In for a Treat

Caputi and Brown both recommended thinking about price point, venue and the customer’s industry.

“Budget plays a huge role in deciding what products to select,” Brown said. “With so many choices at every price point, it allows distributors to give each one of their clients a unique gifting idea, which matches perfectly with each proposal.”

Finally, take into account the time of year. Ever buy a chocolate bar in the summer time, and by the time you unwrap it, it’s melted and gooey? Careless shipping during the summer months can have the same effect.

“Most clients have a pretty good idea of what they want for their program, but sometimes what they want isn’t such a good idea,” Riordan said. “For example, if the gifts are shipping to individuals in the middle of July, chocolate probably isn’t a good idea even if the client thinks he wants chocolate. The cost to protect and deliver it would [be] extremely expensive—much more than the chocolate itself.”