Finding Your Way Through Sales Adversity

With the critical holiday buying season rapidly approaching all eyes will be on consumer and business spending in the coming weeks.  Initial signs indicate a gradual increase in spending activity as businesses have finally reached the point in which they are comfortable with an apparent recovery.  With so much negative news coverage in the last year surrounding corporate vacations it is imperative that you select an appropriate gift this season.

Gone are the days of ultra expensive executive gifts and instead we have in their place the cautious spending of 2009.  If you are a buyer looking to purchase gifts for your own staff you need to be mindful of the fact that staff cutbacks and increased costs have taken a toll.  Spending too much money can have a negative effect on morale which is where the Wine Lover’s Gift Set hits the target.  For under the cost of a couple of cups of coffee you can present your employee or client with a cooler and wine opener all in one.  For the green crowd the Recycled Napa Wine Kit is made from 70% recycled materials and likewise has an opener.  Both pack down tightly and ship easily.  Also of interest they both will fit the new 1 litre bottles of soda that have hit the markets so they do not have to be explicitly used for wine as there are other options.  We have seen some clients insert both a bottle of water and a wine bottle into these kits.  We have also included the Pocket Aluminum LED Flashlight which will fit along the side of either carrier with velcro.  Combining these types of items into one package has the benefit of appealing to a wider customer base.   To get even more creative you can attempt to fit the Prism LED Flashlight into the front pouch on the wine kit.  They do fit but you need to be careful when they are packed so as not to damage either item. 

Probably the biggest concern you should have this holiday season in providing gifts to clients or employees is to be aware of the fact that your staff is on edge worried about their jobs or friends that no longer work for your organization.  Likewise clients do not want to get a gaudy gift from you for the same reasons.  A functional gift that has some semblance of a relationship to the mutual relationship you have is the best course of action in this current climate.  Also keep in mind organizations continue to clamp down on any type of gifts particularly in the health care industry.  Before you send something you should always check with the person to make sure they can still accept gifts even if they are directly related to the business conducted between the parties.  It is also wise to mail any type of  item like this in with related business materials.

The economy continues to recover but with millions out of work the next year is going to be difficult for everyone in the promotional industry.  There are literally millions of fewer clients than just two years ago and even those that still have jobs have much less to spend.