It goes without saying that we, at Synergy Marketing Consultants, take great pride in our sensational promotional products. However, we have equal, if not more, pride in our top-notch customer service skills. CustomerServicePoint.com is a website that offers advice on how to attain such assets. As the folks over at the website will agree, ?If you have the keys to good customer service, you have access to minds and hearts of customers.?

There are a number of things that make us successful at providing great customer service. One of the most important aspects is our belief in our product. Standing by the items that we offer our customer base helps to alleviate some of the first concerns our clients may have. As with any business, running into skepticism about an amazing-sounding offer is normal.

With a very positive and confident attitude, we have been able to ease the potential fears and tensions of our customers by instilling within them the understanding that they are in good hands.

As CustomerServicePoint.com writes: ?A positive attitude is a 'can do' attitude. It's deciding to do whatever it takes to help the customer, and not hide behind excuses, non-existing policies, other colleagues.?

The website also insists upon another imperative practice. That is to keep your promises. Not sticking to your word inevitably forces your customers to feel betrayed. In business, the loss of one's trust is not easily re-attained. Often it never is regained. That being said, another key ingredient to great customer service is to listen to your customer.

It is important that you display a genuine interest in what your customer is looking for. Ask questions if you are unsure. Do your part in meeting your customers' needs. Ensure that they feel valued and appreciated for their business. Try your best to not have to make your customer repeat him or herself or get agitated while trying to locate your assistance. Good listening is most certainly an important tool.

CustomerServicePoint.com also advises that you ?delight? your customer. Go that extra mile and ensure that your customers get the maximum value out of your product or service. You should make it so that they will have no reservations in coming back to your establishment in the future.

There are, of course, several other tips on how to maintain excellent customer service. It is one of the many keys to Synergy's success. Recognizing this key helps to ensure our client base is never locked out of guaranteed satisfaction.

Can you believe that the holiday season is already just around the corner? It will be November after this weekend, and you know what that means. Decorations are about to go up in stores and homes everywhere. Holiday jingles will be in heavy rotation in shops and malls all over the place.

The next thing you know, 2010 will be here! So when else would be a better time to consider some gift giving? And by that, we mean giving YOURSELF the gift of knowing that your client base will be thinking about YOU all year long, once we enter into yet another new decade.

How can you make this happen, you ask? Well, you know the term ?the gift that keeps on giving?? Synergy Marketing Consultants proudly announces one of its newest promotional items that will give you the gift of knowing that you will never be out of sight or mind of your favourite customers, every day of the year.

Available now is a new line of stylish calendars that each display elaborate pictures and artwork of all types. For sports fans, we have the gloriously photoed (is that a word?) ?Golf? and the conveniently helpful ?Fisherman's Guide? calendars.

If serenity and natural beauty are more your speed, Synergy also offers the ?Earth?, and ?Motivation? calendars as well as the ?Smart Living? calendar which contains ?soothing scenic photos paired with helpful health and wellness tips for each month create a unique promotional tool for health conscious customers.?

Art lovers have not been left out either. Our line of calendars also feature a ?Norman Rockwell? edition as well as humourously animated ?Weekend Warriors? design!

Each calendar series is amazingly priced at only 99 cents to $1.50 each! Please feel free to peruse through these elegant calendars yourself by simply clicking on the ?Calendars? link of our website.

Of course, it may be too early to begin exclaiming this wish just yet, but we feel that we have figured out a way to ensure that you will have a ?happy new year?!

So far, in the very young history of the Synergy Marketing Consultants Blog, we have generously offered up a wealth of advice to business owners looking for new ways to promote their businesses. Of course, we are of the mind that promotional products with your company's name, logo and/or contact information is an excellent way to stay on the minds of your customers, all the while ensuring their sense of brand loyalty.

Experts in the field of business marketing and promotion solidify the fact that we are not alone in our thinking. Janet Attard, the founder of the the award-winning Business Know-How website and author of such books as The Home Office And Small Business Answer Book and of Business Know-How: An Operational Guide For Home-Based and Micro-Sized Businesses with Limited Budgets has doled out some pretty good business advice in her day as well.

It appears as if we are in agreement. An article in which Attard lists no less than 24 ?proven methods? to help business owners increase their company's success, she describes the many ways that businesses can prosper in an affordable fashion.

Among her tips is an idea that echoes a sentiment that we have become used to at Synergy. And that is to brand yourself in such a way that you stand out and are seen as different than your competitors.

?Look for something unusual about what you do, and publicize it,? says Attard, ?Send out press releases to local newspapers, radio stations, cable TV stations, or magazines whose audiences are likely to be interested in buying what you sell.?

Evidently, you can be as unique as it gets, but without advertising yourself to a wide range of potential customers, who will even know you exist?

There is, of course, another excellent way to demonstrate your expertise in your field. In some cases, depending on your product or service, Attard suggests that you give demonstrations of it to groups or individuals that might be interested.

We especially like this piece of advice. First, it allows for you to prove the quality of your product to an audience, adding that personal connection to your brand that encourages loyalty and trust in your client base. Second, it provides the perfect opportunity to provide the members of your audience with a nifty promotional item that they will not only find useful, but will serve as a constant reminder of your company.

While you're at it, you may as well ?get samples of your product or your work into as many hands as possible? says Attard. She also recommends that you ask for referrals and even run contests to promote your brand. Offering ?desirable prizes? is a surefire incentive to driving up business.

So what are you waiting for? The suggestions are abundant, but time is of the essence. Begin thinking of new and creative ways to promote your business today!

Perhaps the best way to determine whether or not your company will, not only survive but, thrive during the recession is to answer the following question. Do you regard spending money on advertising an expense or an investment?

Of course, if you feel that advertising dollars well spent is a good investment that will see your company prosper, you have a greater chance of being successful ? bad economy or not. Some business owners, however, feel that it is safer to simply ?wait things out? in hopes that not spending during the recession will lead to not losing money.

Experts say that the opposite is true. One such person is Hayden Noel, a University of Illinois marketing expert. In a news story on the university's website this past July, Noel comments about how companies who decide to scale back on advertising due to the current financial climate risk declining sales after the rebound of the economy.

Instead, he notes that there is evidence from past recessions that shows that maintaining standard business practices including advertising your brand, can help drive up both sales and a company's market share. He cites Avon and Hershey as examples of companies that, in the mid-1970's, sacrificed advertising and ended up seeing a decline in their sales and market shares that took years to re-establish.

He also found that after a recession in the early-1980's, companies who continued to advertise saw a sales increase of 20 to 80 per cent.

Says Noel, who is also a business administration professor: ?Reducing advertising is something you should not do, even during a recession. You?re cutting your throat now, and you bleed out over time.?

It is understandable, of course, that business owners would tend to trim down their advertising budget during a recession as consumers naturally spend less. However, it is important to view this time as an opportunity to ?boost brand awareness?, according to Noel.

Noel graciously offers his reasoning for this advice: ?The field is thinner because your competitors are spending less, so recessions are a unique opportunity to increase brand equity…With less competition, you not only can strengthen your base, but you also can attract new customers, primarily from competitors who reduced spending.?

Apparently, the best time to advertise your business is right now. You better hurry up and get to it before the recession ends!

On Synergy Marketing Consultants' shiny new blog, we have already discussed the importance of branding your company and standing apart from your competition. Being a leader in your industry, as we have discussed, requires outside-the-box thinking and an attitude that is displayed through your business' ability to leave a lasting impression.

Most often, when communicating what it is one does professionally and how it is one can be reached, the age-old business card is handed out as a means of keeping in touch. It is, of course, the objective of any business person to have this card kept by the person it is handed to, in hopes that a future connection will be made.

While there is nothing particularly wrong with handing out business cards these days ? many of us still do it ? there is nothing particularly interesting about doing so either. To set yourself apart from, and more importanly, put yourself above your competitors, you may want to consider offering up a new type of business card.

Key chains have remained one of our most popular promotional items for the simple fact that they are small, light and practical. Who couldn't use a key chain? Imagine the impact you will have on someone who reaches for their keys ? a daily chore ? to open up their shop or home, and sees your company's name and logo.

You remain in their thoughts on a constant basis. This is task that a standard business card cannot complete.

Another one of our most successful items is the trustworthy pen. And like our keychains, we have a wide selection of designer pens to choose from. A number of them make very impressive gifts. Laser pens, wooden pens, titanium pens and more are making quite the impression among business owners and their clients, as many of them are offered in specially designed and personally engraved boxes.

Not to mention, our most exciting and unique product of last winter, ?the hockey pen? – as we call it around here ? is coming back! With the new NHL season underway, what better way to delight the potential or current client who is a hockey fan with a useful pen that contains a pullout professional hockey schedule?

Sure business cards are nice. But a nifty promotional item is better. Don't get left behind. Be innovative. Be unique. Leave a lasting impression that won't be soon forgotten.

With such a wide array of items to select from, be sure to make Synergy Marketing Consultants your first and only stop for your promo item needs.

One of the most important things that a business owner can do to ensure his or her company's success is to be unique. Coming to a definitive answer to the question ?What makes this company stand out from all the others?? is the key to truly branding your company and setting yourself apart from the competition.

Leslie McKerns of Florida-based McKerns Development considers herself a ?branding expert?. She insists that although name recognition is just one aspect of good company branding, it is a very important one. On her company website, McKerns once revealed her own list of ways that a company can best help to brand itself and boost its recognition.

Number one on this list was to develop an image. Specifically, she advised that a company's name and logo be formed into an intriguing image that best suits your business' message and placed on just about everything possible. She includes ?web, stationery, logo, tagline, mission statement, cards, postcards, brochures, elevator pitch, newsletters, letters, project sheets, resumes, bios, firm description? and more as tools to help brand your company and further its reach.

Another great piece of advice that McKerns offers is to ensure that you update your website a minimum of four times a month. Many other sources that we have come across have advised the same, only they have increased their updating routine to a daily task. Hence, company blogs can play a big role in the connection your company makes with its clients.

Not that we assume that there is a blog out there better than ?The Best Blog On The Internet?, but keeping a consistently fresh website helps to keep clients informed and interested. In addition, as McKerns confirms, having an informational based website allows for search engines to find you and allow customers to ?read in-depth material demonstrating your expertise.?

At Synergy Marketing Consultants, we don't just offer up such advice, but we take it ourselves. Priding ourselves on providing only the best promotional products on the market, we remain confident that we are not only helping businesses all over the globe brand themselves in unique ways, but we are doing the same for our company.

We insist upon having our customer service match the excellence of our products. And, of course, let's not forget the brilliance of our shiny new daily blog!

There truly is no end to the benefits that a promotional gift can give your company. Imagine the impact that your brand name has on someone every time he or she reaches for a pen to jot something down. How about every time someone goes to make his or her morning coffee or tea in a mug with your company's logo on it? You will never be out of sight or out of mind.

Not only does this consistent branding help to keep you relevant and constantly on the minds of would-be customers, but the presence of your gift in the homes and workplaces of people all over the globe will add to the growing perception of your company's prestige and professionalism.

How often have you seen a logo of a company you have never heard of before, only to then see it on a consistent basis, finally causing you to beg the question, ?What are they all about??. The greatest form of word-of-mouth ironically no longer needs a mouth! Your promotional gifts will have your company known to people everywhere simply by having your business name, logo and contact information on the most unique and useful of products.

Your promotional gift, of course, should identify with the type of business you operate. The gift should be functional and effective and be aimed at satisfying everyday needs. As well, the point of the gift should be to have your business become as widely known as possible.

Providing such gifts to customers is a great way to increase their loyalty. It will elevate their impression of your company, if for no other reason, because they received something free and practical. The gesture in and of itself is a great promotional tool.

And don't forget your employees! Sometimes a pat on the back or a ?job well done? is as easy as sending an employee home with a little something special that will keep him or her feeling appreciated and valued.

Your promotional gift serves as a personalized ?thank you? to both customers and employees. And there is no time like the present (pun intended) to offer these gifts to ensure that they continue giving back to you.

The holiday season is not upon us just yet. But for the savvy business owner, the season of giving lasts year round.

The long wait is over! It is finally here! Welcome to the best blog on the internet!

Big words, we know. But here at Synergy Marketing Consultants Inc., we couldn't be more excited about our company and the fantastic products that we offer.

Since our inception, we have remained confident that we offer the absolute best promotional products on the market. Through our intense dedication to also offer the best service possible, we have developed relationships with businesses and suppliers from all over the world.

Here at Synergy, we live by a fairly simple philosophy. And that is ?it is always easier to keep a customer than to find a new one?. With that in mind, we provide a seemingly endless list of incredible promotional products and business gifts that both small business owners and large corporations use to thank their customers, keeping them happy and loyal.

You name it, we got it! Calendars, mouse pads, flashlights, key chains, pocket knives, sunglasses, watches, clocks and SO much more. At Synergy, we remain dedicated to meeting the business needs of all our clients ensuring that ? as our website name indicates ? we provide the best promo products available on the market.

We are especially proud about our very specially designed banner pens. A Synergy Marketing Consultants Inc. original, these pens contain unique, pull-out schedules, calendars and other unique information sources. Just last year, Synergy had the Canadian business world abuzz as companies from all over the country were proudly handing out our pens to their customers containing the professional hockey schedule for all six Canadian teams.

It's that time of year again! And in addition to these special pens, Synergy is proud to announce our festive Holiday Music CD. The perfect holiday giveaway, this CD which includes 12 holiday classics, comes nestled in your choice of two wonderful greeting card designs. These items are not dated, so businesses may hand out these holiday gifts year after year!

Of course, these great CDs are custom designed with YOUR business name and logo. Give us a call at 1-877-748-9884 between 9am and 5pm EST or e-mail info@gosynergygo.com to order the product that best suits your business needs.

And by all means, check back regularly to the Synergy Marketing Consultants Blog. After all, it is only right to couple the best promo products in the world with the best blog on the internet.