'Tis The Season For Corporate Gifts

If you haven't picked out your corporate gifts, you better get cracking. We're coming into the home stretch. If you hesitate, you may not be able to give those utterly fabulous corporate gifts your clients and employees so desire. Settle for a lesser (or horrors, an unwanted) corporate gift, say a fruitcake, and you'll seal your fate. My TCB advice? Carpe Diem, baby ... or you'll be stuck with gift-wrapped boxes of crap and junk.

Corporate gift giving is of utmost importance. That's why I've come up with a short list of cool stuff that your gifted ones will be ever so happy to receive. You want your corporate gifts to carry more than just a logo. You want them to carry the fact that you care. Well, okay ... even if it's not a fact, you want those who receive those gifts to truly think you care, right?

Gifts you can eat top the list. But there are provisos ...

Cheese and sausage corporate gifts are out. Citrus (and other) fruit gifts are in.

Blame it on the Atkins vs South Beach thing (or not), but you can't really believe all that fat is good for the system ... whether it's yours, your clients, or your employees. Alright ... a little sausage and cheese might okay, just don't go for a sausage the size of a baseball bat and a five pound cheese log.

You can't go wrong with chocolate, except ...

when the recipient is a) a dog, b) allergic to chocolate, or c) on a diet. The excuse "but I don't like chocolate," doesn't hold water. If someone doesn't love chocolate, they surely know someone who does.

Flashlight gifts are cool.

Okay, so maybe my 12-year old daughter didn't like this one, but everyone needs a(nother) flashlight. And what better place to festoon your corporate logo? I'm a big fan of Maglites, but there are lots of other options, too. Those spiffy little units that fit on a key chain seem to be quite popular this year. Don't forget the batteries.

Everyone needs a calendar.

Just make sure it's a nice calendar. Nothing says cheese like a cheesy calendar. Well, cheese says cheese, too ... but that's a different story.

Forget the corporate logo apparel.

Feel free to give logo apparel any other time of year. It's not cool to give this stuff at the holidays. Seasons Greetings ... you're a billboard.

It's all up to you.

Now that you have a handful of hints ... go forth and shop!