Corporate and Promotional Pens

Please note that we do not supply single units of pens. We specialise in Corporate Gift Pens. There are three levels of pen selling. Low end pens, mid-level pens and high end pens. Belle Regalo also sells brand names such as Parker Pens, Waterman Pens and Polo Pens. All these pens are aimed at specific client’s needs. High-End Pens Use presentation case or gift box. They also give added branding opportunities. High End pens Think of adding a pen box into your mix. Some high end pens are available with a deluxe presentation case or gift box. These can add value to the pen and give additional branding opportunities. Cross Pens Cross was founded in 1846 by Richard Cross. Based in Rhode Island, the company is the oldest writing instruments manufacturer in the USA. Cross stands for quality, design and innovation, and is successfully sold in over 140 countries worldwide. Parker Pens Since 1888 PARKER has established itself as a pioneer in the fine writing field in both technology and design. PARKER pens have been at the forefront of design for over 120 years, producing some of the world’s most iconic pens. Polo Pens POLO writing instruments are the ideal gift for the discerning executive. The POLO range offers a variety of high quality pens that are beautiful and functional. Waterman Pens Since its foundation in 1883 by Lewis Edson Waterman and the invention of the first refillable fountain pen the WATERMAN brand has constantly sort to innovate. Watermen pens work well to commemorate a unique occasion, as a symbol of recognition, a token of thanks and for any high end corporate gift. Mid-Levels Pens Good ad ons for pens to increase their perceived value is to add packaging, For example a simple velvet sleeve can double the pen’s value for pens. If budget is an issue try to go for a plastic pen that has a metal look. USB pens Promotional Pens Stylus Pens A Stylus pen is a modern world corporate gift pen with a soft rubber section. It is ideal for use on all touch screen devices like iPad, iPhone and other smart phones. Low end pens These are pens that are usually lower in cost and are used for promotional needs. For example, conferencing pens, pens for hotels, pens for banks, pens for the insurance industry and pens for real estate agents. Low end pens are often used as promotional; items, when they are given away in large quantities. Plastic Pens Eco-Friendly Pens and Recycled Pens Pencils Belle Regalo is a corporate gift and corporate clothing supplier. We offer branding on all gifts purchased from us. Please visit us on www.belleregalo.co.za or phone us on 082 9487 461 or e-mail us on info@belleregalo.co.za

Corporate gifts are great ways of building relationships

Sometimes if your sales are low then repeated calls to the client, may keep you top of mind, but not in the way you would like. However dropping off a promotional gift or a corporate gift is a great way of keeping you top of mind in a positive way. You have to be careful about how much you spend of the promotional gift or corporate gift. If it is a promotional gift then generally the pricing can be lower, especially if it is just a fun item. But a corporate gift or end of the year gift is usually an appreciation gift and then you can spend more on those kinds of corporate gifts. Be careful not to over spend on corporate gifts. First find out if there are any restrictions to receiving corporate gifts, as some companies have strong policies to minimize the hint of bribery. A well known security company in South African sends out an e-mail in the last quarter of each year letting suppliers know that they do not accept corporate gifts. However many other companies welcome corporate gifts, but just set a limit on the value of the corporate gifts.

Cooler Bags and Other Outdoor Gifts

Cooler Bags corporate gifts We sell a range of cooler bags in different shapes and sizes. These gifts are also wonderful handouts for family day gifts, National Braai Day Gifts and year end gifts and all year round corporate gifts. Big Game Folder Coolers. These make wonderful corporate gifts outdoor gifts for people who have group parties of functions. It has a durable 600D exterior. It has a large 24liter capasity. It comes with a foldable steel stand which makes it portable and convenient. Gone are the days of having to have huge galvanized bathes for your drinks. These nifty items fold away neatly and make wonderful . These gifts are also wonderful handouts for family day gifts, National Braai Day Gifts and year end gifts and all year round corporate gifts. For other great outdoor gifts click on our outdoor gift link. Collapsible Trolley Cooler Bags as outdoor gifts. This is a wonderful year end corporate gift for gents. It helps with those beak breaking picnic days when husbands, boyfriends and dad all over South Africa have to lug all the picnic items over long distances. A collapsible trolley can be wheeled around or if you are desperate to carry something comes with a detachable adjustable shoulder strap. For other great outdoor gifts click on our outdoor gift link Portable Braais South Africa has so many great outdoor venues. Even if you are not planning to go away on holiday, you can still do a day trip to a river or a park that allows braais. The worst thing at a outdoor venue is when either all the braai sites are taken or when there are faulty stands or grills. So why not take your own portable braais. Portable braais make superb National Braai Day Gifts and well as good all year round corporate gifts and end of the year corporate gifts. For other great outdoor gifts click on our outdoor gift link Folding Chairs as Outdoor Gifts You can never have enough outdoor chairs. Particularly in the summer months when the African sun makes us all want to have braais and lazy days at the pool. A good stock of outdoor chairs can make sure that even surprise visitors have seating. For other great outdoor gifts click on our outdoor gift link Binoculars No great outdoor enthusiast should be without a set of binoculars. Whether you are using them for cricket days, rugby days, kids sporting event, bird watching or even overlooking the harbour at the ships coming in. This makes a wonderful outdoor gift, year end gift and general all year round corporate gift. To view a range of binoculars click on our Ultraoptec link. Six Sided Fold up Cooler and Stool If you are off to watch cricket, your children’s sports day, a good old fashioned picnic or a bring and braai at your friend, this gift works well as a chair and a cooler bag and you can make sure no one helps themselves to your drinks. These gifts are also wonderful handouts for family day gifts, National Braai Day Gifts and year end gifts and all year round corporate gifts. For other great outdoor gifts click on our outdoor gift link Picnic Sets Picnic sets are wonderful summer gifts for the romantic, outdoor enthusiast or family person. Four piece picnic sets are very versatile as they can be used for romantic Valentine’s day picnics as well as family picnics. Picnic sets are classical top corporate gifts. They can be handed out as Valentine’s Day gifts, National Braai Day Gifts, Family Day Gifts , end of the year corporate gifts or just all year round corporate gifts. For other great outdoor gifts click on our outdoor gift link Picnic Blankets Picnic blankets are wonderful corporate gifts. Whether you use it for watch the sun setting on the beach or for a romantic picnic for two at the botanical gardens a picnic blanket is a wonderful corporate gift to have in your collection. If you have children, it is always great to have a few of them on hand so that the adults can lounge on their own and the children can have their own picnic blanket. Picnic blankets make wonderful Valentine’s Day Gifts, National Braai Day Gifts, and general all year round corporate gifts. Braai Tools Braai tools are terrific men’s gifts. You may be tempted to think that if you have one set of braai tools, that is enough. But what of those bring and braai’s where you just don’t feel like braaing for everyone. That is when it is a great idea to have a range of braai tools so that everyone can braai their own meat. Braai tools make terrific outdoor gifts as year end gifts, National Braai Fay gifts, year end corporate gifts or just a all year round corporate gifts. For other great outdoor gifts click on our outdoor gift link Flasks One of our favourite brands of flasks is the Isosteel Range. The Isosteel range is German Engineering at it best. Nothing that we have come across beats the Isosteel range for the length of keeping drinks hot. There is a wide range of flasks in the Isosteel Range. Whether you are sending a group on a fishing trip, an outdoor team building adventure, Isosteel thermal flasks and thermal mugs are a must.

Year End Function Gifts

Sadly many people leave the decision of their year end function gifts to the last minute and the gifts is one of the items that leave a last impression as it is the item that most enduring besides the memories. So rather in corporate gift planning with all your other event planning right at the beginning to avoid disappointment closer to the function. Here are some aspects to consider when planning for your year end function gifts. Theme of Gifts When planning for the year end function gifts consider providing gifts that can be used on the staff or customers on their holiday or in their home. Gifts of this personal nature far more appreciated than desk based gifts which are items that can only be used at work and while work is an important part of life and the basis of your relationship with them, no one wants to think of work at the end of the year. In the summer months people like to go for braais to the beach, have socials with friends and generally soak up the good weather. Ideas for the outdoor theme are picnic blankets, portable braais, cooler bags with braai kit inside, a stunning new gift is the big game folding cooler which is a large cooler that has a stand and can be filled with your favorite beverages. Amount of Space on the Table If you are planning to out your gifts on the table, you may want to consider smaller items that do not take a lot of space off the table. No one wants to have the gifts in the way of their crockery as they are just an irritation. On the other hand at some functions guests can also take more than one gift if one of your guests does not arrive and if the gifts are small then no one will notice an additional gift slipped into a handbag. Nice gifts are small in size are: The Icon Range of Carol Boyes Salad Servers; The Icon Range of Carol Boyes Sugar Ladles; Carol Boyes Bottle Opener, Carol Boyes Coaster Sets, ceramic coffee mugs, photo frame, key rings, notebooks, wallets and purses, pens and pens sets, sunglasses, book lights. Packaging of Gifts Gift wrapped gifts always look smarter than a gift left on the table. A lot of companies want to gift wrap in their corporate gift wrap. But first chat to your event coordinator about the colour scheme of your function and then purchase your gift wrap to tie in with the event theme. If your gifts are going to be wrapped and stored before the function, then only use fabric ribbon, as paper ribbon tends to bend and crease whereas fabric ribbon stays looking fresh for longer. Although ribbon with the wire inserts are beautiful for on the day gift wrapping for stored items a normal satin ribbon is better as the wire also bends if stored after wrapping. If your budget allows for it boxes with lids save you a lot of time in terms of gift wrapping. If you are branding ribbon please do allow for manufacturing time. Lead time of Gifts Take into account that your branding house will need time to create an artwork approval, have it signed off and book your branding production space, print, cure and repackage. As it is now peak season for the corporate gifting industry and over 50% of annual turnover for the industry is done in the last four calendar months of the year, you know that you will be competing for production space with many other companies. Handing Gifts out on Departure If your gifts are larger or you are concerned about security a very nice idea is to hand gifts out upon the departure of the guests. This is great for security, as then you are ensuring that each guest only one gift, which is important if your gifts are of high value. Handing gifts out upon departure also works well for large gifts that would not be able to be placed on the table. Large gifting items that can be handled out upon departure include: Sally Williams Gifting Hampers, Indestruktible luggage gifts, braai gifts, duffel bags, outdoor blankets, cooler bags, Carol Boyes ice bucket. For more idea please visit our website www.belleregalo.co.za Useful links for gifts ideas. Try these links for end of the year gift ideas. Carrol Boyes Range: http://belleregalo.bcgshop.co.za/carrol%20boyes/Products.aspx Sally Williams Hamper Range: http://belleregalo.bcgshop.co.za/sally%20williams%20hampers/Products.aspx Leisure and outdoor gifts: http://belleregalo.bcgshop.co.za/leisure%20and%20outdoor/Products.aspx Good luck for your year end function.

Top Corporate Gifts

It is a very sad person who does not love to receive corporate gifts. Almost everyone has it built into their system to live receiving gifts. But you may say that you know people who do not like receiving gifts. I know that my dad is one of those people who always say that you must not get him anything. But I now that he secretly hopes that he will get something. As a corporate gift supplier we have a lot samples. I can use my father a barometer for popular corporate gifts. When he comes to visit, I get a feel for what he likes. When I visit him in the eastern Cape and I have some of our gifts with us, then he breaks out of the “don’t get me anything” mode and starts telling me how much he would like to have whatever I have brought with me. Over the last few years, these are the corporate gifts that I have given my dad after he gets that “Oh, I would just love to have this” look. One Christmas we brought a car emergency kit with us. On one side, it had jumper cables, a few other car related items and then on the other side it had medical items. Once my father saw this, I just knew that we would be leaving this corporate gift behind. As there is no coffee station at his new job, the thermal coffee mug was a winner as he makes his coffee in the morning and takes with him to work in the mornings. Thermal coffee mugs make great all year round corporate gifts as well as year end gifts. As a buyer at a previous company, my father received a great many corporate gifts. Some he used a lot and some he left in the cupboard. One of the most popular corporate gifts that I have seen him use, were luggage. He really loves all kinds of bags, overnight bags, travel bags, tog bags. Bags make great corporate gifts and we also have a terrific Indestruktible range of corporate bags. One thing that I know about my dad is that he really gets a thrill out of getting corporate gifts. He often shows off the corporate gifts that one of his suppliers has given to him, as they make him feel valued by his suppliers. My father is a no nonsense kind of guy. He says it the way that it is gets the best prices out of his suppliers and would be a terrific companion when visiting a country where you have to haggle. But he is quite willing to spend just a little more time on suppliers who make him feel valued. So if you are wondering if giving out corporate gifts if worth it, if I go by my father’s personality, it definitely is worthwhile.

To Gift Wrap or Not to Gift Wrap.

To Gift Wrap or Not to Gift Wrap. Many years ago I worked as a marketing manager for a company. We had numerous functions, but also had a year end function for staff and family. During this year end function we handed out Christmas Gifts for the children. Instead of Corporate Gifts, we did toys. Naturally these gifts had to be gift wrapped. As the end of the year function was a marketing and public relations divisions, we had to see to the gift wrapping of our end of the year gifts ourselves. We had given the parents a list of toys to choose from and each parent wrote the name of their child and the type of gifts on a list and we gift wrapped these end of the year gifts and put a name tag on each gift. Although it was fun to play Santa’s elves for a while, we have a series of complications. The first was space. We had to do the entire job in our office and no gifts were allowed to spill over into the neighboring work stations. All the gifts were different shapes and sizes and so the office was taken over by year end gifts. The easiest access to our office was to drive our vehicle around the factory and climb in and out through our window. Then came the monumental task of wrapping all those gifts and putting the name of each child on their gift. For a full two days, my assistant wrapped and wrapped and wrapped year end gifts. Yes, the final result to see all the happy faces of the children was wonderful, but I do wonder what the real cost was for two salaried employees wrapping all those gifts. There are many companies that offer gift wrapping services. All you need to do is buy the gift wrap and the ribbon and hand it over to a gift wrapping company and you can get on with your core business and have a fantastic year end function. If you are wanting to buy year end gifts and to gift wrap them, please contact Belle Regalo on info@belleregalo.co.za or 082 948 7461 or visit us on www.belleregalo.co.za

Why Purchase Corporate Gifts?

Let’s face it, the economy has hit some hard times. So you may be asking why you should budget for corporate gifts. Is it not just another expense that perhaps you can not justify budgeting for it. However think again. Corporate gifts are about relationships. Relationships are with human beings. Let’s think of other human beings like YOU. If you get a present from someone for your birthday or for Christmas, do you feel valued? Of course you do because someone took the time to think of you and took the time to choose a gift for you. Maybe they even took the time to gift wrap it for you and to write your name on the card. Corporate gifts are much the same. The only difference is that this is a business relationship. So is a business relationship an important one? You bet it is. That is why we give out corporate gifts, to thank our customers for helping to build the business. Now of course in life there are people that we are good friends with and there are people who are acquaintances. We prioritize giving gifts to people are special friends and family members who are close. So too it is with customers. There are customers who have made a difference to your business and those clients are definitely deserving of corporate gifts. Then there are the once off customers who accumulatively make a difference to your business but are not with you for the long haul. Naturally your spend on corporate gifts will be affected by the value of your clients. So change the value of your corporate gifts to match what you see as the perceived life long value of your client. So is it not time you rethink your approach to corporate gifts. For more ideas on corporate gifts visit us on www.belleregalo.co.za or e-mail us on info@belleregalo.co.za

Corporate Clothing

Corporate clothing is still an excellent corporate gift. Corporate clothing is great way to create a positive impression of your company. Supplying your staff with corporate clothing ensures that they are neatly dressed and easily identifiable by customers. When choosing branding for your corporate clothing, promotional clothing can have big silkscreened logos, but generally corporate clothing for staff will have embroidered logos which look smarter. Generally customers buy corporate clothing for their staff once a year. This is because depending on the number of shirts that you give to your staff for corporate clothing the high frequency of wear and sometimes rough washing can make some of the garments wear faster than others. So rather that checking up on each staff member, getting new shirts each year will ensure that the average appearance of the corporate clothing of staff members remains good. If the dress code of your staff is casual then a golf shirt is a good however if your dress code is smart then you would be wize to purchase lounge shirts and blouses. These days many corporate clothing options come in matching ladies and gents styles making your corporate clothing choices a lot more varied.

Isosteel as a Corporate Gift Stands the Test of Time.

What does corporate gifting have to do

with having a baby you may ask. But I have found that at this juncture of my life I have realized the lasting impact that choosing the correct stainless steel flasks can have. Over eleven years ago I bought an Isosteel vacuum pot because I liked the design. Once we moved I put a lot of things in storage and recently opened up the storage and found it. I had a baby on 23 May and when expressing at night we would put a stainless steel flask on the best side table to heat up the milk overnight for the baby. As a corporate gift supplier I have a large number of various stainless steel flasks lying around the house. I found that if I filled up one of the low costs stainless steel flasks early in the leaving, by midnight the water was completely cold. Not even luke warm but cold. This was quite frustrating as we would have to get up, boil the kettle and heat up milk in a bowl for the baby. Having a crying baby at midnight is not a bag of laughs. Once we found the vacuum pot, we tried that out and the Isosteel brand proved its worth one again. Our water remained hot so heating up the milk was merely turning over, opening the Isosteel vacuum pot and pouring into the bowl and in 5 minutes we would have warm milk for the baby. How amazing is it that eleven years later the Isosteel brand is still performing. As a corporate gift Isosteel is amazing and the fact that this corporate gift performs so well over the years it is a great brand to align your brand with. The Isosteel range of products make wonderful corporate gifts.

Winter Trends for Corporate Gifts

It may seem like you have heard this from your grandmother, but do cover up your head during winter. This tip and other winter habits in this article can enhance your gift purchasing decisions as well as surprisingly the health and well being of staff and clients. Most of Your Heat Loss is through Your Head. A surprising truth is that we loose a lot of heat from our heads. Now you are probably thinking, “But my head does not get cold.” That is true, but it is because the body knows that the brain is a vital organ, so it will redirect heat to the vital organs. That means stealing the heat away from less vital body parts like your fingers or toes. I do not know about you, but when I am cold, I find it very difficult to concentrate. So for winter, getting staff or clients beanies is a great gifting idea. Especially if you have staff who work in a warehousing facility. Warehouses are notoriously cold. Beanie, scarf and glove sets are a low cost gift or uniform item, but very well received from your warehousing or factory staff. If clients do not like to have your brand plaster all over the front of the beanie, then insert a side winder (a label sewn into the seam of a garment) into the beanie. Layering for winter. Depending on where you live in South Africa, you can still get some great sunny winter days. Getting dressed in the mornings is a true test of determination, so you really do need to be very warm when you leave for work. But with aircon in offices or as the day progresses, you may find yourself getting too hot for the gear that you are wearing. That is why layering is a tried and tested method for winter. In South Africa we do not get much snow, so corporate wear does not come designed for glacial type weather as it does in the colder countries. But you still need to keep warm. New versatile 4-in-1 jacket offers four combinations: light weight outer, polar fleece body warmer, water resistant body warmer and combined jacket. Outer jacket features include zip-off hood, Airtex lining, storm flap, zippered outer pockets and inner pocket. The outer jacket is in a water resistant nylon fabric. The reversible body warmer with coated polyester and fleece on the inner. These jackets come in a complimentary feminine fit with contrast panels. Choosing Recognizable Brands. These days there is a trend for clients to go for brands that are recognizable in the retail industry. These are mostly clients who are looking for more expensive items for their high end clients. One of the more popular brands for winter is the First Ascent brand. First Ascent is one of South Africa’s leading outdoor brands. The great thing about this brand is that while there are some firm favorites, they do regular updates to the products like the Ladies Phantom Softshell Jacket. This updated soft-shell fabric offers the best of both hard-shell and fleece in one garment - water repellent enough to protect you from a light downpour. This jacket has a high fleece lined collar for increased protection. Larger Portions Evolution theories have us related to apes. But in winter, I feel that I am related to the bear. I crave carbohydrates, want to sleep later and have noticed that coffee, tea, hot chocolate and soup consumption tends to go up in winter. There is nothing quite like a steaming cup of coffee to wrap your hands around on a cold winter morning. So instead of running to the kitchen every hour, rather go big with jumbo mugs. Jumbo mugs are really big on impact. It is impossible to miss them on a client’s desk, so this is a great winter way to promote your brand. Plus if you are not wearing a beanie, as recommended by grandma, it does help warm up those fingers that are sending their heat to your brain. The Need for More Sunshine While you probably want to hibernate at home and watch endless DVDs, you actually need to get out into the sunshine. This thought may send you into a panic, but there are some critical vitamins that only sunshine can provide. For example Vitamin D. Vitamin D sufficiency, along with diet and exercise, has emerged as arguably one of the most important preventive factors in human health. Hundreds of studies now link vitamin D deficiency with significantly higher rates of many forms of cancer‚ as well as heart disease‚ osteoporosis‚ multiple sclerosis and many other conditions and diseases. A solution is to get out into the heat of the winter day for a lunch time picnic at your local zoo or botanical gardens. In Johannesburg and Cape Town the botanical gardens have wonderful winter concerts when large groups of people enjoy music, good food and company. That is why picnic basket and blanket sales surprisingly increase in winter. So this winter, make purchasing decisions that promote your brand exposure as well as your health, comfort and well being. Belle Regalo – Supplier of Corporate Gifts www.belleregalo.co.za 011 4682954

Corporate Clothing

Corporate clothing is a wonderful option branding options. Corporate clothing can be both a subtle form of branding or create a strong message. If you choose colour on colour branding for your corporate clothing, that means that the corporate clothing will be embroidered in the same colour thread as the thread that the garment has been manufactured from. For more dramatic corporate clothing branding statements you can embroider or silk-screen in more dramatic colours. You can also brand the back of the corporate clothing with larger format silk-screening or embroidery. We recommend that for large format you use silk-screening or heat press as embroidery can be very expensive for large area branding on corporate clothing. Popular corporate clothing for May to July are jerseys, long sleeve shirts, fleece garments and winter jackets.

Winter Jackets

This is perfect time to start ordering your winter

jackets. There is now a really vast range of winter jackets. Some of our winter jacket ranges include 3-in-1 jackets, 4 in 1 jackets, All weather jackets, Concealed jackets, Fishing jackets, Safety jackets, Utility jackets Please visit us on www.belleregalo.co.za or http://belleregalo.bcgshop.co.za/Products/Jacket.aspx

Some Tips for Organizing a Golf Day

It was over ten years ago that I organized my first golf day. Luckily my boss was a scratch golfer and had a lot of patience. He helped me through the first event and after that my only difficulty was juggling the four balls. We used to replace players who could not make it with reserves, but each year people who have previously been invited wanted to be invited again and as our preferred course had a limit on the number of players allowed, we had to do a serious juggling act. Here are some hints to help you out of your golf day. Choose the right golf course Consider the number of guests that you have. Make sure that the course you choose is not too busy. Some courses are better equipped to handle large groups. You need to gage what the overall handicap of your clients is like. If the majority of your players are merely social golfers, they will be frustrated by a very difficult course. However if the majority of your golfers have very of handicaps they will be equally frustrated a course that is too easy. Time the day carefully Golf days are usually completed during office hours. If you have very busy executives then, they may not be able to take off the entire day. Choose if it is better to start at breakfast and go through to mid afternoon or to start in the afternoon and go through to the evening. Consider the format Some golf day organisers advice using Stableford scoring rather than a medal round, this will speed up the day. The format you select also affects the running of your golf day. Stableford is a scoring system used in the sport of golf. Rather than counting the total number of strokes taken, as in stroke, it involves scoring points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole. Unlike traditional scoring methods, where the aim is to have the lowest score, under Stableford rules, the objective is to have the highest score. "Medal play" is simply another term for "stroke play." That is, a round of golf in which the score is kept by counting strokes and totaling them. Hope you have an enjoyable golf day

Corporate Image Update

Some Tips for the Image My mother used to have this saying “There goes mutton dressed up as lamb”. She was referring to mature women who were dressing as if they were in their twenties. Instead of looking younger they looked foolish. We all want to look younger and we all want to look our best. But there just seem to be some women who make it seem all so simple. Enter the image consultant’s jobs. They take the guess work out of what seems to be land mine of fashion mistakes. I was recently blessed to attend one such talk and thought that I would share a few ideas that stood out for me. You can apply them when working with your corporate clothing. Contrasting Colours White there are fashion trends currently that work with solid tones, such as wearing a tan top and tan trousers, research shows that people who wear contrasting colours get noticed. However there are a few rules. If you wear high contrasting colours such as black and white, black and red etc, then you may be too intimidating for the person that you are having an appointment with. Safe contrasting colours would be medium contrast for example a navy and light blue or a black and pastel pink. Choosing a white While for many the idea of a crisp white shirt may appeal there are some rules in choosing a white that compliments you. A general rule of thumb is to look at the whites of your eyes. If the white of your eyes and a crisp white, then a crisp white will suit you. However if you have a slight yellowing tinge to the whites of your eyes and I am not talking about jaundice here, then an off white may be more flattering to you. Do Real Men Wear Pink? While socializing with pink may work well for a professional look; men should still avoid pink or purple for appointments. Look at corporate clothing options that work within these fashion rules. Make Up I see a lot of ladies who just by pass the whole make up thing. They prefer to go natural or could just not be bothered. But research does show that women who do wear make up tend to get promoted more frequently. While for some that may see very sexist, a bigger salary may allow you to achieve more of your dreams, so you decide what is ultimately more important to you. When to put out your cigarette Most companies have a no smoking rule, so if you are a smoker you may be tempted to smoke in your car on the way to an appointment. The general rule is to smoke your last cigarette twenty minutes before your next appointment. That gives enough time to minimize the smoky aura that you have. Also remember to carry mints with you and use them before the appointment If you are looking for corporate clothing, give Belle Regalo a call or e-mail us on info@belleregalo.co.za

Corporate Gifts That You Want to Keep

Every few years if you are sensible you will go through your house and discard the things that you no longer use to freshen up your home and make space for new things. Some of the items that may end up in the trash or to be given away are corporate gifts. So I spent some time thinking about the corporate gifts that I have that I have kept. I have to say that one of my firm favourites was the maglite. I love this corporate gift because we still get the odd load shedding or power failures. So a torch is always handy to have around. What I have also found very useful about the maglite is that when you unscrew the top, it turns into a candle. If you have young children in the house you will know that often the lights going out suddenly means creates a lot of stress of them, so for them, to have a torch handy really makes a power failure a lot more manageable. There is not thing quite as stressful as having to scrounge around for candles and having a distressed child crying or calling "mommy!" in the background. Speaking about children, every year we try to get to carols by candle light session and so one of the corporate gifts that I have that I always keep is the battery operated candle. We just change batteries and do not have to worry about melting candle wax and little burnt fingers. Our family also all have petzl headlights. Petzl is a really terrific brand and some of our clients only want Petzl and nothing else. As we love the outdoors, if we go camping and we have to go to the bathroom at night the headlamps are a great way to show the way when your hands are full of toiletry, towels etc. My husband does a lot a customer visits, so for him the thermal coffee mugs are the best corporate gifts. He tends to work late at night and then rush off in the morning to clients and that cup of coffee in the car helps to rev up the brain cells. For our anniversary a few years ago the restaurant where we celebrated gave us a free shooter in a light flashing shot glass. The lights are activated only when the glass is full and then go off when the liquid is gone. We still keep it as a momentum and of course it has the restaurant’s number on it, so it is a great business card for them. Another favorite corporate gift is a small tool kit. Tool kits may seem like boring corporate gifts, but they are so very useful. My nine year old daughter loves it because it is compact and easy to use and she once even decided to fix the door handle of the bathroom door. One of the screws had come out and she wanted to replace it. For minor things, nothing beats a small tool kit. A few years ago I took a weekend break with a few couples and while the guys were playing golf, then ladies spent the morning leisurely getting ready for a lunch out. Alas we found that no one had brought a two prong plug and so there was no place to plug in the hair dryer. Luckily I had a small tool kit, so I took a standard three prong plug off one of the lamps and did a temporary swap for the hairdryer. There are a few quite a few more corporate gifts that that I would definitely keep, but those would probably spring to mind at the next spring clean. But it seems that from this latest spring clean that light orientated corporate gifts seem to be a firm favorite. They are never wasted because it is great to have them available in each room for guests. Like insurance, a good torch as a corporate gift only presents its true value when you really need it.

Planning, Stress and Productivity - How to get the best outof your gifting supplier?

Planning is not just about your core business, but also other aspects that affect operations. It is statistically well known that when the human brain is under stress that intelligence levels drop. That is why often after an argument people often think of the things that they “should have” said when they had the chance. So how does this translate into planning for your corporate gifts? Well, if you leave your gifts until the last minute then you add a whole bunch of pressure to the gifting company and the staff who are working on your job. You may love the idea that your corporate gifting company has responded well to pressurised deadlines. But the more often you fall back on this strategy the higher the chance is that the supplier will crack under the pressure. We often get clients who say that they have moved to our corporate gifting service because the previous supplier let them down. But all relationships are two sided, so when planning gifting ask yourself 1. Is your corporate gifting deadline is realistic. 2. Is your corporate gifting budget realistic? 3. If there is a delay between getting the quotation and ordering, check on stock availability. People order everyday and your gifting company will not reserve stock for you until it has been paid for? 4. Have you communicated your brief clearly? We once received a brief where the client wanted a print that was larger than the actual gift. 5. Are you supplying your corporate gifting company with the tools to assist them in helping you? 6. Are you coordinating with your other departments involved, like finance or Human Resources, so that they know the requirements and deadline of the job? Planning properly can go a long way in making sure you get the best service from your corporate gifting company and will greatly minimise your stress as well. If you are looking for corporate gifts, visit our website www.belleregalo.co.za or e-mail us on info@belleregalo.co.za