Save the company money by suggesting an improvement A gift card or a voucher might be a good gift in this situation. In a case where a group of employees achieves something notable, go for a group reward. That is admittedly trickier in a COVID-19 worldwhere you can’t just rent out amovie theater for the entire company or get everyone tickets to a sporting event, but come upwith something that involves everyone. 3