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.
Posts Tagged ‘promotional items’
STERLING SILVER
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009Why trust the Corporate Gift Company
Thursday, August 13th, 2009Trust is very topical this year at home and abroad whether it’s the MP’s expenses or who really won the election in Iran. In a recent report by the Bar Standards Board, not surprisingly policians and estate agents polled as the least trusted profession with journalist not far behind. Among those most trusted were lawyers (perhaps surprising) and accountants.
Buying online is a far more common place now than even a couple of years ago, but not a week goes by without some scam or other being reported. So trust is a big issue when buying from a website, and if you’re sourcing corporate gifts or promotional items, then there’s enough wrong to worry about with hitting deadlines, getting branding right, and quality issues, without worrying about whether you can trust the website.
Here are some reasons why you can trust The Corporate Gifts Company
1) we’ve been supplying promotional items since 1991
2) we have been ISO9000 accredited for over 10 years (the international quality standard)
3) we’ve been members of the BPMA for more than 10 years
4) we hold the Investors in People standard
5) we have thousands of the satisfied customers – check out our testimonials
6) stock is held in our warehouse and branding is done in house so we’re always in control
And furthermore our friendly and professional staff will always be on hand to answer any queries and will keep you informed throughout your order every step of the way. You can trust The Corporate Gifts Company with your promotional gift requirements – call today on 0845430 2902
How to get ahead in business – with Corporate Gifts!
Thursday, August 13th, 2009Having a face for a radio – or even average looks – may hold people back in the workplace more. A report from the University of Florida have found that while we may like to think that we get paid for our abilities, the sad truth is good looks and a winning smile count for more.
Alarmingly, the research shows that preferential treatment based on attractiveness begins with the behaviours of the mother and other caregivers towards children – meaning that those with better looks are likely to have more confidence instilled in them. By the time they reach the workplace their combination of good looks and self – assurance has a good chance of winning them a better job and salary. Various studies have argued; one in four female executives would consider cosmetic surgery specifically to boost their career progression, over half of women having a better body and being more attractive would help them climb the career ladder. Good looking, slim, tall people earn 5% more than their less attractive colleague’s on the other hand overweight people get paid 30% less than their more slender colleagues.
Although this may seem a bit “tongue in cheek”, legislation for “lookism” (no really) already exists in the USA and is coming to a workplace near you in the UK!
So the rather tenuous link into this jaw dropping insight into workplace preferences is that The Corporate Gifts Company has probably the best looking selection of desirable premium incentives and business gifts on the web. In fact, if Carlsberg did corporate gifts, this would be their website! From fantastic desk accessories like the sleek Desk Set, to beautiful ladies gifts like the Handbag mirror, the Corporate Gifts Company is the best website for drop dead gorgeous promotional items. After all we now know a good look gets you further in business, don’t we?
Marketing to Niche Markets
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009In today’s difficult economy many companies are seeing their traditional revenue streams shrinking. If there is one challenge to the sales promotion industry it is how to reach minority markets, currently estimated at about £400billion. Conventional marketing and promotional methods are not enough to capture those hard – to – reach minority markets This is made up of a range of markets including ethnic minorities, seniors and the LGBT community. A lot of the organisations have been unsure how to respond to these changes, opting instead for a, “one a size fits all,” generic approach.
During the recession, businesses should be investing in marketing strategies that target these diverse, groups through targeted products and messages.
An advantage of the promotional merchandise industry is that it provides the perfect platform for this short of approach to our increasingly diverse, cultural society. Promotional products and services can reach and engage with hard to reach audiences.
In terms of cost, promotional items and corporate gifts, can reduce wastage and maximise efficiency. According to the Office of National Statistics and Brand Choice;
1) Disposal income in the U.K ethnic minority market is access of £90 billion.
2) 18.7% of the U.K population is 65 and over.
3) 8% of the population in the U.K are ethnic communities.
4) 1/3 of businesses are owned and run by members of ethnic minorities.
A number of major brands already communicate well with ethnic groups in the U.K as part as their marketing, and PR strategies, such as Tesco and HSBC. They, have conducted specific very successful campaigns and built brand loyalty and revenue. Niche products tailored to meet specific needs, are also doing well.
In the good times, when budgets are generous and targets are perhaps less important, sales campaigns often are characterised by a scattergun approach – throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping enough of it will stick. Obviously in a recession every marketing pounds or dollar needs to count and promotional items and corporate gifts can prove highly targeted and cost effective; different products can be chosen for each and target market with a range of branding techniques; from jewellery to keyings and flash drives .
How do I get the most from sales and marketing?
Thursday, June 25th, 2009Marketing budgets are traditionally the first thing to be cut by businesses in a recession – which perhaps goes some way to explaining why so go bust. In challenging times, it’s even more important to maintain good communication with your customers. This is the time your marketing can be more targeted and successful. Your competitors may be cutting their marketing agent, the bolder companies can take this opportunity to stand out, get noticed and win new customers.
Before embarking on a marketing project, it should be part of a wider, long-term strategy to be properly effective. It’s essential to have a strategy that co-ordinates activity, continuously identifies customer need and sets in place measurable outcomes.
It is understood to costs five times more to win a customer than it does to keep an existing one so, looking after your client base is essential.
The key to good marketing in a recession is to measure constantly. Companies should be developing targeted messages and offers for sections of their customer base that they know from experience will respond well.
Targeted corporate gifts have been shown to be extremely cost effective. The Corporate Gifts Company has almost 20 years of experience in providing business gifts and promotional items that, when used effectively, are highly targeted and measurable. Our state of the art computer diamond engraving can add value to your corporate gift with an engraved logo, promotional message or even individual names or initials can be added at very little extra cost. We can also print and emboss leather – our new range of premium leather can be engraved, printed or embossed.
So the message is; don’t’ forget to market your company (it can be a false economy) and look for cost effective ways to promote your organisation.
Ask our expert sales team today on: 0845 430 2902 how to make corporate gifts and promotional items work for your company.
It’s all about the Service, Stupid.
Monday, April 20th, 2009At 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.
New Products Coming Soon
Saturday, December 27th, 2008Here at the Corporate Gifts Co we are always working to develop and expand our product range, and despite all the economic doom and gloom, we are striving forward with some really exciting new promotional product ideas for 2009. After all, promotional activity is essential to drive your company forward, whatever the economic outlook, and when it’s this bad, you need new and cool incentives and premiums to drive new sales.
So what are we working on?
Well, we are developing a range of eco-friendly, ethically sourced awards which will be available in standard models “off the shelf” and also bespoke options using our free design service.
My favourite is a new innovative range of promotional aluminium folders and office accessories manufactured in the UK. Again, these will be available off the shelf and as special bespoke orders. These will be great for promotion of documents and product launches and, well, the list is endless.
More Sterling Silver; our current range of sterling silver promotional items is proving so popular we are working hard on significantly expanding the range.
That’s just a small selection of the new promotional incentives we’ll be launching next year. Some are already available so if you’re particularly interested in any of the above, give our promotions sales team a call. As they say, watch this space!
www.corporate-gifts-co.com – New look with a clear message.
Friday, December 26th, 2008The Corporate Gifts Company have totally revamped our home page and templates to do justice to our unique collection of quality design-led corporate gifts.
We tried to put ourselves in the buyer’s shoes and immediately felt sorry for you guys out there sourcing your corporate incentives. Why? Well, there’s a lot of very “samey” looking corporate and business gift websites out there. ; how do you decide which website to contact? Not only that, with the bewildering choice of product they feature, how do you wade through the promotional products on there to find something that is suitable for your promotion?
Now, the Corporate Gifts Company are not trying to be all things to all buyers (to be honest, I’m not sure anyone could honestly pull that one off) but we have a very specific quality design-led range of promotional items and we felt that our site needed to tell you that from the very first millisecond that you viewed the home page. And we wanted to make it a bit Chritmassy too.
Hope you like it; www.corporate-gifts-co.com
