Let’s take a look at a few specific items that we sell, as well as our competitors. We charge $27.99 for Titleist DT-Roll golf balls, and have a minimum order of 12. This price includes logo printing, and shipping is free. The total price for 12 boxes of printed DT-Roll balls is $335.88. Meanwhile, Motivators (one of our competitors) charges $39.48 per box for the same product, and has the same minimum order. Each separate product has a $35 “printing setup charge” applied, bringing the total for these golf balls to $508.76! The worst part is, this figure is pre-shipping.

You are not given the shipping price until your order is prepared for shipping.

Perhaps the single biggest thing difference you’ll see with us is our “one low price”. Almost all of our competitors show you the lowest price, but have tiered pricing for different amounts of the product. This gives you the initial impression that a product you want is priced very low, only to find that in order to get that price you need to buy much more than you need. For example; we sell a 1gb mp3 player, and our 1 low price is $36.99. Motivators advertises the same Mp3 player “as low as $36.50″. The problem with this is that to pay $36.50, you need to purchase 200! Our minimum order is only 12, and if you want to buy only 12 players from our competition, the price shoots up to $52.56!

Individual Pricing Shown

As you can see, we’re big on not throwing in additional fees or displaying prices lower than what you’ll likely pay. We simply don’t like to lead people in with pricing that is substantially lower than what they’ll pay, and we’d rather incorporate shipping into our price than hit customers with a huge charge after they have customized their order.

Beyond happy existing customers, you can reach new audiences with logo golf balls. By providing balls for a local tournament or other golf event, you can place your logo directly in front of a specific audience. Anyone who has been handed free anything, courtesy of a company, likely is happier with that company. Giving potential customers a useful and fun gift like golf balls can greatly increase their likelihood of doing business with you. Golf balls aren’t cheap, and people know that. Purchasing golf balls for clients and potential customers shows you are dedicated to your relationship with them.

The bottom line is that golf balls are fun, and reach customers while they aren’t working.

Incenting your employees throughout the year is a great way to encourage top performance. Consider hosting an operational efficiency campaign- which will motivate associates and improve your business. At the end of each month or quarter, evaluate your various business units. If goals were met (or even exceeded) you can incent each employee with a gift that includes a special logo to highlight their achievements.

A Proformance Logo customer recently implemented a similar strategy and the results were phenomenal. The CEO wanted to reduce or eliminate accidents in the workplace. He challenged his employees to work accident free for a certain amount of time in exchange for company branded gifts. Not only did the team meet their goal- the company’s insurance rates were reduced as a result. Customer satisfaction and employee morale increased. The insurance savings more than covered the cost of the branded jackets given to thank his associates!

What about your sales staff? Sales professionals are some of the most incentive-driven members of your staff. Treat them to a custom imprinted computer bag or a dozen logo golf balls for hitting their quotas, and cover the costs tenfold in your increased company sales.

The holidays are upon us. Maybe you don’t have the budget this year to host the usual elaborate steakhouse holiday event from past years. Why not host a pot luck in the office, offer a half day off, and give your associates something memorable and functional to take home? A watch with the company logo is a nice touch to thank your associates for a year of hard work.

Have fun with the idea and personalize your campaign. Whatever route you choose, employers cannot go wrong with employee motivation strategies.

Request a consultation. Your promotional items company should be more than an online store. You should expect them to offer a strategy session and advice on which items with which messages are right for your particular audience. Schedule a call to discuss your special event, your target audience and campaign or theme, then brainstorm about the right item to complete it.

Select items that encourage leads. Does your imagery inspire the customer to call you after your event? Instead of just printing a logo, consider adding a call to action directly on the giveaway. For example, if you choose to mail items before the event, add a note to visit the booth and mention the item to receive a nice gift at the actual event. Hotels and restaurants can include a 10% off your next stay or a free appetizer if you present the item upon arrival. 

Remember the impact of shipping costs when you plan the budget.  The cost of shipping 500 coffee mugs is astronomical in comparison to shipping 500 ink pens. Consider the weight of the item you are selecting and how it will affect your overall budget. Evaluate how many items you need to cover your target audience and ensure that shipping costs won’t leave you with a short order on what’s really important – the quantity of your promotional items.

Try before you buy: Order samples. Before you order dozens or hundreds or thousands of any item, from a pen to a computer bag - you should know exactly what you are getting. Colors, imprint areas, functionalities and quality differ widely between pens, koozies, coffee mugs and other promotional items. Order a sample of your preferred item(s) before you place a larger order to avoid a potential headache later.

Ask for peer recommendations. Who has used your promotional provider in the past? Was the experience a solid one? Would they use the vendor again? It is equally as important to shop for the right vendor—who can become a trusted strategist and a key extension of your branding team— as it is to shop for the right promotional item. Ask your vendor for current testimonials, customer references and case studies.

You can expect more tips like these in future blog posts at www.ProformanceLogo.com/blog. And remember to follow us as www.Twitter.com/proformancelogo.