Posts Tagged ‘corporate gifts’
Friday, November 6th, 2009
Cufflinks, lapel pins, brooches, stick pins, tie pins, tieslides, even earrings and other ladies jewellery. All types of corporate jewellery with a bewildering array of; materials, finishes, manufacturing techniques and branding options.
So if you’re looking for corporate jewellery for your promotion or marketing campaign and you’re faced with the myriad options available, how do you chose the right method to create the effect you require to meet your promotional aims?
The answer; don’t worry – let The Corporate Gifts Company advise you on the best way to translate your logo into metal and enamel. We have 20 years of experience of producing top quality promotional corporate jewellery; from budget solutions for a few pence to 24ct gold set with diamonds for thousands of pounds – and everything in between.
So how do we work? Well, we need basic information from you;
- Budget (either per piece or overall)
- Quantity Required
- When – what date are the items required for?
- Logo – we need to see the logo or design required.
Once we have this very basic information, we will assess what material, production method and finish is appropriate. We will then produce a full colour visual or representation of what we would propose to create for you. Of course, if you have something specific in mind then we would endevour to accommodate this. Often we will produce more than one visual option where appropriate so you have a choice.
The Corporate Gifts Company website has lots of examples of previous promotional corporate jewellery commissions we have done so you can get an idea of what’s possible and how your logo might look in 3D. So if you have a requirement for corporate jewellery, why not let The Corporate Gifts Company produce a no obligation visual and quotation absolutely free?
Tags: 3D, Branding, corporate gift, corporate gifts, Corporate jewellery, enamel, gifts company, promotion Posted in Corporate Gift Range | No 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 Posted in About The Corporate Gifts Company, Business Gifts, Corporate Gift Range | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
Get ready for recovery
Is it? Isn’t it?
Will it? Won’t it?
Is the worst of the recession over and are we getting ready for the long awaited recovery? Who knows? If I did, I wouldn’t be writing this blog – I would be sitting on a beach in the Bahamas. In these times of uncertainly, if you can be sure of one thing- it’s the businesses that are prepared for the recovery that will most benefit from it. So what can you do to get your company ship shape to take advantage of all the undoubted opportunities that will be coming your way?
Here are our top ten heads up
1. Review – be honest dispassionate; look at where the business is now and where it needs to be in the future.
2. Cut supply cost – look at your whole supply chain: look for new suppliers offering better deals, re-negotiate with existing suppliers, and buy strategically with fewer suppliers rather than add hoc with lots.
3. Cash is king-tighten credit controls, use whatever leverage you can and monitor regularly.
4.Cut OK costs-concentrate on areas with the most savings, get staff ideas (they often are closes to spending waste) and be ruthless with “nice to have” costs.
5. Cut stock-keep your inventory to a minimum-convert old stock to cash, and reduce slow moving lines.
6. Staff-think outside the box regarding job roles and personnel. Keep and reward that add value to your business, and clean out those that don’t.
7. Processes- examine your procedures and invest in more efficient processes. Look for duplication and bottlenecks.
8. Outsource? A great way to make a fixed cost into a flexible one. But make sure it’s right for the business.
9. Location-not a realistic option for some businesses, but huge costs can be sauced by moving departments/functions abroad or even elsewhere in the UK.
10. Look after key customers-get closer to your customers, offer real value, and keep them interested and talking to you. Make judicial use of emailers, direct mail, face to face and sales promotion. The Corporate Gifts Co can supply executive incentives from; sterling silver to clocks and from USB drives to desk accessories. Call today on 0845 430 2902
Tags: Branding, corporate gift, corporate gifts, Corporate Gifts Co, engraving, executive incentives, promotion, sales promotion Posted in About The Corporate Gifts Company | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
STERLING SILVER
The hallmark of quality; how often you heard that phrase? So why is the hallmark synonymous with the concept of quality?
Hallmarking precious metals was one of the very first instances of consumer protection in history; devised in Birmingham, England as a means of verifying the quality of the material goods were made of and protecting consumers from unscrupulous traders – not much has changed has it?
As silver plate is essentially a thin layer of sterling silver on top of a base metal such as brass or zinc alloy, it is difficult for the layman to tell the difference. The hallmark therefore, is indisputable proof that an item is made from sterling silver or another precious metal.
The hallmark is made up of symbols that denote; the year it was made, the assay office it was verified at, the maker, and the grade of precious metal. Most common are 925 silver, 9ct, 18ct and 24ct gold.
The Corporate Gifts Company have a comprehensive collection of sterling silver promotional items from business card cases to bookmarks and from photo frames to paperweights. All can be diamond engraved using our in – house engraving facility. We can also design special commissions and bespoke items in sterling silver and solid gold such as; cufflinks and corporate jewellery or keyrings and personal accessories. Our in – house design team can supply FOC visuals – just ask the sales team.
Tags: Bookmark, business card cases, corporate gift, corporate gifts, Corporate Gifts Co, engraving, gifts company, promotion, promotional item, promotional items Posted in About The Corporate Gifts Company | No Comments »
Friday, August 28th, 2009
Christmas is coming
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.)
Notebook and pen
Cone wine stopper
Champagne stopper
3 in 1 bar tool
Carriage clock
Deco clock
City desk set
Puzzle globe
Handbag mirror
5 x7 photo frame
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 Posted in About The Corporate Gifts Company | No Comments »
Thursday, August 27th, 2009
The carrot or the stick- the age old question when it comes to staff motivation. In the 21st Century we like to think we’re a little more enlightened – no dark satanic mills for us, no sir. In a job market where the employee is king (well, until the recession came along, that is) it’s been all carrot and no stick.
And whilst the economic downturn may well have “redressed” the balance somewhat, the future is still orange! And it’s not all about money, other factors such as job security (very topical) and career developments are big winners. So what are the key issues to consider?
WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE COMPANY?
It’s very easy to get caught up with what works for the employee. Any scheme or incentive must be aligned with business goals and objectives. As with Investors in People, training incentives must have bottom line benefits for the company.
CREATE OWNERSHIP
Get your team involved up front. Buy in will come from involvement and that will effectively drive performance. Listen to what really motivates them and centre on that and that will effectively drive performance. Listen to what really motivates them and centre on that, especially for goal hungry sales staff.
BE COMPETITIVE
Check out the competition and make sure your scheme is up to scratch. Otherwise …..
MEASURE
If it can be measured, it can be managed. Staff will respond better to specific, measurable targets. Build in those KPI’s (key performance indicators).
EVALUATE
Don’t cast anything in stone; test, evaluate, review and develop. Failing schemes can be de-motivating and may see staff walk.
REWARD AND RECOGNISE
Finally, don’t forget to make individual or team achievements public and visible.
The Corporate Gifts Company has loads of great ideas to help your motivation scheme along. Staff will be highly motivated by awards, plaques, corporate jewellery such as lapel badges, or a well chosen gift to say thank you such as sterling business card case.
Tags: award, Branding, corporate gift, corporate gifts, Corporate Gifts Co, engraving, gifts company, incentive schemes, plaques Posted in About The Corporate Gifts Company, Corporate Gift Range | No Comments »
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 »
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 Posted in About The Corporate Gifts Company, Business Gifts, Corporate Gift Awards, Corporate Gift Range | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
Fashion and fads in the recession.
There are some things that are recession proof such as food – we’ve all got to eat, of course. But for the majority of industries and businesses, the recession will have some adverse effects (some more than others). Right at the sharp end of these effects, however, are things that are subject to fashion, fads and crazes. In a recession, this year’s model is likely to fast become fodder for the scrap heap as quickly as you can say, “Quantitive Easing”.
Think of all the momentum built up behind eco–friendly and ethically sourced products; whilst we all still share the ideals that made this 2008’s hot topic, it’s rather slipped down the pecking order of our concerns as more immediate financial concerns and more pressing. And what about organic food – are huge growth area and a retail star in recent years? According to recent data, sales have taken a battering.
Imagine, then, how real fashion or fad items have fared now consumers are tightening their belts; fashion accessories, high tech gadgets, etc.
Sales promotion, too, has been hit hard. What holds up in recessionary times in sales promotion (as well as other markets) is tried and tested products, especially those with a classic style and high perceived value. Not only does it say; safe, it also feeds the desire and for a little bit luxury (much needed in hard times).
The Corporate Gifts Company specialise in premium incentives, particulary silver plated and sterling silver gifts diamond engraved with your corporate logo or promotional message.
Our products are classic with a timeless style; a reliable corporate gift solution with just the right amount of luxury and wow factor.
Tags: corporate gift, corporate gifts, Corporate Gifts Co, fashion, gifts company, little bit, premium incentives, promotion, sales promotion Posted in Corporate Gift Range | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
RECRUITMENT
Let’s start at the very beginning. Building a great team starts with recruitment. Have a clear idea what type of attitude you ideally want from your staff – most skills can be taught, getting the right attitude is a very different matter.
BALANCE
Like a good football team, it’s not all about outstanding individuals, but more a balance of complimentary strengths and skills. Have a look at www.belbin.com for different team roles and how to identify who should be doing what.
MOTIVATION
It’s not always about money, especially in a recession, job security is vital, but so is a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities. From this transparent and cohesive team situation, you can build motivation and incentive programmes that will be able to drive performance and deliver results. Don’t forget, corporate gifts can be extremely cost effective and play an important part in staff motivation.
FEEDBACK
Let people know when they are not performing, but more importantly tell them when they’re doing well. Good teams are self policing - staff don’t want to let each other down and sub-standard performance is quickly identified and stubbed out
OPPORTUNITIES
Provide clear and achievable career opportunities – keep them interested and striving for the next level.
Tags: corporate gift, corporate gifts Posted in Corporate Gifts Advice and Help | No Comments »
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