i-Website

While the middle of January may seem a bit early to beginthinking about taxes, 1099-MISC filing deadlines are loomingfor businesses. Generally speaking, IRS 1099-MISC is theform used to report miscellaneous income that you paid topersons during 2004 in the course of your trade or business.

Does This Apply To My Business?

The 1099-MISC forms must be issued to any person that youhave paid at least $600 in rents, services or other incomepayments. Typically, you should issue the form to anyindependent contractor that you paid $600 to during 2004.For example, if you paid a designer $1,500 to build andmaintain a website in 2004 for your business, a 1099-MISCfiling would be required. As with practically any IRSfiling, there are additional situations that require a 1099filing [ex: any fishing boat proceeds], so make sure youcover your bases by looking at the relevant instructions.Generally, you are not required to report payments to acorporation.

When and What Must Be Filed?

The 1099-MISC form is a multi-layered carbon form, so makesure the information you provide appears clearly on all ofthe copies. Once you have filled out the form, you mustprovide Copy B to the person that you are reporting to theIRS by January 31, 2005. Using our previous example, youwould mail Copy B to your website designer before the end ofJanuary.

Copy A of the 1099-MISC form is intended for the IRS. Youare required to file it by February 28, 2005 if you aresending the form by mail. If you prefer to fileelectronically, you have until March 31, 2005 to file theform.

Revealing a particular flair for red tape, the IRS requiresyou to file an additional form if you are filing Copy A ofthe 1099-MISC by mail. In such a situation, you must file an”Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns”form. This summary is better known as Form 1096 and youshould have already received a copy of it in the mail fromthe IRS.

Where To Find These Forms

To the surprise of many people, the IRS has an excellentwebsite containing information and tax forms.

Unfortunately,the site is fairly useless when it comes to obtaining taxforms that you can actually file. You cannot download anduse any 1099 form from the website. If you try to printforms from the site and use them, you run into two problems.First, the IRS computers will not be able to read the formsand will reject them. Second, it is doubtful that you willbe printing on multi-layered carbon paper, which means youwill have no Copy B of the 1099. Obviously, either situationcan attract unwanted attention from the IRS.

You can order forms from the IRS by calling 1-800-tax-formor ordering them off of the IRS website [do not download].The IRS suggests it typically takes at least two weeks forthe forms to be delivered, but keep in mind that it may takelonger. If you need the forms sooner, you usually can findthem at libraries and post offices.

About the Author: Richard Chapo is CEO of http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review. He can be reached at richard@businesstaxrecovery.com.

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Jobs are heating up. We’re all feeling the pinchof hiring freezes and information overload.Workplace stress is increasing right along withthe workload.

Headaches are turning into migraines; back painsare driving us to the chiropractor, and minorirritations are causing tempers to flair.

In addition to our personal reaction to stress, itis taking its toll on the bottom line. Stress isdriving up the cost of health care, and we can seea huge impact in things like tardiness,absenteeism, personnel turnover, and accidents.The annual price tag of stress in corporateAmerica is more than $150 billion.

While forecasters tell us we can expect more ofthe same, we need our jobs, and we need to findways to control the stressors that are affectingour health and productivity.

Here are 11 ways you can keep your cool andminimize the impact of stress on your life.

Do your own job - When poor the work habits ofothers create stress, remember why you’re there.Pay attention to your own job. You will not berated on the performance of others, but the bosswill note the quality of your work. Stay focusedon the job you were hired for, and let managementdeal with improving the department or the company.Don’t get stressed about things that are not yourresponsibility.

Organization - Regardless of company expectations,you can alleviate a lot of your stress byorganizing your work space and getting a firmgrasp on the work that must be done. Even if youhave to pay for it yourself, get the tools neededto organize your effort, e.g. files, furniture,PDAs, software, and training. Work with your bossto prioritize projects and routine tasks. Onlyget concerned about unfinished work if the bossgives it a priority. You’ll never get everythingdone, so pick the most important and fileeverything else in an easy to reach file drawer.

Communication - It’s important to maintain yoursupervisor’s comfort level, so meet with them asoften as necessary to keep them informed ofprojects and progress. Give them updates the waythey want them (email, memos, briefings, etc.),and persist in getting the feedback that is soimportant in reducing stress. Use this samestrategy with those who give you information orproducts to do your job and those who depend onwhat you give them. Good communication isessential for good stress control.

Interruptions - Avoid stressful interruptions bycontrolling your schedule and your communications.Establish times for meeting with those who wantinformation from you and hold them to it. Themore persistent you are, the more organized theywill be. Handle phone calls and respond to emailduring specific times. Develop a list of peopleand events that disrupt your job and work witheach until it is under control.

Family Time - Family situations are among thegreatest stressors at work. There’s an old axiomthat says, “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobodyhappy.” It’s true. Avoid future problems byprioritizing family time on your schedule andstick to it. Get professional help if you’reunable to resolve sticky situations.

Exercise - More than 80% of all doctor’s visitsare stress related. Those who find time toexercise reduce stress, strengthen their immunesystem, and improve their well being. Do a littleresearch and talk with the experts to find outwhat fits your needs. Make the exercise part ofyour work schedule if possible; don’t let it cutinto family time. Regular exercise can add yearsto your own life and make you more productive foryour employer.

Nutrition - Proper nutrition is a key to stresscontrol. The US Army recognizes proper nutritionas a critical element in controlling stress amongcombat soldiers, and you must admit, your job issometimes as stressful as combat. Use theInternet or get information from Human Resourcesto improve nutrition. You’ll have to make somedeliberate changes because our eating habits areaffected by our culture, the expectations ofothers, inadequate knowledge about what makes aproper diet. Learn what is needed and make aplan.

Rest - Take charge of your sleep habits in thesame way you work on your eating habits.

Sleepdeprivation is a major stressor by itself, and itadds to the problem with other stressful events.Cut out the late night television. Quit takingwork home from the office. Change the pattern ofyour weekend parties. Get some new friends. Dowhatever is necessary to get back on track withseven or eight hours sleep every night. Studiesshow that twenty minute power naps make us moreproductive, so use part of your lunch break fornutrition and part for a short nap to controlstress. You’ll get more done.

Discussion - Tell people what’s on your mind. Ifyou can’t ignore someone’s special talent forbugging you, talk it over with them. There’s agood chance they are unaware of the offense, soyou don’t need to get up tight about it. In afriendly tone of voice, let them know what getsunder your skin and be ready to make someconcessions yourself. As you now know, theirirritating habit is probably magnified by otherstressors, so make sure you’ve done what you canto control stress before challenging anyone.

Education - The more educated you are about yourjob, the less stressful it becomes. Even ifyou’ve been on the job for years, there’s alwaysmore to learn about the upstream and downstreamimpact of what you do. Stay up to date with tradejournals, books, and other research. Become theexpert at what you do and coach others. Whilesome companies do not pay for this type education,your own investment will make you more valuable toyour company. What you know is portable - and itlooks good on a resume.

Volunteer - Helping others has an immediate impacton stress levels. Build in some family time byvolunteering as a family once a month. Buildrapport with supervisors and co-workers byorganizing a once-a-week lunchtime volunteerprogram. Lead a food or clothing collection forneedy employees or families outside your company.Create a support-the-troops letter writingcampaign so everyone in the company communicatesregularly with GI’s away from home. In short,doing something for someone else takes your mindoff the stressors that bother you most.

Each of these stress relievers works independentlyof the others. Find one that’s practical for youand put it to work. Friends, family, andco-workers will all notice the changes in you andthank you for making the effort.

For a free article about the top ten workplacestressors and how to tame them, send email toTopTenStressors@CourageBuilders.com

—Sidebar—

11 Ways to Keep Your Cool

Do your own job

Get Organized

Communicate with the boss and others

Control interruptions

Schedule Family Time

Exercise

Eat right

Get 8 hours sleep a night

Let others know what bugs you

Learn new things about your job

Volunteer to help others

Copyright 2005 - Dale Collie

About the Author: Dale Collie (MailTo:collie@couragebuilders.com) speaker, author, and former US Army Ranger, CEO,and professor at West Point. Selected by “Fast Company” as one of America’s Fast 50 innovative leaders. Author of “Frontline Leadership: From War Room to Boardroom,” and “Winning Under Fire: Turn Stress into Success the US Army Way.” (McGraw-Hil) F`r`e`e newsletter upon request: MailTo:subscribe-956606571@ezinedirector.net

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The water purification salesman had been talking to us for what seemed like hours. During a lull in his monologue, I asked if he had a website.

“Yes. In fact, we are the only independent distributors of this product who does,” he proudly beamed.

“So you get a lot of leads from the website, then?” I asked.

“No, actually I don’t think we’ve gotten a single lead from it,” he replied.

“Then why do you have a website?” I wanted to know.

“To have a presence on the Internet.”

A few days later, our home inspector was giving us an update on the state of our house. We had bought it a few years earlier in winter, when snow was on the ground and on the roof, and we thought an update would be a worthwhile investment.

“Do you have a website?” I asked.

“Yes, I do. But, I don’t think a single customer found me that way.”

“Then why do you have a website?” I asked.

“To have a presence on the Internet.”

A lot of entrepreneurs and small businesses are sold on paying for a website because it is important to have a presence on the Internet. For many businesses, that is true. But what does “a presence” mean?

Would you open up a store in the corner office of the fifth floor of an office building, or would you open it up in the mall?

Would you leave the windows bare, or would you fill the windows with merchandise and open the door to make your store inviting?

Would you ignore customers when they enter the store, or would you carefully place merchandise and staff to maximize the revenue from each visit?

“A presence” is only valuable if the website serves a purpose, if it fulfills its goals. Just sitting there, somewhere in cyberspace, is not a sound business strategy. An experienced website marketing consultant can help you determine what goals, if any, are viable for your business website.

Here are a few of the goals you might want for your website:

Online pamphlet

If you connect with customers by telephone, this is an ideal way to instantly deliver a pamphlet to them. No mailing, no delays, they can even call up your information while you are on the phone with them. This website has to look credible and be choc full of information.

Credibility booster

If you are selling a big ticket item, particularly one that requires a good reputation, a website can help. This website should look upscale and focus on credibility-boosting content. It is ideal for speakers, consultants and other business-to-business service providers.

Lead generator

One excellent use for a website in many non-retail businesses is as lead generator. The idea is to funnel traffic (website users) into the site and lead them to take action.

Such action might be to call you, to request a brochure, to request a free sample, etc. The main requirement for this is the maximum amount of targeted traffic possible, of people interested in what you have to offer.

By way of example, my marketing strategies website at serves these first three goals: online pamphlet, credibility booster and lead generator.

Email Address Gatherer

This is really a form of lead generation, but it is unique in that you are not trying to sell through the website, but through an email newsletter (also called an ezine). The website is there primarily to pique interest, and the newsletter is there to build affinity and trust in order to make the sale. You need to have a newsletter set up, and you need targeted traffic.

By way of example, my personal growth website at serves this goal, attracting subscribers to my Daily Dose of Happiness

Sell

Of course, if you sell hard goods, electronic goods or even many services, you can make the sales right online. You need some form of payment gateway and/or shopping cart, and your website needs to be able to make the sale from start to finish, which is not always easy. Of course, you also need customers in the form of targeted traffic.

By way of example, my liquid vitamins website at serves this goal.

What you want your website to achieve should dictate the look, the structure, the content, the writing style and whether or not the site is optimized for the search engines. Before investing any more money of time in your website, invest the time required to determine the goals you want your website to achieve.

Or you could be like that water salesman or my home inspector, satisfied with having “a presence”. Of course, many people go through life having “a presence” on Planet Earth, but most entrepreneurs I have met are go-getters. If “a presence” is not good enough in the real world, why settle for it in the online world?

A website should be an investment, not a cost. If your website is not working for you, or if you feel your business should have a website, determine realistic and useful goals, then set your website up to achieve them.

Maybe you don’t need a website at all. Or maybe your website could double your profits. Either way, don’t let it sit there gathering dust somewhere in cyberspace.

About the Author: David Leonhardt is an effective seo consultant and a website marketing consultant.. Pick up a copy of his SEO tips e-book.

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You had a great idea when you decided to open a home-based Internet retail business. You became a “power seller”. as people in the online retail business world call you. Your goal is to move tons of merchandise through Web auction sites and classifieds services without ever leaving the comfort of your home office. Drop shipping gives you the opportunity to accomplish your dreams and more. The sky is the limit if you know how to get your business off the
ground.

Drop shipping can launch your business into successful orbit, but it isn’t rocket science. With this unique way of doing business, you enlist the services of a wholesale merchandise company. The wholesale company takes care of the stockpiling and storing of your product. It even covers the shipping and handling charges when one of your customers orders an item.

This means you don’t have to rent thousands of square feet to warehouse your inventory, and you’re free from the liability that comes with direct delivery to your customers. Your only expenses are the membership fee of your particular wholesaler, along with the fees and percentages you lose to advertising and auctioning online. If you play your cards right with these fees, you can build yourself a very cost-effective-and most importantly, profitable-home based business.

Experienced online retailers have learned the tricks of the trade to do just that. Here are the key secrets that they, your competitors, don’t want you to know. These three tips will stack the deck in your favor, helping you to grow your clientele while avoiding the pitfalls of doing ecommerce.

Get sold on your wholesaler. Nowadays, wholesalers are a dime a dozen, so don’t settle on the first one that comes your way. Let wholesalers compete for your business, instead of the other way around. Many companies may offer specials to new prospective retailers. They may waive the minimum order requirements, credit check, and prepayments if you sign up with them. Top-notch wholesalers could also offer international delivery or special net payment options. Avoid high expenses at the get-go by taking advantage of such specials, and turn a profit a lot quicker.

Sniff out whole-scammers. For every honest wholesaler looking to build a successful relationship with you, there’s a crook out there looking to do nothing but build his bank account at your expense.

Avoid any wholesaler, for instance, who demands you pay an advance fee before you sign up with them. Be wary of wholesalers who claim to have thousands of items in their selection. These might not be wholesalers at all, but middlemen who are trying to bluff you. Instead of actually stocking these thousands of products, they actually buy them from a wholesaler, or another middleman, and resell them to you at a jacked up price, thereby cutting into your profits.

Get wired to the Web wisely. You now have a trusted Wholesaler and outstanding products to move, but so do thousands of other Internet retailers. How can you stand out to attract customers and save money doing so? One way to make a mark online is to design and write your own ads for your products. Many wholesalers provide complimentary stock product photos and descriptions that you can use in your online ads and classifieds. Then again, they provide the same thing to all their retailers. Most retailers use them. So you shouldn’t.

Another effective way to sell on the Web is to find new and innovative sites to sell on. The main auction sites are often crowded with retailers who are eager to undercut your prices. Plus, these auctioning sites tend to have high fees and shorter listing durations. Avoid competition and high prices by trying the next generation of premiere selling sites, such as free online classified sites.

Free online classifieds services work as powerful avenues to sell your goods. They offer attractive features your business needs to take off, such as:

•No sign-up, registration, or transaction fees.

•Free listing (text description and image upload).

•Up to 60-day ad listing. This listing duration is light years longer than most other sites and renewals are free as well.

•Distance calculator. This function comes in handy if you’re concerned with locality.

These free online classified sites can be the ace up your sleeve, whether you’re just launching your home-based Internet retail operation or trying to shoot for the stars with an established business. Strap yourself into your chair and count down to ignition.

About the Author: Donald Lee is the public relationship manager for Buysellcommunity.com. Buysellcommunity provides free classified listing services for individuals and businesses to market their products and services online. For global and localized classifieds, please visithttp://www.buysellcommunity.com - Free Buy & Sell Classifieds

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With the Internet opening up the doorway to the global market, everybody is up and running to reap the maximum benefit of this widely used medium. Not only has Internet gained importance as an important medium of communication but also has given a platform to thousands of people to nurture their entrepreneurship and realize their dreams of self-employment.

The designer community is the group that are harvesting the maximum benefit in this global market. To keep with the pace, every business concern, big or small, are putting in resources to create their cyber identity. They need websites for business, banners for advertisements, corporate logos to establish their brand identity and for all these they need designers.

Given this market scenario, and the advantage of having a global market in the cyber world, distance is no longer a factor for the right person, neither are companies concerned to assign there designing projects to people living a few thousand miles away from them.

From the perspective of a client, it is quiet natural to be a bit shaky and anxious about paying someone they would never see, to do something so important, that might affect the companies business. Going traditionally, most companies would like to work with employees working in front of them. However, these things will never be a factor, once you think of the benefits that you get out of it.

Internet allows you to look into the best design services available all across the world. You need not have to limit yourself to the designers in your own city, state or country but free to assign the project to anyone that you see fit, irrespective of the physical location of the person. You also save on cost, as you might find that there are many equally competent individuals providing wonderful designs at a much lower rate compared to some small business house attaching a big price tag for that work. But this is just one side of the coin. The designers are also happy with the situation. They are getting a global market to sell their service and some of them who are able to do a real good work are also developing good global reputation, seating at their home.

One other factor that I should definitely mention is that with the Asian countries like India, Japan, Singapore, all coming into this market with highly skilled workforce, it gets more easy for the advanced countries like USA and other European Countries to get their job done at a much lower price. These countries have designers who can compete, if not beat, the designers across the world in quality and definitely in price.

However, there are certain factors that any prospective client should consider before assigning a project to any designer over the Internet.

The first thing to do is to check the portfolio of the person, if the designer has got a website, check the website, check the works that he has showcased in his portfolio section, you can also ask for a few references and cross check. These references definitely help you to determine the reputation of the designer. If they have been working for a while, they should be able to provide you with references from past clients, attesting to their professionalism, ability to complete the job and the quality of job done by them.

The next factor that you need to consider is the price that you are paying for your design work. Depending on the factor whether, your designer is a reputed designing firm or just a one-man designing company, you get to negotiate the price. Before you finally assign the project to the designer insist on a formal contract. With the advent of the Internet, most of the designers will not send you a snail mail but will be able to email a contract and once both of you agree to the terms and conditions you can definitely go ahead. Most professional company would use a form mail on their website where you can put in your order details and payment details and once the payment is processed they will start off with your work, while sending you an order confirmation mail.

To have a satisfactory design from any designing company, you need to remember it is the joint responsibility for the designing company and the client. The client should provide a proper brief for the project, what are the specifications, any concepts that they might like to utilize in the design. There should be proper communication flow between the two parties and the promptness of replies will definitely affect the time consumed on the project.

The Internet has given the small businesses and individual entrepreneurs an unbelievable opportunity to compete with the large firms in equal terms. At the same time it has thrown open a chance for the prospective clients to choose their service provider from the global market while paying the lowest possible price. Today any business, irrespective of its nature, should be aimed at the global market. So, do not limit yourself, go out and get the most of it !

About the Author: Ray Smith is a marketing Expert with years of experience in different industries and specialized knowledge on branding and internet marketing.http://www.mycorporatelogo.com

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Good sales people can close, but few “step up” for even more sales from that close. Yet stepping up should be one of the easiest accomplishments in sales — that is if you know how to build the staircase.

Do it by applying a leadership tool I have taught thousands of leaders worldwide during the past 20 years. The tool is simply to foster a particular viewpoint, which is this: Challenge people not simply to do a task but to take leadership of that task.

The difference in results-producing effectiveness between doing a task and taking leadership of a task is the difference between the lightning bug and lightning.

This change in viewpoint may seem simple even simplistic; but when put into action many times daily, it can work wonders.

For instance, I worked with a manufacturing leader whose workers were constantly falling short of productivity goals. I told him he was leading the workers in the wrong way; he was ordering them to get productivity advancements. I told him that he should have the workers sign on as leaders of productivity advancements. When the workers began seeing themselves as such leaders, they started hitting the goals consistently.

Now, let’s apply this leadership tool to the sales process. I’ll show you how to get step-ups in results that go far beyond the results achieved from closes. Here are three ways to do it.

(1) Don’t Just Sell Products, Get Cause Leaders: Salespeople often fail to get step-ups because they have a short-sighted view of the customer. They view the customer as only a customer! Whereas, if we want to get step-ups, we must see the customer not just as a customer but as a “cause leader,” one who can lead our cause both inside and outside their company. Instead of aiming just to sell a product, to get a close, aim to turn your customer into your cause leader.

For instance, I consulted with a materials supplier that wanted to acquire new customers in the computer industry. The salespeople of the materials company not only worked diligently on closing with the engineer-customers but also on creating step-ups by persuading those engineers to be the cause leaders for their materials within the company.

Here is the way that they enlisted that leadership. They discovered that the engineers needed increased productivity and faster cycle-times — and to do it with fewer resources.

In response, the sales people developed a materials performance package for the engineers that increased their productivity and cycle-times. In addition, they brought in productivity experts from their own company to help the engineers streamline their design processes. They’re not only selling their materials. They’re selling productivity as well. Seeing that the sales people were helping them meet their vital needs, the engineers became the sales people’s cause leaders within their company — unleashing a torrent of step-ups.

(2) Start Early: George Burns said, “I had to work hard for 20 years in vaudeville before I became an overnight success in radio.” That’s a lesson in stepping up. Stepping up sales results with my leadership tool doesn’t just happen overnight.

You must prepare to get those step-ups starting in the early stages of the sales process: when prospecting for new clients, identifying decision makers, and making initial calls.

In this early stage, ask yourself: “What is the close in this sale? And how can that close lead to the customer not simply buying my product but also becoming the product’s cause leader, both inside and outside his/her organization?”

For instance, the sales people of the materials company I mentioned aimed to replace their competitors’ materials with their materials in computer housing applications. With that focus, they would have gotten closes — but not step-ups. The differences between their competitors materials and their materials were negligible in cost and performance.

The sales people continued to develop the traditional channels to their customers’ purchasing departments. But they also began building step-ups early by including design engineers in their first-stage sales activities. They focused on being their customers’ “design partners” — not simply showing them where they could save costs and achieve performance advantages but also showing them how they could get market share through the innovative uses of those materials.

Getting in early as their customers’ design partners, they not only got closes but step-ups from those closes by integrating their materials into new generations of housings.

(3) Link to “Must-Have” Results: Step-ups happen only when you answer the vital needs of your customers — not the nice-to-have needs. Discover those needs by asking and answering: “What are your customers absolute must-have results?”

Those “must-haves” are your great step-up opportunities, because when you are delivering on the must-haves, your customers are more likely to become your cause leaders.

In the above example, the sales people were able to get step-ups because they focused on their customer’s “must-haves”, productivity and cycle-time.

Here’s another example dealing with another busines sector: I consulted with an insurance company whose growth had flattened out. We found out a key reason why. Their products were not meeting the must-have results of their customers. The must-have results of their customers were that they absolutely had to grow their businesses. Yet the company’s products did not materially address the growth needs of their customers.

Only when the sales people convinced their own company to develop and sell products that met the growth needs of their customers were they able to turn those customers into cause leaders. Once those new products were offered to the customers, they far outsold the old products.

Don’t sell yourself short by focusing exclusively on the close. Liberate the step-up opportunities that are embedded in most closes by using this powerful leadership tool of challenging people to lead not simply do. By getting customer cause leaders, starting early, and linking to must-have results, you can multiply sales far beyond what closes achieve.

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2005 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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About the Author: The author of 23 books, Brent Filson’s recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. – and has worked with thousands of leaders worldwide during the past 20 years helping them achieve sizable increases in hard, measured results. Sign up for his free leadership ezine and get a free guide, “49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results,” at www.actionleadership.com

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Most of the time, promotional products are items that you give out in order to make sales and gain clients. However, don’t overlook the whole other spectrum of promotional products and promotional items available to you - those you can give to your employees. Promotional products for employees make great promotional gifts, and can be used in a variety of way. At the end of the day, however, these items are still valuable advertising for your company.

One of the most appropriate times to offer promotional products and business gifts to employees as gifts is when the person first starts working for you. Gifts for new employees can include desk items, such as letter openers and clocks, as well as an umbrella, company clothing or caps, and a mouse mat. You can include all of these items in a tote or make a gift basket. In any case, it’s a great idea to provide your newest employees with items that will help them build their office supplies, while at the same time display your company name and logo.

Another great time to give advertising promotional products or corporate gifts to your employees is during the holidays. If you’re a larger company, make sure not to specifically give Christmas presents, because not everyone celebrates Christmas, but instead generalize with “holiday” gifts. Remember, however, that most employees would rather have money than items.

Therefore, make sure that everyone received a holiday bonus. If you wish to supplement that bonus with gifts, try promotional products and promotional items. Windbreakers with your company name or logo are a good idea, as are conference bags or other useful products that will help them either at work or at home. Don’t miss the opportunity to hand out smaller gifts, like promotional Frisbees, yo-yos or beach balls to the children that may attend a company or organizations family holiday park.

When an employee that has been with your company or organization for a long time retires, you may also wish to give him or her a few promotional products as gifts. In this case, remember that the person will not be working in an office environment anymore, and as such certain items simply won’t make sense or be appropriate. However, there are still a wide variety of promotional products and business corporate gifts from which to choose from that can tell the employee that you wish them the best and that you thoroughly appreciated their efforts and work with your company.

When giving gifts to employees, whether they are promotional products or not, always be sure to be fair. If you’d like to purchase a special gift for an employee that has also become a friend or for a personal secretary, do so with your own money, not with company money. Also it is very important to be aware of special needs, beliefs, and restrictions, especially around the holidays and when dealing with employees of opposite sexes.

Initially it is important to establish the key promotional products for your business, to establish the most suitable items that fit your company’s needs and feature the company name or logo prominently.

Promotional products made easy

Promotional products marketing should fit easily into any promotional budget to compliment and enhance the impact of other advertising. As they can be focussed on targeted audiences this has a spectacular effect on their success.

As a tangible item they are certain to remain in use for long periods, thus enabling them to repeat the advertising message time after time without incurring any extra costs. As these gifts are both useful and appealing, they are warmly received as incentives.

There are many products available which allows enormous scope in setting up a promotional operation.

The influence of promotional items and gifts

In 1993 a Baylor University study in America found that sales persons who distributed promotional items received 22% more referrals than those who didn’t offer free gifts.

Also, according to a 1993 Southern Methodist University study, promotional goods produce more sales. Within the food delivery industry, the study found that customers who received promotional products re-ordered up to 18% sooner than those who received coupons and up to 13% sooner than those who received no promotions. A similar 1994 SMU American study of dry cleaning customers discovered that new customers that received promotional products spent 27% more than those who received coupons.

Finally, promotional items are a wonderful way to reward your employees and partners for a job successfully done.

Corporate Gifts have occupied a significant share in the budgets of both big and small businesses. They are important because they are the most effective promotional tools. Of all the methods that are intended to raise the brand recognition, promotional gifts yield better Return on Investment (ROI). Thus they are regarded as the best marketing tools.

Corporate Gifts are important because they convey the message to the customers. They often serve as a medium to send the regards or share a feeling that you develop towards your customers in the due course. You may use the promotional gifts as a means to convey your gratitude to your valuable customer for participating in a event. You may use it as a motivational gift for an employee who contributed significantly towards the achievement of your business. Through this method of gifting, you recognise the efforts of your clients or employees for contributing towards the growth of your company. There are innumerable promotional gifts that serve the purpose as ideal identity articles. They are available in different variety and price range. To find a vast collection of promotional articles that act as ideal giveaways, please visit the online stores. Online, the choices are many. Promotional bags, umbrellas, cups & coasters, pens & writing articles - the list goes on. These gifts are imprinted with the company logos and promotional messages on them.

The promotional value of corporate gifts is commendable.

Consider the example of a bank that respects a customer, who invested a record amount, with a quality promotional gift. For a few days, this customer will become the centre of attraction of the crowd in the bank. The recipient himself will show off the reward in order to call others’ attention. Thus the reward serves dual purposes - motivating the investor and promoting the brand. Many big companies are now equipped with a separate team to devise strategies and distribute seasonal promotional gifts. As the competition among the companies reach to new heights, promotional gifts assume different shapes and quality. The conventional gifting has given way to the trendy gifting. Companies always prefer the ‘latest arrivals’ in order to satiate the tastes of their customers with different interests.

The trend of corporate gifting is likely to zoom in the future. As more and more companies are realising the value of the promotional gifts, in other words, the greater ROI, they are motivated to adopt this win-win strategy of gifting the clients. It is a pleasure for the clients to receive a gift in an unexpected moment of their life, and it is a great investment for the company for improving its brand value. To find a variety of curious corporate gifts, please visit online stores.

One of the most important uses for promotional items in your business is to motivate your employees. Promotional incentives can help increase productivity, inspire sales and create a team work environment that drives your business to higher levels than you ever imagined possible. Here are golden rules for choosing promotional items as professional motivators.

1. Be sure to plan first. Jumping into a motivation plan without thinking can lead to unexpected mistakes and consequences. Decide what your goals are and then design your plan accordingly.
2. Choose promotional items that your employees want. That seems like a given, but you would be surprised how many companies choose promo items that fit the company budget without considering employee wants.
3. Make the items that you choose mean something. Just handing out a free gift to an employee may be nice, but it is not motivating. Let employees know that they are working toward something and make earning it mean something special.
4. Give recognition along with the gift. As a corollary to #3, keep in mind that recognition is a powerful motivator. The promotional items that you choose should be a tangible sign of achievement, not just a randomly chosen gift.
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   For example, employees who work for three months without taking a sick day may be rewarded with a team shirt bearing the company logo.

5. Use promotional items to inspire a team mentality. Teams work well together. You can build teams with outside events – sponsor a team for a charity walk, perhaps, or volunteer together at a youth center. A logo t-shirt or visor means something special when it identifies an employee as a member of the “Team”.
6. Have annual or seasonal company events and include promotional items in the “goodie bags”. The same principle as above applies. Buy Frisbees with the company logo on them for the annual employee picnic. Hand out t-shirts at the annual fun walk. Give away imprinted goblets at the staff Christmas party or coffee mugs at the staff recognition breakfast.
7. Plan special events for high achievers. Those special events can be as informal as ordering pizza for the workroom staff who stayed late to finish a project last night or as elaborate as a full weekend getaway for the company’s top earners. For the more planned events, a promotional item that commemorates their attendance will be a treasured memento.

For more information on promotional gifts, items, corporate products or corporate items check out some of the leading online suppliers or promotional products today where you can search through their online catalogues to ensure that your next marketing campaign is well targeted and sets off on the right footing.

Many online suppliers provide many promotional products you may not have even thought of. There is an abundance of promotional products and you will definitely find the perfect promotional item for your business.

Be sure to request a 1hr quote from YesGifts to find out how easily and inexpensively you can advertise your business today.