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Promotional Gifts – Printed Prodir Pens – 3 Things to Avoid – 3 Things to Do

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

Have you ever written with a Prodir pen? Swiss made Prodir pens are some of the nicest plastic promotional pens on the market. Prodir actually guarantee that their pens have a writing life of 5000 meters. That is just over three miles! Print your logo on Prodir pens and your business will stay promoted for months if not years.

I love promotional Prodir and want to offer you advice to get the most for your money. If you don’t know Prodir – it’s time to familiarise yourself with this magnificent brand!

Avoid:

1.) Avoid rush ordering Prodir writing products. You can order Prodir Pens from a wholesaler or printer and have them delivered in just a few days. Many printers now stock Prodir Pens to service people who want their pens fast. This is more expensive and you do not get the colour selection.

2.) Avoid purchasing directly out of a catalogue. Many promotional gift suppliers are still running their businesses as they have for decades. Many still use more traditional ways to promote their products such as sales reps and printed mail shots. If you look around online, you will find Prodir pens at a fraction of the cost of more traditional suppliers.

3.) Avoid limiting yourself to Prodir. Prodir pens are excellent value for money. They are stylish and loved by many. The fact that you are reading this article suggests that you are interested in Prodir pens. Look around, however, as there are a lot of comparable brands out their that you may like more.

Do:

1.) Order samples of the Prodir designs that you like. These samples can even be made to order in colours that represent your corporate branding very nicely. You can form a large range of barrel, clip and trim colours.

2.) Write with the samples you receive. There is no better way to choose a promotional pen than to write with it. Prodir manufacture ball pens, rollerballs and gel ink pens. Any good supplier will be more than happy to supply you with the pens of your choice to test.

3.) Take advantage of Prodir’s made to order service. Chinese manufactured pens are imported in massive quantities. They may be cheaper but you are limited to the colours that are in stock. If you choose Prodir, let them manufacture pens for you exactly as you want them. Take advantage of the large print areas on the barrel and clip.

Do this and your pens will look fantastic.

The Superb Writing of a Lost and Found Promotional Prodir Pen

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

Every now and then a big cleanup is necessary to get rid of all the clutter that has accumulated over the year. And so it was – I found myself the week before Christmas out in my cold garage getting rid of all the things I don’t know why I kept in the first place.

In my tool box I came across a Prodir pen that must have been placed there years ago. I say this because I am lacking in the DIY skills department and rarely go near the box of tools.

The Prodir in my forgotten tool chest was the popular DS3. It was printed with the logo of a customer who has placed many orders for Prodir pens over the years. This pen must have been from his first order as he has since changed the clip and barrel colours. All Prodir pens are made to order so you can choose the colours of the clip, barrel and other trim to match your corporate colours.

I placed the pen in my pocket and continued doing what I was doing.

At the end of the day I took the pen out and started writing with it. After years stashed away in a cold garage, it still wrote like new! Prodir do claim that their pens are guaranteed to write up to 5000 meters. That’s just over three miles.

I thought this is the kind of pen I want to represent my company. I have used many different promotional pens over the years but few come close to the stylishly designed, smooth writing Prodir pens.

Prodir pens do cost more than most plastic pens but you can count on them to represent your business in a positive way. Believe me, I have tried promoting by own business ‘on the cheap’ with low cost imported pens and it is not something I like doing!

As I am a promotional pens supplier I am in the fortunate position to know which pens achieve the best results. Often I am offered free logo printed pens from different manufactures to promote their brand.

The pens from the Far East that look fantastic are quite often poor writers. Scratchy writing pens that dry up fast do not promote a business if a good light. This is made even more obvious by the enquiries and sales I receive after a pen promotion.

If I send out 1000 Prodir pens to my customers, I know that I will receive orders for the pens from customers who love to write with them. This simply is not the case with low cost imported pens I have used.

Just a little food for thought.

By Dan Toombs

How to Influence People with Promotional Gifts

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

Are you aware of the power behind promotional merchandise? There is a reason why the promotional gifts industry is so big and that is because promotional gifts work! Good quality promotional products can promote your brand for months if not years, increasing your profits by encouraging people to use your products or services.

So how does this work?

Promotional merchandise can be given away on many different occasions but the end result is usually favourable.

Whether you are giving your customers good quality plastic promotional pens or you are giving your employees logo embroidered jackets as incentives, these products build your brand.

The fact that they influence people to do things they may not otherwise do is accepted worldwide. Many studies have shown the positive influence promotional merchandise have.

Let’s say you want to encourage your employees to read you company training manuals and work their way up your organisation. By offering logo printed incentives, it will make the task more fun and exciting. Your employees will know that by completing a section of the manual they will receive a Parker Pen or perhaps a desk clock or jacket. They will work harder to achieve success within your company and of course to get the free gifts.

You may also want to influence customers to pick up the phone and order from you the next time they require your products and/or services. Promotional merchandise works wonders for this as well.

One customer told me how they were trying to be their target customers’ second choice of supplier. They were new in town and were trying to compete with a competitor who had been in the same town for years and had an established good reputation.

My customer, however, had heard from many people that their competitor’s popularity often meant that they were not able to give their customers the service they promised. They were simply too busy.

By handing out free promotional gifts such as pens, mouse mats and mugs over a year long campaign and asking to be the second choice, they became that to many. It offered them a chance to prove that they were better than the competitor and over time they became the first choice for many.

This was a well thought our campaign. They were not going into the offices of their target customers claiming to be the best to whoever would listen. They simply gave them a free gift on each visit and asked for a chance to be their supplier if their normal supplier was not able to supply them for whatever reason.

Everyone loves free stuff especially when that free stuff is useful. The promotional gifts my customer handed out made it easy for their target customers to find their details and helped influence people to accept them as the second choice.

They are now the first choice for many.

Brilliant!

Promotional Prodir Pens * The Pen that Lasts Longer

Friday, December 17th, 2010

I have been writing today with one of my favourite promotional plastic pens – the Prodir DS7 pen. It just happened to catch my eye again this morning and that was it. Prodir is one of the only plastic pens that I trust to promote my business. Here is why…

It all goes back to a big mistake I made about ten years ago when I was still quite new to the promotional pens industry. I received a new enquiry from Carrie who was looking for cheap but cheerful pens she could hand out at an exhibition. I immediately started looking for the cheapest pens I could find.

I sent her a few pictures of pens by email assuming she was in a hurry – she wasn’t – and she chose one of the low cost click pens. Back in those days the standard lead-time for pens was much longer – about three weeks. I didn’t hear from her again until her exhibition was over a couple weeks after she received the pens.

‘They were an embarrassment!’ She screamed into the phone. ‘Those that did write did not write for long. What did you sell me?’

I tried to defend myself by stating that she wanted cheap and cheerful pens. The pens she received were certainly cheap but definitely not cheerful!

This experience taught me a lesson. Customers do not come easy and when they do find me I don’t want to lose them! That was the day I started to test as many pens as possible – a practice I still do to this day.

When you are looking into promotional pens, it is important to ask for and write with samples. I do this regularly with the pens I sell and Prodir has never let me know.

Over the years I must have given away thousands of Prodir pens to my customers and each time I do my sales for the pens take off. Why? Because they look great, have large print areas and write better than most plastic promotional pens on the market.

Did I mention they are also slightly more expensive than other plastic pens?

I luckily managed to keep Carrie as a customer. Prodir pens are slightly more expensive than other pens but they are guaranteed to write up to 5000 meters. They are made to impress and to make a positive impression for your brand.

When you consider that they have so much going for them and that they are made to last, the 70p to 90p average unit price is still quite a small about to pay. Your customers could be writing with and seeing your printed details for months.

The fact is, if ‘cheap’ was not such a scary word – it brings with it pictures of poor quality – you could call these high quality pens cheap.

Try promoting your brand with other media for such a long time so inexpensively.

Carrie now swears by Prodir pens. Give them a chance. Ask for samples and I’ll bet you love them too.

By Dan Toomb

Introducing the Lamy Studio Gift Pen Range on Video

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

Promotional gift pens like those manufactured by the German pen manufacturer Lamy are truly unique. These pens are manufactured to the highest standards.

In this video, I introduce the very popular Lamy Studio range. I have written extensively with these pens and can recommend them as special gifts for your top clients and employees.

Lamy pens are all supplied with excellent quality refills and I can vouch that they write very smoothly and for a long time.

For more information about the complete Lamy pen range please god to http://www.promotionalpens.co.uk/_/lamy-pens.

Dan Toombs

Promotional Senator Pens Build Brands Like Few Pens Can

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

There are a lot of low quality promotional pens on the market. I receive emails daily from factories in China trying to sell their range of pens to me. They hope that I will promote their range of pens to businesses to be printed with their logo and details. I never do.

There are only a few pen manufactures that I trust to supply top quality plastic promotional pens that write well. The pens manufactured by German pen company Senator Pens are some of the best.

You see, when it comes to putting your logo and contact details onto a pen you are actually saying ‘Hi – this is me and this is my brand.’

Put that on a cheap, poor quality import and the people that receive your gift could be thinking – ‘Thanks for the warning! I think I will try your competitor.’

Senator is proof that promotional pens do not need to be expensive to be of excellent quality. When you choose a plastic pen from the Senator range you can rest assured that you are purchasing pens that will not let you down. All of the parts that go into the manufacture of their pens are made and assembled in their Frankfurt factory to the highest standards.

I do not want this article to sound as though I am trying to sell you promotional Senator Pens. Ultimately the choice is yours. But why not ask for samples of the pens that interest you and write with them? That is what sold me on the Senator brand.

Compare Senator pens to the cheaper imports. Do it over a few days and let that help with your decision.

All too often I receive last minute requests for express printed pens. Senator are leaders in express printing so I usually recommend their pens and I have never had an unhappy customer.

That said, if you allow more time your pens could look much more interesting. Yes there are quite a few Senator Pens that can be express printed but if you have three weeks before the pens are required you will be able to choose from their complete range.

You can have your pens manufactured specially for your business and take advantage of their mix-n-match service. This allows you to choose the colours of the barrel, clip and other trim. You can also print in multiple colours in several different positions.

So what are you waiting for? Order your free samples and prepare to be impressed.

By Dan Toombs

A Video Introducing the Promotional Lamy 2000 Gift Pen

Sunday, December 5th, 2010

The Lamy 2000 Gift pen is one of Lamy’s original designs. In this video I show off my own personal pen – the pen I use each and every day – The Lamy 2000 Blackwood version.

Promotional Lamy pens are my personal favourite gift pens. Lamy pens are all stylishly design and eye-catching and the Lamy 2000 is no exception.

As I have written so much with this pen, I know just how much your customers and/or employees will enjoy receiving one! Lamy gift pens are supplied in a good quality presentation box that really make the gift look amazing.

If you would like more information about the Lamy 2000 Pen or any of the other promotional pens in the Lamy range, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01642 782455.

We carry the complete Lamy Pen range and offer the gift pens at discounted prices at http://www.promotionalpens.co.uk/_/lamy-pens.

Promotional Prodir Pens are Fantastic Writing Instruments for Clients

Saturday, November 27th, 2010

Your customers are in for a fantastic writing experience when you present them with a promotional Prodir Pen. These promotional plastic pens are loved throughout the UK and Europe.

Promotional pens are the most popular corporate gifts available and this is especially the case with promotional plastic pens.

Printed Prodir pens are not economy pens like those imported from the Far East. Instead they are manufactured in a state of the art factory in Lugano Switzerland. In fact every stage of their manufacture – from design to production to personalisation is done completely within the Prodir company. There are very few western pen manufacturers that can still make this claim.

For this reason they are slightly more expensive than most other plastic printed pens but they are worth the additional expense.

Prodir pens are manufactured in the Prodir design studio in Milan and then produced in Switzerland. My personal favourites are the Prodir DS3 and the Prodir DS7 but you owe it to yourself to check out the whole range. They are all very nice.

It is important to remember when purchasing promotional pens that just as important as the stylish outer design are the parts of the pens you don’t often see – inside the pen. Prodir has this covered as well.

Prodir only uses top quality refills that write smoothly and for a long time. In fact the company guarantees that their pens are all made to write for at least 5000 meters.

Allow me to put it another way. That is just over 3 miles of writing life!

Now I don’t know about you but when I give my customers a promotional pen I want them to use it for a long time. Your customers will have three miles per pen to write with you logo printed pen. Each time they pick it up to write they will have your logo and contact details to hand. There is a good chance they will be holding your details in their hand the next time they require your products and/or services.

Moat promotional Prodir pens are available with different finishes – opaque, solid, metallic, frosted – and you can even mix and match the finishes to make a truly corporate pen that will represent your company in a very positive way.

So what are you waiting for? Check out the complete range of promotional Prodir pens, ask for a few samples and get that next big promotion underway!

By Dan Toombs

A Video Look at the Balmain Erqui Gift Pen Set

Sunday, November 21st, 2010

The Best Promotional Pens are Those the Match Your Customers’ Personas

Friday, November 5th, 2010

It would be easy to dismiss cheap one use promotional pens as useless trash. I would also not be difficult to rule out using top quality executive Lamy Pens because they can be quite expensive. But the best way to look at using promotional pens to promote your business or organisation is to know and understand the people you are targeting.

In this article I refer to ‘customers’ but you could be looking at fundraising for your organisation or attracting students to your university. The information crosses over regardless of who your target audiance is.

For years I told my customers that they needed to purchase good quality promotional pens to promote their brand. This is usually true but not always. You see I did not understand the objectives of one of my customers and it took me by surprise.

The bowel cancer charity was trying to get their very important message out to people attending professional football games. Whether the pen

Promotional Waterman Pens

Executive Waterman Pens make very popular gifts for top clients

worked for a long was not of importance to them. They just wanted thousands of pens that they could hand out to people with their website and the symptoms to look out for. They ended up doing this with a pen that had a unit cost of only a few pennies and the promotional pens served them well.

Who are your customers? If you are like most businesses, you could have several different customer personas to consider.

You may like to send out several thousand good quality Senator Super Hit pens to the office staff of businesses you deal with regularly. Ensuring that they have pens with your name on them that write well is a good idea.

You may also have customers who are a bit on the creative side. These customers may benefit from receiving good quality highlighters, sketching pencils or innovative and eye-catching Prodir pens.

Your top clients will most likely like using your inexpensive Senator pens and will appreciate the fact that you have sendt them to their office staff. Sometimes, however, it is important to show these big customers how much they mean to you.

For this group of customers you may like to consider brand name pens such as those manufactured by Parker, Cross, Waterman and Lamy.

It is important to get this all right. If you consider who your customers are and what you are trying to accomplish, they perfect pen for their persona will be out there. Get it right and both you and they will be very happy.

By Dan Toombs

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