Donna Weyh Roberts knows the importance of saying thank you. "There's no one who doesn't need to say, 'I appreciate you,'" to someone else," says Roberts, president of Weyh Roberts & Associates LLC, an 8-year-old distributorship in Vienna, Va. The company often presents customers with chocolate bars engraved with phrases such as "We can't spell 'success' without 'U'," "Teamwork" and "Thank you."
With the current state of the economy, many companies also are realizing the need to motivate and recognize employees. "People are doing more than they've ever had to do before in their work environments," Roberts says. "In many cases, companies have trimmed three of the four people on a staff. They expect one person to do the whole job. Those companies are looking for ways to [show appreciation without giving employees raises]."
Even companies that can afford to give employees raises recognize the value of promotional products, Roberts says. "You can give someone a 50-cent raise, but Uncle Sam is going to take it all," she says. "By giving them something that's tangible--a great jacket or shirt, a picnic basket, or backpack--there's instant gratification."
Weyh Roberts & Associates LLC, an 8-year-old distributorship in Vienna, Va., provided an insurance organization with a variety of products for its employee-motivation program. Employees preferred individualized items such as button-down shirts, beach towels and beach totes.
Photo courtesy of Sun Manufacturing/bulletline®, Miami.
The promotional products industry produces a wide variety of items that can be used as client gifts or to motivate and recognize employees. Such products include executive desk sets, leather organizers, desk clocks, wine totes, leather photo albums, watches, business card holders, crystal paperweights, putter sets, luggage, edibles, crystal vases, wearables and more. Sales of recognition awards, trophies, jewelry, clocks and watches grossed more than $732 million in 2000, according to Promotional Products Association International.
Recently, when a Washington-based insurance organization wanted a gift it could present to clients who visited its headquarters, Weyh Roberts & Associates offered a solution. The distributorship provided the organization with 300 hardback, coffee-table books on Washington. The book's opening page featured the organization's name in gold foil. The organization personalized the book for each recipient by including handwritten messages on the interior.
Impressed by Weyh Roberts & Associates' solution, the insurance organization also recently turned to the distributorship for help with its employee-motivation program. When the clients' employees are recognized by co-workers, recipients can select one of several promotional items as awards. All items cost approximately $25.
Weyh Roberts & Associates provided the organization with 50 Polo shirts and button-down shirts, beach totes with radios, quill pen sets, beach towels and hardback books on Washington. All of the items were embroidered, screenprinted or etched with the organization's name or logo.
"In the old days, a lot of companies had company picnics and holiday parties," Roberts says. "Many companies don't do the organized playtime anymore. Motivation programs are picking up the slack."
--Kara S. Carpenter
Auto Products
Stouse Inc., New Century, Kan., introduces its 12-page, full-color direct mail brochure featuring products for auto dealerships. The brochure includes stock and custom mirror tags, car lot messages and prices, pre-spaced vinyl die-cut letters, auto ads, car plates, key tags, auto sun screens, jumbo hood signs, static window decals, static stock service decals, and more. For more information or free brochures, call (877) 764-5757 or (800) 955-0282 (fax). Visit www.stouse.com.
Process Color Magnets
Magna-Tel® Inc., Cape Girardeau, Mo., offers process color magnets in a variety of stock designs, including Photo-Mag Plus™, 4 x 3 1/2-inch calendar and more. For more information, call (800) 467-2537 or (573) 335-1715 (fax). Visit www.magna-tel.com. Send email to customerservice@magna-tel.com.
NEWS
The Deerfield Collection, Hartford, Conn., was recognized as a Supplier Star winner in the 2001-2002 PPAI Supplier Star AwardsSM program, announced during January's PPAI Expo 2002. The award recognizes overall service excellence in areas such as prompt response to distributor inquiries, shipping date adherence, product and sales aid quality, packaging adequacy and attractiveness, and quality and accuracy of imprinting. Distributors select award winners by ballot. Call (800) 247-4182.
According to Promotional Products Association International, employees are motivated to win awards and encourage co-workers to strive for awards as well. Awards can include executive desk sets, leather organizers, crystal paperweights, putter sets, edibles, wearables and more.
Photo courtesy of Sun Manufacturing/bulletline®, Miami.
