It’s Christmas, and the time to show your love for one another with gifts. Shopping for your husband, kids or mother is chicken feed. They’ll love you whether or not your gift is big or small. Also, it’s likely that your children would have told you what they want by September!
Sending a gift to a business partner or a client, on the other hand, takes skill. Christmas is the perfect time to show appreciation — and to swing that client’s opinion to “very positive” so that he or she will continue to do business with you next year (or even increase business)!
There are several occasions throughout the year that call for corporate gifts: Chinese New Year for Chinese businesses (and some non-Chinese ones too!), Mid-Autumn Festival, and Christmas/New Year. Mooncakes are hugely popular in Singapore between businesses — but it’s not so in Hong Kong, where mooncakes are sent to family members and close friends. But I find mooncakes are a nice “mid-year” gift for corporate contacts to show you value their business and are thinking of them.
When I was running ONE.99Shop, I would receive several hampers during Christmas time. I think hampers are great! Most of the time, they would be filled with liqueur, cookies, and other snacks. Hampers are ideal for offices because the boss can break up the hamper and give each staff member something — good for team bonding — or they can have a feast in the office. I recently checked out the ones at FairPrice Finest and they’re really nice — you can get a hamper from $100 to about $300, and the items in them are quality wine, chocolates, cookies, among other treats.
If you are looking for something a little different, FarEastFlora.com has some floral-cum-hamper arrangements that seem a little bit more personal (you keep the flowers, your staff divide up the goodies!). Plenty of ideas there for single clients that you want to send something with a personal touch – maybe a plant for their office, decked out in Christmas decorations.
I have to admit that I used to silently wish that just one of those tens of hampers I received were a two-day getaway at a cool hotel, just for unwinding. Or a nice wine and dine voucher that would let me take my family or my staff out for a meal. So that would be one of my gift ideas the next time that opportunity comes up.
For clients or partners who have become close friends, your business gift should have a strong personal touch. It should still be an appropriate corporate gift, but what you send will reveal how well you know this person, and how much thought you have put into your gift.
When I was modeling, I would send David Gan of Passion (who did my hair and was one of my best buddies in the fashion business) a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne. It may seem extravagant, but I knew he could well afford many things himself — so a bottle of the finest champagne is a sign that I appreciate him and his great taste in fashion, styling and gourmet food. A gift like that says “I think highly of you”.
For other friends, I would choose Godiva chocolates (again, the best of the best for someone who gives quality work) or bird’s nest (for someone who is more traditional and who knows the value of bird’s nest, this is the perfect gift). It conveys the message that the gift is personalised and picked to suit the lifestyle of its recipient, even though it is given in a business situation.
Shopping Guide:
FairPrice Finest
• 301, Upper Thomson , #03-37/38, Thomson Plaza
• 1, Jin Anak Bukit , #B1-01 & #B2-01, Bukit Timah Plaza
565 Thomson Rd
Dom Perignon Vintage 2000
Nanz Chong-Komo
Nanz Chong-Komo is the celebrated author of the business bestseller, One Business, 99 Lessons. She is best remembered as the owner of ONE.99Shop, a one-price store that became a multi-million dollar business with 14 branches. Her success with ONE.99shop won her the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2000.
A former model who was a regular on the catwalks and in fashion magazines, Hong Kong-born Nanz was also the anchor host for the Seoul Olympics in 1988, for Hong Kong's ATV network. Today, Nanz is a sought-after speaker and the founder of Nanz Inc.Com (www.nanzinc.com), an online talkshow and magazine for Asian women. Nanz brings her expertise as a merchandiser, her background as a model and TV host, and her impeccable style and sense of humour to this column that reveals her shopping secrets.
