Bribing Corporate Clients

[Tom Johnson <johnsont -at- FREEWAY -dot- NET>]

After reading replies to my earlier post, I did something I should have
done yesterday. I looked up the policy and read it again. I learned a
few things. One is that my memory isn't perfect. I read the policy a
year and a half ago and I forgot some of the details since then. It is
more lenient than I remembered.

It does allow
- very limited ESCORTED entertainment, like sporting events
- nominal gifts like coffee cups or T-shirts
- authorized business trips at supplier expense

It prohibits
- anything gift other than a nominal gift
- receiving travel expenses or accommodations for non-business trips
- padding expense accounts

The policy goes into a lot more detail about specific prohibitions and
allowances. The tone of the policy was; don't do anything that could
give the company a black eye. All in all, it did not seem unreasonable
and allowed for normal business practices that others have mentioned.
Without a policy like that, knowing where to draw the line can be
difficult. It lies somewhere between bringing doughnuts and offering a
client the use of my cabin on the lake (if I had one) for the weekend.
My point was, and is, that potential clients may have policies in place
that may affect what you can and cannot do to get their business. If in
doubt, better safe than sorry. Or, ask. Knowing what is allowable and
acceptable gives you freedom to take advantage of different ways of
doing business. If you don't know, you could get someone fired or lose a
contract.

--
Tom Johnson
Technical Writer

personal mailto:tjohnson -at- grandtraverse -dot- com
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My opinions are still my own.