Lakeside Promotions NW

Corporate Gifts on a Budget

With the recent hit that the economy has taken due to the housing market crisis, one of the most commonly uttered words today is "budget." Individuals and businesses alike are spending considerably less on things whenever they can. Whether it's driving a few extra miles to get gas a few cents cheaper or re-evaluating the costs of service providers and going with someone who can save the company more money per month, everything boils down to budget. Now more than ever, in addition to attracting new business, companies are trying to keep their loyal customers and clients. It is the most loyal clients who will keep coming back time and time again. The easiest way to keep them coming back is to provide them with exceptional service and to go above and beyond the call of duty. One thing that everyone wants is to be cared about. A company will not succeed if they only see their clients as dollar signs. People, be it in business or just in life, enjoy feeling appreciated and the time is quickly approaching when everyone feels the most appreciated: the holiday season. Offices will soon be inundated with holiday cards, food gifts and other tidings of joy and merriment that accompany the holidays. Everyone loves receiving a gift and those that you do business with are no different. Sending out corporate gifts to your valued clients is just another way of going the extra mile. Here are a few simple tips on how to make sure that your corporate gifts stay within the budget. Order Early While retail stores start putting out holiday decorations right after (and sometimes before) Thanksgiving, promotional product companies start even sooner. Start shopping right after back to school season to get an idea of what type of corporate gifts you want to send. Ordering early will ensure that you do not incur additional rush charges and it can almost guarantee that the items that you choose are in stock. Trim the List One of the most important things about your corporate gift is quality. The larger the number of recipients, the less can be spent, per item, thus hindering your ability to send a quality corporate gift. Go over the list of recipients once, and then twice, and then a third time just to be sure. Call all recipients' companies and find out their policy on gift giving. Make sure that whomever you are sending to is allowed to receive a corporate gift. Keeping the list as "trimmed down" as possible will ensure that you have more money to spend per item. And making sure that all recipients can, in fact, receive gifts will make sure that no money is wasted. Set a Price Point When shopping for corporate gifts it's tempting to spend an extra dollar per item to get a gift that seems much fancier or elegant. Those dollars add up, however, so be careful. Set a price point early on and shop for the best prices around. If you find something you like, call the company and get a quote for how much your total will be including shipping, art charges, and any other fees you might incur. Choose Items That Are Easy to Ship Often times, items can incur hefty shipping charges if they are heavy, oddly sized, or require intricate packaging. Shopping for corporate gifts that do not fall into one of the above three areas will help you ensure that your shipping costs will work nicely into your budget, thus allowing you to spend more on what really matters: the corporate gift itself. Be sure to ask your promotional consultant how the gift is packaged for shipping before placing your order. To Logo or Not to Logo It's nice to add your logo to a corporate gift, but is it really necessary? Most promotional items, including most corporate gifts require a set-up charge for art work. Additionally, if your artwork is not in the correct format, many companies charge an "art charge" to convert your logo. Also, if your logo is extremely intricate and detailed, you may incur a fee for recreation (editing the logo in the correct format to ensure that it will fit on your chosen product). Your corporate gift should not be about branding your logo. Instead, choose a simple message of holiday greetings or best wishes for the coming year. Have it printed with your company name as "text only." While there will still be a setup charge, you will not incur any heavy art charges. However, do keep an eye out. Several companies offer products that have "no set-up charges" so shop wisely. With everyone trying to cut costs, there is no doubt that holiday sales will be affected by the recent economic trends. However, by following the above listed steps you can still celebrate the season with customers and clients. With a little time, research and some intelligent thinking, you can be sure that you'll find the corporate gifts that best suit your needs.

By: Sarah Shepherd ~ E-Marketing

* we will find some helpful articles and information that will guide and educate our customers and then post them in our blog form time to time.

Contact us (425) 367-4110

www.lakesidepromotionsnw.com

July 2008

Hello to all from the Workshop here at Lakeside Promotions NW!

Boy is it heating up around here. The temperature is rising and the business is booming. How is your business doing? Are you getting all the customers you want and need? We are always looking for new and innovative ways to find great customers just like you. Take our newsletter as an example. We love it and hope you enjoy it too. It’s fun to see a great new selection of items every month. Another great way to promote your business we have found is to join a networking group. You really owe it to your business to bring in all the business you can. We love ours, just ask us about it!

Speaking of new items, wow do we have a lot! You name it, we got it and always at a great price. No, really our prices are usually lower than those even on our website, all you have to do is let us work a little magic for you. Then there is our extra special ‘current specials’. We have a great Summer T shirt sale coming up that is just going to knock your socks off! Hey wait… you shouldn’t be wearing socks, it’s too, just like this deal. Summer fundraiser? This deal will help you out!

Now I know it’s still warm, but do you realize the fall trade show, home show, Christmas and conference season is just around the corner! Now is the time to let us help you find your target customer and make a custom plan of promotional product action, just for your business. We have a great selection of Christmas ornaments that work wonders as fundraisers. Call us soon, so we can get started right away… the clock is ticking!

Well that is all for now folks. We hope you are all enjoying the weather and having a wonderful summer.

Terie Renner

Daniel Rabinovich

Lakeside Promotions NW

We are proud to offer Business/Greeting cards.

Did you ever get your mail and found a card in it from your dentist, attorney, bank, etc. and it wasn't a bill, but simply it was a thank you for doing business with me card? Was it a nice feeling that you were appreciated and not just someone paying their bills? What ever happened to those days?

We at now offer cards. Many styles to choose from.

custom cards

Contact Us

info@lakesidepromotionsnw.com

(425)367-4110

http://www.lakesidepromotionsnw.com

Here at Lakeside Promotions NW we wanted to be your one stop shop with promotional products. in keeping with that theme we would like to introduce business cards, rubber stamps, labels and post-its.

Now you now can custom design your business cards, rubber stamps, labels, and post-its.

Just click on any of the below new services offered.

From the staff of

Lakesideside Promotions NW

Daniel Rabinovich

425-367-4110

www.lakesidepromotionsnw.com

Hi my name is Daniel Rabinovich, and I am the owner of Lakeside Promotions NW. Welcome.

This is our first day being on MerchantCircle (5/9/08) and we had an awesome response. I would like to thank each and everyone who is in our network and to those who will soon join in. I value business networking, because it is so crucial, not only in getting leads but also establishing a good reputation and making the business community stronger.

Lakeside Promotions NW is being managed by Terie Renner, who has nearly 20 years marketing, retail and customer service experience. Feel free to contact her on our full product line. 

What we do

We are your complete source for promotional products.

Anywhere from business cards, labels, to giveaways like pens, shirts, hats, bags, etc. Using promotional products with your logo on them ensures that the customer does not throw it away. Do you have magnets on your fridge? Do you have some other company's pen in your office? How about a mug or a sports bottle with a logo on it? Do you have a shirt from the last event you have attended? These are all examples of promotional products.

EVERYBODY USES PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS.

What would you like to promote?

We can be contacted by phone or email

425-367-4110 office Mon-Fri 8:30 am – 5:30 pm (pacific)

Daniel Rabinovich      daniel@lakesidepromotionnw.com

Terie Renner                terie@lakesidepromotionsnw.com

Artwork submissions  artwork@lakesidepromotionsnw.com

Check us out at our web: www.lakesidepromotionsnw.com

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