Category Archives for Products With Punch

Non-Cash Incentives Drive Top Sales Performers

NO-50-dollar-bill-340pxIn February, 2013, research from the Aberdeen Group, a Boston based research firm, shows top-performing companies are more likely to motivate their sales teams with non-cash rewards and incentives.   That information supports data in an April, 2012 article in Incentive Magazine that states best-in-class firms were more than twice as likely (21% vs. 10%) to use non-cash incentives as industry average or laggard firms.  The Aberdeen research goes on to show that firms with formal internal sales emplyee recognition programs had 14.8% higher team quota attainment and a 5.9% higher customer renewal rate.

So what types of non-cash rewards are most likely to motivate a company’s sales force?  As is the case with every corporate merchandise purchase aimed at employees or customers, the answer depends on the audience.  A target audience consisting mostly of women prefer home, health and jewelry selections.  A male based demographic is motivated by lifestyle products like backyard grills, technology items and recreational equipment.  Group travel appeals to all participants, and verbal praise, public recognition and peer-to-peer recognition remain important ingredients to a successful incentive program.

Professional incentive management professionals can offer a variety of tools to build a custom program aimed at the sales associates of any company, large or small.  And since the most important members of that sales team are the top performers, it may be time to call your incentive program professional and investigate more compelling non-cash rewards for better sales results at the end of the year.

Increase Your Socially Responsible Footprint

corp soc respAccording to BusinessDictionary.com corporate social responsibililty (CSR) is “A company’s sense of responsibility towards the community and environment (both ecological and social) in which it operates.”  This concept has been around since the late 1960’s, and since that time corporations increasingly realize the value of the improved brand reputation that comes from a commitment to CSR.

CSR initiatives are a powerful branding tool when executed in a way that demonstrates a true commitment, rather than just a PR gesture.  Printing on both sides of the copy paper and recycling pop cans isn’t enough to establish a company as socially responsible.  Using sustainable materials in manufactured products;  reducing energy consumption in operations; and donating employee time to community projects are all practical ways to increase the corporate socially responsible footprint.  Oh – and let’s not forget another important action that can demonstrate our pledge to social responsibility – buying and distributing promotional products that are eco-consious, and, in some cases, sourced from fair trade, fair wage suppliers.

Examples of socially responsible products range from gourmet food produced in Yonkers, NY by a bakery committed to fair wages and community renewal, to tote bags made in Cambodia from recycled mosquito netting.  Jewelry is created from tagua seeds that are harvested from the sustainably-harvested Ivory Nut Palm grown in the rainforests of Columbia.  And something as simple as an organic cotton coffee cup sleeve ($3.00 for an opening order minimum quantity of 100 pieces) supports Kenyan mothers of children with special needs.  The prices vary as widely as the products, so there is a product and a pricepoint to fit most corporate marketing needs.

Most of us understand that not everything purchased to promote brand awareness can be eco-friendly.  Sometimes the pricing can’t meet the budget guidelines, and other times the product options don’t offer choices that speak to the target audience.  But with all else being equal, companies that actively promote their corporate social responsibility programs by putting their brand on products that speak to their commitment to society and the planet, are viewed more favorably.

Earth Day is April 22 – now is a good time to give visible testament to how your company plans to increase your socially responsible footprint!

(Image courtesy of Tawheed Manzoor)

Uniqueness Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

uniqueWhen a customer says they want a unique promotional product to represent their brand, what they are saying is that they want an item that provides a positive emotional response in their audience.  Maybe something new to the market, but more likely something their particular audience is not accustomed to receiving.

For instance, I imagine that there have been many highway safety kits, road atlases and tire gauges given away by car dealerships over the years.   But how many times has a car dealership given a branded mobile phone holder or dual USB car charger?  And, hopefully, the car owner would use the phone holder or car charger far more than a roadside safety kit, giving the car dealership the advertising value they are paying for by providing more “impressions” every time the driver gets in the car.  Those items are not new, unique products, but they would likely be new to that audience, and therefore elicit a more positive response.

As a promotional products provider I have sometimes fallen into the trap of omitting product ideas in customer presentations that represent items I have sold many times in the past.  I leave out options that I perceive to be “stale” or “overdone”, but just when I think I have put together a wonderful assortment of unique, creative ideas, my customer will ask for samples of the same item I consciously left out of the mix.  Why?  Because that customer has never used that particular item in a campaign and it represents a fresh idea in their market. (Note:  when this happens, it’s not a proud moment for me)

Logo merchandise uniqueness can mean different things – a totally new product; a classic product with a new twist; or a product staple that is used in a new way aimed at a different audience.  As it turns out, most of the time, the uniqueness truly is in the eye of the beholder.  So consider what has been done in the past to excite your audience, and take another look at ideas that are “new to you”!

The Book Of Flies Helps Reel In Clients

od013_book_of_fliesAccording to the American Sportfishing Association, with more than 46 million anglers, more than twice the number of people fished in 2011 than attended every NFL game combined.  To put the financial impact of those numbers in perspective, if fishing were a company, the amount spent by anglers to support fishing related retail sales would rank 51 on the Fortune 500 list.  With that information in mind, it may be time to consider corporate gift options that appeal to the millions of fishing enthusiasts in this country.

The list of fishing related promotional merchandise options is long, and there are items that will appeal to every recipient and every budget.  For example:

  • Handmade leather Book of Flies is a styish way to store and organize fishing flies
  • Hook & Tackle microfiber Fishing Shirt with UPF 35+ sun protection, rod holder and utility loop
  • Waterproof pouch to protect fishing license
  • Eagle Claw collapsible open cast Rod & Reel
  • Bobbers to keep the line afloat
  • Fishing Clipper with knife and line pick includes 36″ neck lanyard
  • Rapala Fishing Lure in 3 different sizes to attract different types of fish

With figures that prove more Americans fish than play golf and tennis combined, this is a demographic that deserves your attention.  Freshwater or saltwater – lakes, oceans or streams – the avid angler will find the time and the place to enjoy this sport.  Give him or her a reason to connect your brand with such an enjoyable part of their lives!

Earth Day Is April 22 – Show Your Commitment

  • eco bagCommitting to a business strategy that supports a cleaner environment is not so much an option, as a business imperative, according to Corporate EcoForm Chair P.J. Simmons.  Some firms have invested in building practices that win them LEED (Leadership in Energy and Enviornmental Design) certification, while others have enlisted sustainability practices that affect every operational business process from information technology to product design, and even into areas like accounting and marketing.
  • To build on current practices, or even to begin moving in that direction, there are thousands of eco consious products available for logo branding that will demonstrate not only your awareness, but your corporate commitment to the environment.  And Earth Day is a perfect time to roll out that message of eco-awareness to your customers with a product that is useful, attractive and appropriately planet-friendly.  Consider some of these options:

Under $20.00

  • Cotton tote made from 100% recycled material
  • Umbrella made from 51% recycled material
  • Polos and t-shirts made from organic and recycled material

Under $10

  • Flash drive made from bamboo or recycled paper
  • Car charging flashlight
  • Messenger bag or duffel made from 100% recycled material

Under $5.00

  • Plastic bag recycler made from 100% cotton
  • Insulated grocery tote made from recycled non-woven material
  • Journal made from 100% recycled paper

Under $1.00

  • Eco pen made from recycled paper, bamboo or biodegradable plastic
  • Koozie beverage holder made from recycled foam
  • Magnet made from 100% recycled material

There’s a growing demand for recycled products, intensified regulations and even increased investor pressures to demonstrate sustainable practices.  Build your brand identity, and support a cause that makes business sense, with products that represent today’s reality of the need to reuse, recycle and reduce.

Summer Is Coming

coolerAlthough we are still battling winter, we buoy our spirits with the knowledge that before long summer will be here.  Before that happens, however, the saavy corporate buyer can take advantage of supplier price specials on summer items like t-shirts, sunscreen and coolers.  And, for an added bonus, the timing of these first quarter specials allows us to think ahead of the spring/summer corporate events, and take a little extra time to explore some of the exciting options for creative product branding.

For instance …

  • Coleman coolers can be decorated on every side, including the top of the lid, with the corporate colors, graphics and marketing message;
  • the right screen printer can turn a simple cotton t-shirt into a fashion statement with brand graphics as subtle, or bold, as the corporate advertising theme dictates;
  • and simple items like SPF15 lip balm, insulated beverage holders or acrylic sport bottles offer a logo billboard that has full color, full wrap decorating potential.

Creative graphics can be as basic as adding an all-over solid imprint matching the corporate logo color, and adding the logo on top.  To add a little more style, there are millions of professional photos and graphics available on various internet sites like Shutterstock for very low prices.  Or, in the case of companies with larger marketing departments, in-house graphic artists can create something completely original.

Taking advantage of price specials on the right product for the next event makes budget sense.  Working with your promotional products provider in March to brainstorm creative branding options for a gift-with-purchase program that launches in July, gives the process owner peace of mind, and the recipient a more exciting gift experience.

Easy Does It

easyIt may be true that not much in life is easy, but when corporate customers launch a promotional merchandise fulfillment program, it is the duty of the distributor partner to make it appear that way.

In this case, appearances should be a bit deceiving, since, in fact, to design a user-friendly, budget-conscious, logistically innovative on-line corporate store requires a great deal of research, planning and focused management of countless details.

To begin the process, nothing can happen before an anlaysis is performed of past customer purchasing trends.  What do they buy? How often? In what quantities? (to name a few of the more obvious questions).  Does everyone have internet access?  Are there department budgets to consider and track? Do purchases require management approval? (moving on with a few considerations that may be less apparent).

And the background due diligence is only the beginning of a long building process that moves from research to web design, order management, storage and packaging, and final product delivery.   All stages of the process – from proposing the program to fulfilling the orders – must be thoroughly analyzed and impeccably executed.  I view the work of the program management team as the engineering, design and build process that will eventually become the final structure in which all of the work will take place.

But, back to the easy part.  The reason program RFP’s are issued and contracts are executed is so that the corporate marketing and procurement departments don’t have to manage all those details.  Once a supplier partner has been chosen, the sometimes confusing and complicated process of launching a logo products store should be seamless.   The distributor takes care of the day to day challenges of moving branded products to the end recipients, and the corporate administrator should only need to allocate an hour or so each month to review the progress of the program with the account manager.  If the client begins fielding calls about product quality, web site ineffciencies or shipping delays, then process improvements are in order.

Consider how your current program is operating, and if it isn’t easy for you, the customer, then schedule a time to meet with your program manager to discuss how to get things back on track.

Taking It To Extremes

1349975049According to the Global Industry Analysts, Inc (GIA) report on the popularity of extreme sports, the global demand for these high adventure activities is expected to surge. No longer reserved for the eccentric, the customer base is broad and comprises of teenagers and young adults to more mature, mainstream sectors of the population.  Some extreme sports have even surpassed more conventional sports in popularity.

What does that mean for corporate marketing departments?  For one thing, it means that companies targeting daring, sports-minded consumers should be conscious of the fact that some of those sports may fall into the the extreme category, and the promotional merchandise they give away should be able to stand up to the same elements these sports enthusiasts endure.

A few products that can hold their own under extreme conditions:

Eco Extreme Speaker Case:  Durable, high quality speaker case that can be used by snowboarders and hikers – but is also perfect for golfers and boaters.  It’s a waterproof case that floats, with built in speakers to carry the sound of an iPhone, Ipod or other MP3 player, and can withstand falls, drops and the elements.

Quench Hydration Packs:  Made from durable 840D polyester, this ready-for-anything backpack offers a large main comparment and a separate rear compartment that holds a 2-litre water reservoir.  Extra pockets for storage and padded back panel, waist belt and adjustable straps gives the sports enthusiast the ability to stay hydrated while climbing that last 100 feet.

Sunglasses by Coleman:  Polycarbonate frames, polarized lenses and rubber molded detail for comfort make these sunglasses an essential part of the arsenal when the sun is shining off the helmet of the biker in front of you.  Shock proof case provides protection and microfiber cloth keeps them clean.

Extreme sports are gaining in popularity for participants and spectators.  Sports of all kinds have been popular since the beginning of time.  Corporate marketers looking to get their brand in front of an active, aggressive audience need to consider products that can keep up with their lifestyles.   Ask for samples and take them for a test drive – if you dare!