PPB February 2018

You can invest it. You see, we usually view time as something that passes and something that we spend. But we can leverage time by investing it. Here are six ways in which you can see serious returns on your investment. 1 Invest in knowing your client’s brand. Absolutely everything your client says and does represents their brand. When you know it by experiencing it, by following them on social media and attending their events, being aware of their product launches, staff changes, branch openings, and overall goals and messaging, you already have a leg up on which promotional products would well represent them. The logo and brand promise need to be consistently communicated, and the quality should be in line with the brand’s quality. Just because they are members of a particular industry, such as law, real estate, insurance, etc., doesn’t mean they fit into a cookie-cutter mold. In fact, find out what makes them unique and build on it. 2 Invest in knowing your client’s customer. Getting a profile about the people receiving the gifts helps you to home in on why they will appreciate, use and keep a particular gift. Ask your client to describe their recipient so you can get a picture of their age, lifestyle and preferences. 3 Invest in asking a few quality questions about the reason for the gift. Is it for an event? Who is going to be there? Where is the event being held? Has the event been held in the past? How did it go? What worked well? What is being done differently this year? 4 Invest in the outcome. What does your client expect to happen as a result of this event? How would they like their clients to respond or to feel when they receive this gift? The answers to these questions are crucial to your research and might be triggers for other opportunities: special packaging, name badges, drawing prizes, uniforms, banners, place cards, drinkware, etc., to enhance the initiative and results. 5 Invest in achieving the fiscal goals. Clients aren’t always crystal clear about budgets and timelines, but at $531.91 per hour and almost a million products listed on SAGE alone, you need some parameters for your search. After all, if the best ideas can’t be executed inside the timeline and within budget, that’s time (money) just plain spent. And just because your client gives you a budget of $1 per person, don’t assume they won’t spend $2. When you find the right gifts that perfectly align with the goals, message and client, don’t be surprised when they find the budget to purchase what you are suggesting. 6 Invest in looking good. Different projects or initiatives may require different levels of sign-off. When you understand the process and who will be ultimately responsible for the decision, you can tailor your presentation to meet the needs of that person or committee. In the end, you look good when they look good. It doesn’t take long to become a pro at gathering quality information through an informal conversation. Why go on a wild goose chase when the golden egg is a few questions away? Jae M. Rang, MAS, is founder and chief inspiring officer at JAE associates Ltd., a promotional marketing agency in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. She is past chair of the PPPC Board of Directors, an inductee in the PPPC Hall of Fame, a recipient of the PPPC Humanitarian Award, chair of the PPPC Scholarship program and a multi PPPC Image award winner as well as a PPAI Pyramid Award winner. Rang is also the author of the Amazon bestseller, SENSORY MEDIA: Discover the Way to Anchor Your Brand and Be Memorable, 50 Simple Ways to Increase Brand Visibility and her new book, The Aha! Moment Journal. www.jaeassociates.com It doesn’t take long to become a pro at gathering quality information through an informal conversation. Why go on a wild goose chase when the golden egg is a few questions away? | FEBRUARY 2018 | 33 GROW