How to evaluate a corporate gift supplier

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Corporate Gifts Supplier

Introduction

It is important to choose a reliable corporate gift supplier to manufacture your gifts and premiums to ensure your event or marketing campaign is a success. Below are are of the key factors to consider when selecting a vendor.

Vendor’s Experience

You should always select a vendor who has vast experience in the corporate gift industry. With a wealth of experience, the gift consultants will be able to anticipate potential problems and mitigate and resolve them. It will be best to select a tenured gift company that has been around for more than a decade. For example, FOTO88 has been serving banks and major MNCs since 1973. Being in the industry for almost 5 decades means that the chances of them being able to deliver a great outcome for any project they are assigned to do is very high.

Vendor’s Company Values

The vendor’s company values is crucial in determining if the company is a good fit or not. You must be able to “connect” with the gift consultant in order to get the exact outcome you want. The vendor has to have the right mindset towards a common goal as yours. You should be able to guess the company’s values after your first meeting with the consultant. Not all vendors are profit driven. For example, FOTO88’s values is to Exceed Client Expectations. This will be in line with most company’s objectives. Everyone loves a perfect outcome right?

Vendor’s Flexibility

Have you come across a vendor that says NO to everything you request? Or charge an arm and leg for every small amendment? Well, many vendors are like that. However, if you come across a vendor like FOTO88 that always seeks to impress you and go the extra mile for you, you will be pleasantly surprised and pampered. At FOTO88, they will do their very best to fulfill your request at No or little additional charge.

Vendor’s Creative Gift Proposals

It is crucial to find a vendor with constant new ideas and creativity. In order to constantly impress your clients and employees, the gift should be interesting and have a wow impact to stretch the marketing dollar to the fullest. The vendor should be able to identify your exact pain point and propose a gift tailored specifically for you and your objective and campaign.

Vendor’s Muscle

Yes you heard it right! It is important to find a vendor with strong muscle. Meaning, the vendor should have the ability to get factories to rush goods out within impossible timelines and to squeeze the best value out of the factories. Basically, vendors should be able to make the impossible happen for you! Few vendors have such strong bargaining power so do check out the vendors portfolio and past clients to have a clue as to how big this vendor’s muscle is. If all the big boys engage this vendor, it should be relatively safe.

Vendor’s Packaging Capability

First impressions matter right? Yes, the gift itself is important but the packaging is what creates the first impression and the wow impact. It is important to find a vendor that emphasises on great packaging and is able to curate an impressive box or carrier for your gift.

Vendor’s Communication Skills

Have you ever been frustrated trying to convey a simple message but the vendor simply doesn’t get it? That is so frustrating and such a waste time right? At FOTO88, we listen intently and anticipate the problems and challenges and seek to think of solutions for you with a proactive attitude, making your job a breeze.

Vendor’s Portfolio and Samples

The most important thing in selecting a vendor is to ensure they have a wealth or samples and past projects to show for. This not only solidifies that they have what it takes to fufill your order but also makes things a lot easier to explain your requirements based on the past samples. You could gain ideas, insights and inspirations from past projects and curate an even better product to impress and wow your clients

Vendor’s Product Quality

Nothing is more important that ensuring that the corporate gift is made of great quality. A lousy product will damage your company’s reputation and defeats the purpose of giving a gift in the first place. The vendor must be able to take care of your brand and ensure branding guidelines are adhered to. To ensure that your logo is not distorted, the Pantone is correct and logo size has ample breathing space and is of the right proportions.