Posts Tagged ‘Business Gifts’
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
Posted in Business Gifts | No Comments »
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
Posted in Business Gifts, Corporate Gift Range | No Comments »
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
Posted in Business Gifts | No Comments »
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
Posted in About The Corporate Gifts Company, Business Gifts, Corporate Gifts Advice and Help, Corporate Gifts Business Opportunities | No Comments »
Friday, October 9th, 2009
Well, I hope you enjoyed the first part where we talked about squeezing the lemon. Of course, it’s rare that a sequal ever lives up to the original – but I’ll give it a go.
So this time we’re going to consider the pie; how to grow the pie, specifically. The first part talked about the lemon as your customer base, and the anology of squeezing the lemon was how to get the most juice (business) out of those lemons and not let the lemon shrivel up in the fridge.
So, squeezing the lemon was all about getting the most from your existing customers in a more direct and short term way, and growing the pie is about maximising profit and creating value for both customers and suppliers as part of a longer term strategy. This is done by;
- Differentiation – what makes you different/better than your customers? Look at; product, pricing, distribution, advertising and promotion, selling, core competencies, competitive advantage, USP’s
- Added Value – what aspect of your product/service adds real value for the customer?
- Value Chain – monitor and feedback performance up stream and downstream to continually improve.
The key elements of growing the pie are;
- Constantly strive to deliver value for the customer by improving your overall proposition.
- Understand the supply and value chains and learn how to leverage key aspects to create added value and differentiation.
- Change the mindset of both your company and your customer base. This is more important than immediate short term gains.
So what does The Corporate Gifts Company do to grow it’s pie? Good question, and a challenging one too. Well, we talk to our customers constantly about how they find our service and product, what they liked and what they didn’t like; we encourage testimonials (good or bad) and we have used that feedback over the past 18 years to hone our service and quality levels so that we give our customers exactly what is most important to them; reliable service, consistent quality (we have the international quality standard ISO9000), appropriate and quality promotional branding, and responsible business practices (see our CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility – policy.
Thanks to The Cranfield School of Management’s BGP (Business Growth Development) programme for inspiration.
Tags: Business Gift Ideas, Business Gifts, Corporate Gift Awards, Corporate Gift Sales, Corporate Gifts Co, Corporate Message, corproate gifts or promotioanl gifts, Engraved Gifts, Engraving Messages, Promotional Gifts, Promotional Messages, Promotionaol Gifts, Sales Incentives
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009
At the world famous Cranfield School of Management’s Business Growth Development programme they spend a lot of time talking about a couple of tasty food analogies; “Squeezing the Lemon” and “Growing the Pie”. As part of the marketing part of the programme these two ideas are at the heart of the growth of any business. So what’s the story behind these culinary concepts for success? Let’s start with the lemon.
The lemon signifies your customer base, and who amongst us can put hand on heart say we get the most out of all our customers? Do we sell as much as we can, are there other products or services we can sell to them, do we sell to all divisions and departments of our customers’ businesses? No, well that’s actually the story for most companies and to add even more zest to the analogy think of your average customer like this; if we’re using a lemon at home more often than not we cut into it and squeeze out what we need and then stick it in the fridge – great, the poached salmon tastes great. The problem is when we go to use the lemon again (sometimes after weeks sitting lonely and forgotten next to the eggs) it’s wrinkled and dried and all that juice has been wasted.
And that’s what happens to new customers; we fail to squeeze the maximum amount of business out of them. After the initial order is won, we don’t pay them enough attention until eventually they go and find another supplier. And if you didn’t know already, it costs up to seven times more to aquire a new customer than look after an existing one. So the moral of the analogy is; get squeezing - before your lemons dry up or someone else does it for you.
Of course, in the light of the above blog, it would be remiss of me not to mention that The Corporate Gifts Company supply a comprehensive selection of promotional items and advdertising merchandise that are perfect for communicating with your customers in a tangible and cost effective way. Whether you want to reinforce your brand values with items such as business card cases or clocks, or say thank you to key customers with an appropriate promotional desk item or personal accessory, The Corporate Gifts Company can help you squeeze your lemons.
Look out for “Growing The Pie” next week!
Tags: brand name, Business Gifts, Business ideas, Corporate Gifts Co, Corporate Message, Cost Effective, Engraved Gifts, Exexcutive Clocks, Growing your business, promotional business card case, Promotional Clock, promotional gift ideas, Promotional Gifts, promotional incentives, Promotional Messages, Promotional Sourcing
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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
Posted in About The Corporate Gifts Company, Business Gifts, Corporate Gift Range | No Comments »
Friday, August 28th, 2009
Christmas is coming Notebook and pen
Cone wine stopper
Champagne stopper
Carriage clock
Deco clock
City desk set
Puzzle globe
Handbag mirror
5 x7 photo frame
In these very uncertain times, there is still one thing we know for certain; Christmas will be here again on the 25th December! And whilst this has certainly not been a year to write home about, there will be still many companies sending (and receiving) corporate gifts this yuletide. The promotions market is, of course, much more sophisticated than a hamper or bottle of Bells at Christmas, nevertheless, Christmas is still the busiest time of the year with last minute decisions and turnarounds at break-neck speed.
Companies still want to recognise customers and staff at the end of the year by showing their appreciation and loyalty for the past and ushering in hope of prosperity in the New Year. Business gifts at Christmas are also a favourite for winning new customers too.
If chosen carefully, a desirable and appropriate promotional item branded with your logo will stay in the mind and on the desk long into the New Year.
The Corporate Gifts Company specialise in silver plated and leather items perfect for yuletide marketing and sales promotion. Our stock is held on site and carried out in –house so that we can achieve those impossible turn around times needed in the run up to the big day.
Be careful not to buy a cheap “stocking filler” promo give-away that will be discarded with the junk mail (so often a false economy that rarely delivers the desired results) but choose a truly memorable and desirable silver plated or leather gift. We offer some fantastic packaging options to compliment our gift box available as standard. All you need to do now is choose. Here are our ten top selling Christmas executive incentives (in no particular order.)
Tags: business gift, Business Gifts, Carriage Clock, Champagne Stopper, corporate gift, corporate gifts, Corporate Gifts Co, executive incentives, gift box, gifts company, Handbag Mirror, packaging, promotion, promotions, sales promotion
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Friday, August 21st, 2009
Make your promotion special
Promotional campaigns come in all shapes and sizes. Quantities, target audience etc all vary; from hundreds of thousands of plastic pens at a few pence as give–aways, to a prestigious item for heads of state. When budgets are squeezed like now, there is always awareness that a “special” corporate gift for selected customers or staff can have a bigger impact and can be more cost effective than adapting a scattergun approach that is so often prevalent when times are better and budgets are more liberal. If you allocate the same budget but purchase fewer items coupled with a targeted approach, your promotional campaign can be cost effective with greater results
Segmentation of your database is key. You can slice your pie any number of ways (dependant on your goals and targets along with your particular market) from top spenders to key decision makers, or from most profitable customers to lapsed customers. Good data, of course, is essential, and put good use a series of highly targeted campaigns to defined customer groups will always be better than a blanket campaign to your whole database.
The Corporate Gifts Company
specialise in high – end business gifts and executive incentives ideal for targeted promotions. Engraving individual names onto a corporate gift such as a desk item adds little cost will have a huge impact. So, the next campaign you plan, try to segment into customer groups with different messages and choose your corporate gifts accordingly.
Make your promotion special
Tags: Branding, business gift, Business Gifts, corporate gift, corporate gifts, Corporate Gifts Co, Cost Effective, engraving, executive incentives, gifts company, promotion, promotional campaigns, promotions
Posted in About The Corporate Gifts Company, Corporate Gift Range | No Comments »
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