Archive for the ‘Business Gifts’ Category
Monday, July 5th, 2010
The use of business gifts to promote a company and enhance the brand is a commonly accepted practice in the business world. When used properly, they can emphasise key features of a brand, enforce company ideas and also impress existing and potential clients.
If a company choose to use business gifts to further their brand it can bring obvious rewards, but in an increasingly austere world where every move is scrutinised for openness and fair play, companies need to be more aware of how business gifts can appear to the outside world.
The Fifa investigation into gifts given by the Australian World Cup bidding team raised the issue of just when is giving promotional gifts deemed to be inappropriate? Where is the line drawn when it comes to awarding business gifts?
It isn’t just the Aussies who have come under scrutiny for their gifts to Fifa delegates. Guideline on gifts were published last year after the England bid team were found to have given luxury handbags worth £230 to members of the executive team. But when does a symbolic gift turn into something slightly more sinister?
It isn’t just high profile bidders such as the World Cup team who have to be careful. In most sectors of business there are rules and regulations concerning the awarding of gifts, and companies have to be increasingly careful how they use business gifts to promote themselves.
In instances where contracts are awarded through a bidding process, it is often seen as ill advised or inappropriate for business gifts to be given from either the awarding contractor or from the bidder. Even once the contract is awarded, the most innocent gifts such as those given at Christmas could be seen to outsiders as a kick back or a bribe, so extra care must be taken.
In these situations, particularly when public sector organisations are involved, regulations are often in place to avoid any confusion. But in any grey areas, transparency and openness are always the best policy. By making sure the gifts are declared, it avoids any unnecessary confusion and if in any doubt at all, simply return the gift. Although this creates the inevitable awkwardness that returning a gift entails, it is more preferable than any alternative investigation might be.
In most cases, the awarding of business gifts is an entirely appropriate way of spreading the word about a company. As a general rule, the gift should be symbolic of the company that gave it or bring added value to their brand. Provided that the business gift is relevant to the company involved, there shouldn’t be any confusion. It cannot be seen to be an attempt to influence any financial decision, as this brings the obvious accusations of bribery and wrongdoing.
Bear these simple guidelines in mind, and make sure there is no confusion when you award your business gift.
Tags: business gift, Business Gifts
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Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Gadgets and gizmos make for extremely popular business gifts. They have a high perceived value and make a fantastic impression when branded with a company logo. It is flash drives however that seem to be the most popular business gifts, and it seems that offices around the country are being given them as the business gift of choice. But what is it that makes promotional usb drives such popular business gifts?
Promotional flash drives have many benefits. They are relatively cheap, come in a wide range of different designs that makes them extremely customisable to a brand, and they have a practical use, meaning they will be used a lot in and out of the workplace. This is important when giving a business gift, as practical, stylish items that are often used stand more chance of being seen by more people, giving more prominence to a brand.
There are further brand benefits too. As I discussed, they are extremely adaptable when it comes to shape and colour, meaning they can be customised to suit the image of any brand. In this way it is not just the logo that is being shown with a business gift, but the brand values of a company as well.
They are important from a security point of view too. Many companies are struggling to cope with the amount of viruses infecting computer systems as a result of employees bringing in their own virus ridden memory sticks. It is becoming a serious problem, with bosses enjoying the freedom of employees being able to take their work away from the office, but suffering when the usb drives being brought in infect the system.
When promotional flash drives are given to staff members, companies can ensure that the memory stick used for work has been consistent with their internal security, thereby lowering the risk of infection. This is particularly useful if employees transfer a lot of data between an office computer and a company laptop, so there’s less risk of them coming into contact with potentially harmful home PC’s.
So all things considered, promotional flash drives make for ideal business gifts, whether they’re for staff or for promotional products. The Corporate Gifts Company has a wide selection of promotional flash drives that are ideal for any business gift. Visit the usb flash drives section of the website to see our full range of state of the art business gifts.
Tags: business gift, Business Gifts, flash drives, usb drives
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Monday, June 7th, 2010
With the “bonus culture” scandals still ringing in the ears of many high profile banks and businesses, it can be difficult to reward staff when the attention is focussed on employees’ pay packets.
With public scrutiny still running the rule over the practices of many of our biggest companies, it can be difficult to find ways to keep staff productivity high whilst raining in on the excesses that promote so much public ire.
It’s important when operating in a fragile economy to deliver the perks that keep staff happy. Whilst there is always the need to tighten the belt, keeping staff motivated and encouraging them to be productive and innovative is essential to any company in these fragile times.
Quality business gifts can be a fantastic way to reward staff and keep them motivated without paying costly bonuses that could risk the stability of a company. Business gifts can be personalised to suit not just the business’s needs but the individual’s needs. Personalised business gifts show that the employer is taking notice of the employee and is rewarding them in a way that is personal to them.
Staff rewards can help in all kinds of ways. Incentives for staff to improve sales, a reward for high achievement or a reward for successful completion of a project, all of these can be acknowledged by using business gifts.
Visit http://www.corporate-gifts-co.com to view our full range of business gifts that will motivate your staff.
Tags: business gift, Business Gifts, corporate gift, corporate gifts
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Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
With the World emerging from the recession and our country settling in to a new government, it is a cautiously optimistic time for business. But with talk of a double dip recession and long term strains on the economy as the government tries to claw back the deficit, companies are still wary of how they spend their money.
In these circumstances it is easy to think that cutting back in areas such as business gifts and promotional gifts is an easy way to cut back on outgoings and improve profitability, but company’s should be wary of doing this as it can have a serious effect on staff and customer loyalty and the public’s perception of a business.
The Corporate Gifts Company have put together a list of five benefits promotional products can have on your company and how they can help to keep you on the road to recovery.
1. Increased recognition and awareness of products and services.
Branded business gifts can raise the profile of your company amongst both new and existing customers. By giving a suitable promotional gift, you can make sure your existing clients are reminded that your brand is still thriving, and also raise your profile amongst people who might have used a competitor before the downturn. One item on somebody’s desk might be enough to remind them of your company and send business your way.
2. Making sure you stand out from the competition.
What’s the point of developing a great brand image if nobody ever sees it? A business gift can be a great way of getting across your style, reputation and brand and can be extremely effective if used in the right way. It will make sure yours is the company that everybody is talking about.
3. Communicating Company values.
In the same way that your brand can be communicated through a business gift, your values as a company can as well. It’s all about picking the right product and branding it in a way that gets your message across.
4. Creating a positive image in the minds of staff and clients.
A positive image is one of the most important things you can project as company and business gifts can help to do that in so many ways. Whether it’s being seen to be the one who is going the extra mile to impress a client, or reminding everyone that you have come out of the downturn fighting fit, it is vitally important that you attach a positive image to your Company to instil confidence and trust.
5. Increased sales and enhanced customer loyalty.
Of course, brand image means nothing if it’s not increasing sales. But by impressing more people with your brand and image, you are increasing the base of potential customers who will have heard of you and who will want to buy from you. It also never hurts to reward existing customers who have stuck by you in darker times, so business gifts will also help to improve customer loyalty by giving them a positive impression of your company.
The Corporate Gifts Company can help supply you with the business gifts needed to take your company to the next level. Our knowledgeable sales team are on hand to advise you on how best to use business gifts, so click HERE to browse the website.
Tags: Business Gift Ideas, Business Gifts
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
The Internet plays a major part in how companies, including The Corporate Gifts Company, do business and any changes in how people access information can have a big effect on sales. With President Obama claiming this week that information has become “a distraction”, the ways that people navigate online have become even more important.
For years Google has been by far the most used search engine on the net, and getting your website on the first page for a specific query, ‘Corporate Gifts’ for example, can mean big business.
Online portals can also be a good way of navigating the web as they can bring together a number of related sites for the surfer to peruse. The website Which Promo serves as a fantastic guide for promotional products and is a great tool in the corporate gifts industry.
Web searches are constantly evolving though and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have become a great way of recommending specific websites to friends and followers, providing a new way of navigating the web. But what effect does this have on businesses? Is using social networking an effective way of increasing sales for a B2B Company? There is room for debate on this issue but the general consensus is that it doesn’t hurt to have a presence across a wide range of formats.
All of this goes to show that despite President Obama’s fears of technology having a negative effect on people, there are many ways to use the vast oceans of information that are out there on the internet to our advantage.
You can search out some great gift ideas at The Corporate Gifts Company, or check out our friends at The Business Gifts Company for gadget related gifts.
Tags: Business Gifts, corporate gifts
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Monday, April 26th, 2010
With the planet now safe from the threat of the ash cloud, the election campaign hitting the calm before the storm and the World Cup still agonisingly far away, it’s a good chance to take a break from the usual blogging topics and focus on a product range that can really help your Company to boost staff morale.
When you think of Corporate Gifts it’s easy to think of different gift ideas that reward staff and thank clients. keyrings and clocks have always been popular pieces and make great personalised gifts when engraved. But how about using awards and trophies as a way of offering a reward that will improve morale and offer a great incentive to staff?
The Corporate Gifts Company offers a fantastic range of bespoke awards that can really serve as a great incentive to a team. Use them to reward good performance, perfect attendance or exceeding targets in a way that will help to motivate staff and add a sense of healthy competition to a team.
There are a wide range of stylish trophies you can choose from that staff will really want to work hard to win. Our slate awards are novel and unique and will look great on any recipient’s desk or mantelpiece. The acrylic awards make a really stylish trophy and are perfect for a Company awards night or gala dinner for instance.
CLICK HERE to browse our awards section and choose a really novel way to motivate your staff.
Tags: Corporate Gift Awards, corporate gifts
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Monday, April 12th, 2010
As the world begins to emerge from one of the longest recessions in history, there was cause for optimism amongst British companies with the news that confidence and output in the UK is at its highest for four years, according to a survey by accountants BDO.
A return to pre-recession levels is definitely a cause for optimism, and as companies continue to recover and grow there has never been a better time for businesses to reinforce their brand, announcing their presence in a brave new world for business.
One way to do this is by using Personalised Corporate Gifts embossed with a company logo, showing your rivals and your clients the continued strength of your brand. These gifts can be used as a thank you to clients for their business during the downturn, or for employees to reward their hard work in maintaining your Company’s position in the market.
The effects of these gifts can be huge. With clients unsure over which companies have survived the downturn, a branded corporate gift such as the Orbital Spinning Clock, is a great way to remind them of the continued strength of your Company.
When used as an employee reward, a Corporate Gift is also a great way to raise morale in a team that may have been hit by cutbacks during the recession. Awards such as the Star Trophy Award can be used to reward employees who have exceeded their targets, providing a fantastic reward and also an incentive for the rest of the team.
The Corporate Gifts Company carries a huge range of other Corporate Gifts that any Company can use to celebrate a more optimistic 2010.
Tags: awards, corporate gifts, Promotional Gifts
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Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
The first step in this process is to assess why people don’t buy from you or use your services. To determine why people don’t use your products or your services you can use surveys, focus groups & interviews to ascertain all of the possible reasoning. The general first answer why a customer doesn’t buy or use your product/s or service/s will revolve around unacceptable price, personal taste, the quality, availability, or bad awareness. It is the following answers that become more subtle and more revealing. The answer to understanding why people don’t use products & services sometimes lie in the reflective answers of the few than from the first and obvious answers of the majority.
The second stage is to attempt to appreciate why people do purchase a service or product from you. Whilst focus groups, surveys and interviews would seem useful here, they are actually less appropriate. The purpose of this exploration is to produce insights into your business, these blunt tools often don’t work. Frequent responses to the question of why a consumer purchases, such as “quality” or “price,” do not begin to explain the deep fundamental psychological and emotional reasons that persuade buying decisions. It is believed that to precisely determine why customers buy certain products & services, leading must be used to scrutinize the underlying motivators affecting buying decisions. Leading is an sales & interview technique that seeks to get to the heart of the motivators of buying decisions, buy asking open ended questions that the interviewee has to fill the blanks in. the answers are thought to be more factual.
The third step is to recognise the perfect customer for a particular product or service. While it is not rare to hear marketers say that “anyone with money their pocket is a possible customer,” such thinking reflects a mentality and not a marketing mind. Key marketing insights are best obtained when an individual thinks in terms of individual customers and in terms of what would particularly attract them. Customer prototyping is a quick but effective way to envisage an ideal customer for a product that typically represents or closely resembles a specific segment of the real populace. By using your imagination, the prototype becomes more vivid and develops specific qualities as opposed to the non-descriptive data that can be provided by demographics.Finally, armed with the knowledge of who the perfect purchaser is and why they behave the way they do, you will be able to utilise this information to choose the perfect promotional product to further entice them to use your products and services.
Finally, armed with the knowledge of who the perfect purchaser is and why they behave the way they do, you will be able to utilise this information to choose the perfect promotional product to further entice them to use your products and services.
Tags: promotion
Posted in Business Gifts, Corporate Gifts Business Opportunities | 2 Comments »
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
The Personal Touch
In times of economic downturn, priorities change. If you are planning a marketing campaign you will undoubtedly need to take this into account. For consumers, debt levels, mortgage repayments and fuel costs fuel costs take precedence over wider concerns. In business, too, companies take a more inward approach, concentrating on cost cutting and cash flow rather than new markets and revenue streams. Both consumers and business will gravitate towards safe options; good, services, and brands that convey reassurance and familiarity. Quality and reliability became increasingly important and whilst all this jittery uncertainly is certainly challenging, it also provides major opportunities for companies to engage with their customers in a closer more meaningful way. Personalised marketing and individual communication are the new watch-words and marketers who get their heads round this new concept will have a distinct advantage in a highly competitive market place.
Corporate gifts are an ideal way to connect on a meaningful and personal level with your key customers, most promising prospects, and even your staff. The Corporate Gifts Co specialise in a high quality business gifts that will convey a sense of familiarity in the classic styling of for example the silver plated Carriage Clock or the, Galileo Desk Pad, and reassurance in the quality of items like the premium leather range or the sterling silver collection. All our items can be engraved with your logo and promotional message using our in-house diamond engraving.
Why not add individually engraved or embrossed names to really create that personal touch. Call 0845 430 2902 for more details.
Tags: business gift, Business Gifts, Carriage Clock, corporate gift, corporate gifts, Corporate Gifts Co, engraving, promotion
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Thursday, August 20th, 2009
Back to school bounce!
Anyone working in marketing and businesses that support and supply it will all testify that many companies (if not all!) have been holding back on their marketing activity in 2009. Let’s face it, you’re not going to get sacked if you under spent on your marketing budget this year!
Come September, however, with a full 16 weeks to boost sales before the end of the year, will we see an increase in activity and a release of pent up demand? Have our attitudes to marketing spend been curbed forever (or at least a very long time) or will under-used budgets get used up? I know which one my fingers are crossed for! It’s hard to imagine, as things stand, any growth in 2009, and even the most optimistic out there would surely predict nothing more than modest growth in 2010.
Ultimately this impacts an marketing activity; if potential return is not there, why spend precious budget chasing low ROI?
Sales promotion is a sophisticated market in the UK and a lot less dependent on Christmas sales than it was a couple of decades ago, so perhaps any pick up in activity will be less evident anyway. At The Corporate Gifts Company, we’ve seen a “back to school” bounce in every one of our 18 years in business and we’re sure it will happen this year, but at what level; who knows. What does anyone else think out there?
Whatever happens, The Corporate Gifts will be here to supply high end executive incentives and business gifts.
You know where we are.
Tags: business gift, Business Gifts, corporate gift, corporate gifts
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