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b"Thank you for joining us today for the Select Business Team podcast as we talk about gift giving. I know your time is valuable and you have a lot of podcasts to choose from so we hope you\\u2019ll find a lot of value in today\\u2019s episode. Select Business Team brings business owners of service professions together to discuss the back office issues of running a business.\\n\\nWe help business owners look at areas of the business that increase profits.\\n\\nMy hope with every podcast is to get you thinking a little differently about how you operate your business. To not necessarily do what everyone else is doing but to find a way to stand out and be remembered. Be different, adapt to technology, create systems and make sure that you are making a profit.\\n\\nWhen it comes to marketing, this is just as important. Since my core focus in business is referrals, the topic I\\u2019m discussing today really resonates with me.\\n\\nWhen I sold insurance, this is something I did regularly. When I started Select Business Team, I did this a little bit but over the years, I\\u2019ve really gotten out of the habit. With this episode, I\\u2019m making a point to get back into it and make it a regular marketing tactic.\\nI\\u2019m talking about gift giving\\nDid you give gifts to your clients, to your strategic partners, to your prospects between Thanksgiving and New Years Eve?\\xa0 If so, if you asked the person today what you gave them that they would remember?\\n\\nMy guess is they\\u2019d pause, run a few ideas around and maybe they\\u2019d guess correctly. \\xa0The real question is, WAS YOUR GIFT MEMORABLE?\\u2019 Was is something that jumped out at them? Something that they\\u2019ll remember in 2 months, In 2 years?\\n\\nIn today\\u2019s podcast, I want to talk about 4 areas of gift giving.\\n\\n \\tThe first is promotional products or swag vs. personalized and customized gifts,\\n \\tThe second is why you are giving gifts,\\n \\tThe third is when you give gifts\\n \\tWe\\u2019ll finish up with some different strategies for getting business from gift giving.\\n\\nIf you like what you hear, please go to iTunes and leave a review.\\xa0 If you aren\\u2019t sure how, check out our website at selectbizteam.com/makeitunesreview . \\xa0Or,\\xa0check out the \\xa0resources section the show notes for this episode.\\n\\nAlso, if you find this topic valuable, please share the podcast with a friend or co-worker. \\xa0Someone who would benefit from the ideas.\\nLet's\\xa0get this show started.\\nSeparate from gifts, what types of swag or promotional items do you give away to clients, prospects and strategic partners? Are you giving pens, calendars, fruit or food baskets? \\xa0Logo\\u2019d apparel or items like measuring tapes, key chains or memo pads? A lot of companies do this and don\\u2019t really measure the results. They know they are suppose to do this. They hope it has an impact, but for the cost of the swag, was there a measurable return?\\n\\nAs I look around my own office, I have a small clock that has a picture frame attached. I\\u2019ve had it for years and it has the logo on it from the company that gave it to me. To be honest with you, I know think the company is a credit card company, but I don\\u2019t really know for sure. I also have a pad of sticky notes with another company. It has the name and logo and what they do but no contact info. It would be nice to have their number so I could easily call them. I like having the sticky note pad, but I\\u2019m not sure the branding would ever have me call them!\\n\\nThis is part of the thought process you want to go through when selecting and putting your logo on promotional products.\\nHere\\u2019s a Thought\\nWhat if you took the budget you have for promotional items and bought fewer gifts? But they are special and personalized to the recipient and are only delivered to a few people that would have the most impact.\\xa0 And, you didn\\u2019t give them during the holiday season, but you gave them at a different time of year. Just because.\\xa0 What if you only gave 10 gifts - 5 to the top 5 prospects on your list and 5 to your best strategic partners."