Archive for April, 2009


It’s all about the Service, Stupid.

 Monday, April 20th, 2009

At a recent exhibition for the promotional gift industry (Trade Only), the BPMA (British Promotional Merchandise Association) ran a survey of visitors’ rationale for supplier selection. Surprisingly, even in these credit crunched times, the most important consideration is not price but customer service.

Perhaps on further consideration it is not so surprising; when every promotional initiative needs to work and work well, of course cost is very important, but more important is the belief that your promotional product or business gift will be delivered on time and with correct and appropriate branding.

The Corporate Gifts Company have 18 years of experience in supplying promotional gifts – with that sort of track record, we’re just the sort of company you need to ensure your corporate gift is delivered on time. We have ISO9002 (the international quality standard), Investors in People and a comprehensive CSR policy.

Stock on site; we hold all our stock in our on-site warehouse, so when we say the stock is available, it means it’s there on the shelf allocated to you, not half way round the world at the mercy of freight or customs.

If something is likely to go wrong it will be with the branding of your promotional gift; The Corporate Gifts Company have an in-house branding department so we stay in complete control of your order which gives you total peace of mind.

Communication; The Corporate Gifts Company’s considerable experience in dealing with fast turnaround orders for branded promotional gifts means we know it’s vital to provide our customers with regular and timely information, from order acknowledgement to receipt of artwork to artwork proofs and delivery information.

All this means that you can trust the Corporate Gifts Co to deliver your promotional product on time and exactly as you order it – and in these difficult times that peace of mind is priceless. Call our expert team today on 0845 430 2902.


The Seven “P’s” of Marketing

 Sunday, April 12th, 2009

It used to be four, but now it’s seven, or as many marketing related P’s that you can think of. So what are these mystical marketing mysteries? Can they help in your company’s marketing endevours, and even more of interest to us, do they apply to corporate executive gifts?

PRICE – the all important budget, but in relation to promotional items, what’s more relevant is value for money – and that means products that give you more bang for your buck. The Corporate Gifts Company specialise in supplying high perceived value promotional products like our competitively priced business card holders.

PROMOTION – if you are looking for a corporate gift then you’re already on the right track. Understand what your promotion is trying to achieve, then match the promotional product to the objectives.

PLACE – where will the promotional product live? Will it be carried as a personal accessory, is it for use at an event or will it sit on the recipient’s desk like these corporate desk items.

PEOPLE – it’s all about the target audience you are trying to influence; so be absolutely sure you understand who you are trying to reach and what will interest or motivate them.

PHYSICAL – sometimes it’s easy to forget how people respond to tactile objects; vouchers and bonuses are all very well, but nothing makes a connection like a quality gift presented in a gift box with all the trimmings.

PROCESS – think about the whole process of the corporate gift experience from how the item is branded, to how the gift will be delivered to what it will be packaged in.

Call our expert sales team today on 0800 942 9202 to see how The Corporate Gifts Company can help your company get the most out of the SEVEN P’s.


MOTIVATION ON A BUDGET

 Monday, April 6th, 2009

Barclays Financial Planning recently ran a poll of SME’s asking what kind of benefits they offered their employees and what they felt actually motivated staff. The received wisdom about motivating staff is what they really want is anything but mere cash; pension, recognition, bonuses, team building, extra holidays, commission, team days out. The survey, however, found that employees long for wealth with 40% of employers said they felt their staff valued higher salaries over benefits.

The ability of companies to feed this desire for higher and higher salaries in this painful economic downturn, however, is severely hampered. Perhaps also, employees will find that this new world order will dictate that they think less of the here and now, and begin to plan for the future.

So as the effects of the credit crunch take hold and won’t let go, companies need to think of ways to reward and recognise staff without the easy option of a pay rise. Corporate Gifts can play a key role as part of more considered motivational packages.

Recognition is an extremely powerful tool to reward and promote constructive behaviour. The Corporate Gifts Co has almost 20 years of experience in providing effective recognition solutions.

Our best sellers are undoubtedly our Star Trophy and Star Award which can be used together as tiered awards and they looked fantastic diamond engraved with a corporate logo and individual names.

Plaques are probably the most traditional method of recognition in the workplace and The Corporate Gifts Co have a superb range of standard and bespoke plaques to suit all tastes and budgets.

And if your budget can run to our fantastic range of awards you can be assured your staff will really appreciate and value the recognition.

Businesses need to make sure they are properly rewarding their staff. Getting it wrong could mean losing out on talented and invaluable staff. Call our expert sales team today on 0800 942 9202 to see how The Corporate Gifts Company can help your company recognise and reward your staff with cost effective awards and corporate gifts.