Since last week's "Black Friday Event" here at Make It So Marketing's Facebook Comic Con Exhibitor Table, I've been busy listing, selling, and shipping comics and graphic novels to our customers.  This included listing hundreds of more items in time for 'Cyber Monday'... 

That has been taking a toll on my 'free time' in blogging and contributing to the social media and comics forums that I am associated with.  I haven't been able to read and reply fully to the emails and messages that have come in to me.

However, a message sent last night to me made me want to stop and re-publish a series of blog posts that my wife Tina LoSasso had guest blogged two seasons ago.  Those blog posts are no longer visible, because they were in the eBay version of our Blog, which has been discontinued by eBay itself.

So when this eBayer friend of mine asked if I could re-post the blogs here I said yes.  So the following are all Five of the Tips that Tina posted two seasons ago.  I thought it would be timely as well as informative, because on my Facebook Network of Friends alone, there are many self-publishers that are probably wondering what to give to their business network of associates this year.  Plus there are a lot of creators that are holding down day jobs until their own creations are published!

Here is a brief intro and then the 5 tips from Tina LoSasso:

Anyone braving the shopping malls during the holiday season knows that finding the perfect gift for family or friends is not easy. Business gift giving can be even more challenging. "Choosing the right business gift actually requires more time and thoughtfulness," says Tina LoSasso, Managing Editor of SalesDog.com, in one of 80 sales lessons in the new business book, Top Dog Sales Secrets. LoSasso identifies five common business gift-giving gaffes:  

1) Quality trumps quantity. "A small box of exquisite, handmade truffles will be appreciated far more than a big box of run-of-the-mill chocolates," LoSasso advises. "If the head honcho at your biggest account is a wine connoisseur, remember, it's far better to send one bottle of the very best than several ordinary bottles he'll never uncork."

2) Reject run-of-the-mill. Shun the ho hum food baskets and opt for a more memorable gift. "Check your client notes," suggests LoSasso. "What are his hobbies? Does he golf, cook or play sports? If your client, the gourmet cook, is still raving about the meals he enjoyed during his vacation in Tuscany, send him a beautifully illustrated regional cookbook. Your gift, and you, will be remembered far longer than a generic tin of cookies."

3) Don't even think of advertising. "Sending gifts with your company's logo on them make you look stingier than Scrooge," says LoSasso. "Save the logo-imprinted pens, paperweights, mouse pads and calculators for your next trade show. Instead, send a gift from your region of the country: Ghirardelli chocolate from San Francisco, smoked salmon from the Northwest, citrus from Florida or California, or barbecue sauce from Texas."

4) Beware of booze. "Alcoholic beverages are usually risky business," warns LoSasso. "The one exception is when you know someone loves a certain brand of rare Scotch, a particular wine, or a regional microbrew. Never send a bottle of champagne to that key account in Salt Lake City, or for that matter, frozen steaks to your customer who is a vegetarian. Don't laugh -- it happens."

5) The gender trap. Gender differences present their own gift-giving dangers. While it is generally acceptable for a saleswoman to send her stressed-out women clients personal items, like lotions or a spa kit, salesmen should not be so familiar. "Sorry guys," says LoSasso. "You're not in the club."

LoSasso's advice is excerpted from the bestselling book, Top Dog Sales Secrets, authored by 50 renowned sales lecturers, consultants, and corporate trainers. Top Dog Sales Secrets is available from the publisher or from Amazon and other online retailers.

That ends the 5 Tips and the introductory info about Tina's contributions at SalesDog.com. BTW, SalesDog.com features advice from America's leading sales experts. Their free weekly newsletter has over 25,000 subscribers. You are invited to sign up there for that newsletter if advice on Sales can help you bring 2009 to a satisfying close!

My thanks to Tina for allowing me to re-publish those earlier five blog posts into one Blog here today!