According Fairfield”™s M. Crews & Company, there is an estimated $17-plus billion in corporate gift giving expected in 2007. With the rush to spend, and not enough time for thought, the pressure is on for the CEOs to buy the “right” gifts for their fellow CEOs, business partners and clients.
The alternative ”“ Santa Claus ”“ remains as dicey a proposition today as when CEOs wore Buster Browns and wished for BB guns.
“Gift giving is an important element of an executive”™s skill set, particularly on a CEO-to-CEO basis, but most business leaders don”™t have the time to learn the intricacies of high-level corporate gift giving ”“ especially international gift giving ”“ and then do the necessary legwork,” said Melinda Crews, CEO of M. Crews & Company. “And frankly, most are probably a little afraid of the task.”
Crews and her company offer advice on how to build a business through strategic gift-giving programs. Crews, who has been in business since 1990, has developed a set of suggestions for CEOs to follow as the 2007 holiday season peaks into view.
She recommends delegating gift giving responsibilities to someone else; provided the person will do the job properly.
“Your job is to run the company ”“ not do the shopping,” she said. “Just be sure to delegate properly and don”™t assume the person who is assigned the task internally has the time, talent or interest in finding the perfect gift.”
Crews”™ services have helped executives at UBS, HSBC and Virgin Atlantic.
“Certainly executives don”™t have time to give much thought to gift giving,” said Caroline von Reitzenstein, executive assistant to the CEO and president of Capital Properties. “Melinda can always be relied upon to come up with at least three, four, five options that are certainly interactive, and moreover appropriate and correct in regards to giving to international clients.”
Crews suggests being sure the perceived value of the gift is consistent with your intent. She affirms that it does matter whether a gift is to solidify a relationship or simply to avoid an awkward situation.
“A good company will take your intent and good will and transform it into something memorable,” said Crews. “That means having the ability to take a basic compass, morph it into a hand held GPS, and ultimately translate it into a modern-day equivalent of a Sherpa guide for you.”
Crews”™ final suggestion for befuddled CEO”™s is to make sure the gift conforms to all existing national and international gift-giving regulations. In Crews”™ opinion, nothing says you don”™t care more than lack of appropriate concern.
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