Posts Tagged ‘Business Gifts’


Five ways that Business Gifts Can Help Your Company

 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.


What is the Best Way to Navigate the World Wide Web of Information?

 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.


SQUEEZE THE LEMON, GROW THE PIE – PART 2

 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.


SQUEEZE THE LEMON, GROW THE PIE – PART 1

 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!


Christmas is coming

 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.)