by Dina Giolitto

If you've ever worked for a large company, you know that some of the best times are had while noshing on gourmet gifts of appreciation from your vendors. Nothing like a Harry and David's basket filled with succulent pears, fine cheeses, dainty little shortbread cookies, and tiny jars of wild fruit preserves, to ensure that yes... the contract will be extended for yet another year.

Or how about a sake-induced buzz around the hibachi table with your cubicle mates... sushi works of art making the rounds as cleavers and hunks of filet mignon dance in the air. It's these joyous, food-filled moments that tell us, yes... we're going with the same printing company for the 12th year in a row. So dig in and drink up... life is good and we love our service providers!

Great customer care brings long-term business, but the way to your clients' hearts is through their stomachs. Edible gifts offer comfort, relieve stress and smooth things over nicely when negotiations suddenly go sour. They also fix seemingly unsolvable problems.

I recall a time when my former boss stormed into the creative director's office and unloaded a mile-long laundry list of complaints... only to return later with a large tray of bakery cookies that had been sent to ease our disgruntled souls. Did we hurl the cookie peace offering to the floor, stomp our feet defiantly and hand in our resignation letters?

No. We ate the cookies, licked our fingers and went back to work.

The gourmet food gift is a very powerful business tool indeed. If it wasn't, there woudn't be a space on your tax form where you can write off meal expenses. But what do you do when you're a small start-up, and Omaha Steaks, Godiva Chocolates and Williams-Sonoma bottled creations are a wee bit beyond your price range?

Well, you might consider one of the many online gourmet gift providers who offer the convenience of internet shopping plus the quality, freshness, and personalized service that only a fellow small biz owner can promise.

Indeed, virtual consultants and gourmet gift-seekers need only look as far as their computer to discover the service-with-a-smile Mom and Pop shop equivalent of the downtown bakery with the aroma of warm rolls wafting out; the local orchard where you can get a sumptious homemade fruit pie to go, or that quaint little corner candy shop that dips their own chocolates.

Got a client in mind whom you'd love to express your thanks with a tasty token of appreciation? No, you can't buy them dinner at one of the local hot spots if they're across the country... but it's easy enough to send them food by mail.

Make your gourmet selection at any one of the fine online establishments bearing gifts of real, fresh food. Place your order via online shopping cart and have your edible gift delivered within one to two weeks.

Imagine how delighted your client will be to open the surprise parcel and uncover a delectable gift of freshly baked cookies, crisp crackers and zesty spreads... gourmet cheese, fine wine, or any number of other ingestible delights that can be ordered on the web with little to no fanfare. And the best part is, most online own food business owners frequently offer reduced rates on their products if you express interest in bulk ordering from them on a regular basis.

Millions of creative online entrepreneurs offer unique food gifts that speak of handcrafted ingenuity, quality ingredients and sleek packaging that will reflect your professionalism. Put your gift-giving responsibility in their loving care and it's almost as good as saying to your customers, "I prepared this delicious food for you with my own two hands."

Yes, an edible conversation piece will keep you in the mind of your best clients for sure. In a world where high-speed connections rule the day and common courtesy has gone the way of the 50 cent cup of coffee... isn't it nice to know that you can still count on gourmet gifts to foster positive client relations?

Copyright 2006 Vermont Shortbread Company. All rights reserved. This article supplied by Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing Services.

Give your best clients a taste of what they're missing: buttery-rich, authentic Vermont Shortbread. Place your online order for our corporate shortbread, boxed fresh from the oven and shipped right to your customer's office doorstep, at http://VermontShortbread.com