The summer can be an exciting time for most people. The kids are out of school and ready to take on new adventures. And this means that parents will be seeking new ways to keep their children entertained. But for business owners, there really is no vacation. In fact, summer is a time when business is expected to pick up.

It should never be taken for granted, however, that the summer season will bring about increased sales. In fact, added efforts must be made to ensure that entrepreneurs don’t miss out on the potential of a business boost. On FreelanceFolder.com, Lois Knight writes of the various ways that business owners may use summer to their advantage.

She writes that there are several ways to increase business as the heat also increases during the summer. Remember that there will be more people outside taking in the warm weather. So being creative enough to draw these people into your store will be key. So how does one be creative?

Start a new marketing blitz. According to Knight, you don’t have to spend a bundle in order to build buzz for your business. Use bulk mailers or standard post cards and have them delivered throughout your community. Create a special summer sale that will draw interest towards your products and services and offer special discounts.

Contact businesses you did work for six months ago. Don’t ever forget the clients that you already have, reminds Knight. Sometimes we forget that when advertising our businesses, it’s much easier to attract old customers than it is to attract new ones. Let your established customers know that you haven’t forgotten them.

Volunteer your time and/or services to a non-profit organization. Attaching your business name to a worthy cause is always a good idea. It not only helps provide special assistance to those who need it in your community but it sheds a very positive light upon your company.

Go to the flea market. Writes Knight: “If you print T-shirts, create tangible products or just want to drum up business, go to the flea markets and open air markets. Give a business card to every vendor and customer that you get close to.” Better yet, hook them up with one of your awesome promo gifts!

Be sure to check out tomorrow’s blog as we round out this list of simple tips to drum up more summer business. While the heat increases, so should your sales. It just takes a bit of creativity and effort. But fear not, you can do it! It’s time to turn up the heat.

In yesterday’s blog, we took a look at a “Business 101” blog that listed a number of traits that should be present during a job interview so that it is top-notch. Since Synergy Marketing Consultants is currently conducting a hiring spree, we thought that we’d share these ideas to give job candidates a clear understanding of what we are looking for.

Of course, possessing these traits will help you out in just about any job interview. But, as we mentioned yesterday, Synergy isn’t your average every day run-of-the-mill company. We tend to do things differently around here. And that’s why a fun, easy going, positive attitude goes a long way with us. We’re all about fostering an enjoyable working environment.

Don’t get us wrong though. We are definitely looking for employees who have a strong handle on sales. But an ideal job candidate should possess a number of other traits that will help him or her not only do a good job, but add to the office space by being a strong team player. Let’s revisit that Business 101 blog, shall we?

Employees that you are looking at to hire should have a willingness to learn more. This is where your experience doesn’t necessarily make or break your chances. At Synergy, we are happy to help you develop your skills as a salesperson. So don’t come into your interviews with a lack of confidence if your experience isn’t extensive.

If you show a willingness to learn and have a “go get ‘em” type of attitude, chances are that you’ll be a good fit. It’s important that we know that you will be able to get along with other employees and enjoy working on a team. We will be listening to how you describe your experiences working with other employees in your past jobs.

The future employee should do well under stress and pressure. How well do you work under pressure? Are you able to make deadlines and hit quotas? These may be some of the questions that your hiring manager may ask you. As fun as it may be to work within the Synergy offices, we do encourage a sense of competition amongst our staff members.

We like winners. And we would certainly like to hire those who like winning. Here’s another way to show that you are a winner – be on time! There’s nothing worse than showing up late for a job interview. It will tell your hiring manager that you would likely be late for work if you were to secure the position. Give yourself as much time as possible to get to your interview on time.

Remember that if you are nervous about the interview, so is the one offering the job. Hey, we have to impress you too, don’t we? Any job should be a good fit between employer and employee. We hope that we’ll find a good match when we meet you. But we also hope that you will feel the same about us once the interview process is over!

To be completely honest with you, Synergy Marketing Consultants is not like most companies. We march to the beat of our own drum – so to speak. So, unlike some companies that must follow a specific mandate when hiring employees, we like to treat each individual interview differently.

In other words, we are looking to be “wowed” by your job interview. What that means is even if you have less experience than other candidates, we are hoping to see something in you that just screams “potential”. As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, we are definitely interested in candidates with positive attitudes that will be welcome fits in our sometimes boisterous working environment.

However, it is always important to consider the ways in which you wish to represent yourself when you are in a job interview. Your physical presentation and demeanor will go a long way in making a good first impression. But there are a few other things that you should be able to bring to the table when meeting with one of our sales managers.

On a blog known simply as “Business 101”, a number of attributes are laid out on the table for job seekers. These attributes are listed as particular traits that employers look for in their would-be employees. Considering that we are in the middle of a hiring spree, we thought it would be a good idea to give our two cents about some of these traits.

Employees that you hire should know about your business and, if anything, what you sell. According to Business 101, candidates should come into their job interviews with a decent knowledge of what the company does. After all, how will you be able to sell yourself as someone who can sell a product if you have never heard of it before?

As we suggested yesterday, take the time to check out our website and learn a little bit about our promotional items. By no means are you expected to be an expert. But doing your due diligence to show that you have a genuine interest in the position helps for you to be taken seriously as a candidate for the job being offered.

Candidates should be personable, nice, have a good work ethic and some experience. This trait should be even easier to pull off than the first one we mentioned. It’s all about that positive attitude that we keep mentioning. Consider that your employer is not just looking for someone who can do a good job, but someone who can add something positive to the overall working environment just by being present.

Our hiring spree won’t last forever! So be sure to contact us at 1-877-748-9884 and press #4 to speak to a hiring manager today. But be sure to check back for tomorrow’s blog as we discuss a few more traits that are integral to conducting a good job interview. We look forward to meeting with you soon. Good luck!

As we mentioned earlier this week, Synergy Marketing Consultants is excited to open its doors to you! We are looking to fill a number of sales positions and are interested in meeting enthusiastic individuals with a strong sales acumen. If you enjoy making money (and who doesn’t?) in a fun environment (and who wouldn’t?) Synergy just might be the right fit for your new home away from home.

It’s as simple as giving us a call at 1-877-748-9884 and pressing #4 to speak to a sales manager. Since we are looking to fill positions quickly, we’d be happy to meet with you right away. At Synergy, we take great pride in the products we sell, and so we are looking for candidates who happen to take great pride in their work. But don’t be alarmed. We’re pretty easy going.

For the most part, it’s all about attitude. Sometimes, even more so than experience, a positive attitude is what helps people become successful. As we’ve mentioned in a number of previous blogs, the working environment at Synergy is quite an exciting one. We enjoy having a good time, playing music and hamming it up with co-workers.

But our sales reps take their responsibilities very seriously. This is why our staff is made up of individuals who are simply the best at what they do. And it’s not always because they have numerous years of experience. It’s because they have fun doing their jobs. Some can be more boisterous than others, but they all have one thing in common – a positive attitude.

Sound like a place where you would like to work? Give us a call, we’re eager to hear from you. Be sure to do so right away as we have been meeting with candidates all week, and we only have so many positions left available. We are very much looking forward to strengthening our staff and offering opportunities to those who know that they are just a small step away from a lucrative career in sales.

And just in case you haven’t yet, be sure to check out our product catalogue on our website to get a good idea of the type of products that you will be selling. To be honest, our amazing products have a tendency to sell themselves as they have become known as the top choices for marketing strategies of entrepreneurs across North America. But your efforts are most certainly needed.

Do you have it in you to sell products that can help business owners to grow their businesses? Are you looking for a fun working environment that will allow you to attain a lucrative career opportunity? Don’t be shy (seriously, you can’t be shy for this job!), call us up and book a job interview with Synergy Marketing Consultants today.

We told you yesterday that Synergy Marketing Consultants is home to a lively and passionate staff. So you can’t really blame some members of our team for coming into work this morning feeling a little bit of frustration. Last night, you see, marked opening day for the Toronto Blue Jays, as they officially begin their 2012 campaign.

The sold out Rogers Centre was treated to a fine performance by young right-hander, Henderson Alvarez who carried a four-hit ball game into the sixth inning. With the Jays poised to win by a margin of 2-1 by the time the ninth inning rolled around, manager John Farrell called in his new closer, Sergio Santos.

Santos, by the way, is already responsible for blowing one save in this very short season already. In fact, in the Blue Jays’ first game of the season against the Cleveland Indians, Santos’ blown save sparked what became the longest game in MLB home opener history! The Jays, thankfully, won by a score of 7-4 in the 16th inning!

Last night, however, the Jays wouldn’t be so lucky. With a number of balls thrown in the dirt, three walk and two hits to add to his performance portfolio, Santos managed to turn the 2-1 lead into a 4-2 deficit that the Jays could not dig themselves out off in the bottom of the ninth. Sadly, the sell-out crowd of 48,473 strong went home disappointed.

And a few of them showed up for work this morning with those sentiments. “I was at the game last night,” mentioned one of our team members, “The atmosphere was electric, the place was packed and everyone was excited. It was a good game until the ninth. That new Santos guy, I don’t know – I hope this isn’t how he plays all season.”

“It’s not a good way to start off our season at home,” added another Synergy rep/Jays fan, “But let’s remember that the season just started. There’s no need for panicking just yet. The Jays have a great young team and the chemistry among the players seems to be good. The organization has definitely worked to build a team with a winning attitude, and that will be important down the road.”

Of course, there are still 158 games left to play! It’s a long season and just about anything can happen. After all, the Boston Red Sox – who are often heavily favored in the American League East – only won their first game of the season with their victory last night. And they just barely pulled it off!

But that just goes to show you how passionate sports fans are. And it also goes to show you how passionate our reps are, here at Synergy. It’s their passion that drives them to be successful. That’s why we have a winning team. And don’t forget, we’re looking to add you to our team! Contact us at 1-877-748-9884 to book your job interview today.

As you may know from many of our past blogs, Synergy Marketing Consultants is home to some of the most energetic, enthusiastic and even entertaining staff members in the sales industry! We enjoy maintaining an exciting working atmosphere complete with sales reps who confidently stand behind the products that they are providing their clients.

And now we’d like to add YOU to that staff! That’s right! Synergy is hiring and we’re interested in meeting you in order to determine if you’d be a right fit for our staff. In fact, we’re going on quite the hiring spree in an effort to grow our family of successful sales reps. We’re looking for hard-working individuals who are excited about making money!

Our candidates should also come equipped with a number of skill sets. It’s important to have a forward-thinking, ambitious attitude, but a strong handle of the English language will be imperative for the sales positions available. We love having a diverse team of individuals from all types of working backgrounds, but a good sales base will be especially helpful.

We’re looking for men and women of all ages between 18 and 40. If you live in the Greater Toronto Area, then you’re in the best spot to become a member of our staff. We are located in the Allen Road and Sheppard Ave area of Toronto, so we are pretty central and easy to get to whether you drive or take public transit.

Synergy provides a fun working environment. So be prepared to be “wowed” and come prepared to do some wowing yourself. We provide opportunities for individuals to be part of a winning team. And at the end of the day, it all begins with a winning attitude. If you’re interested in making money – and having fun while doing it – then we are interested in meeting you!

As you may know by now, Synergy Marketing Consultants specializes in providing the best promo products in our industry. These are amazing marketing tools that, when handed out to customers, help to develop stronger senses of customer loyalty that garner referrals and inevitably help to increase sales.

Contact us at 1-877-748-9884 right away to book your interview for our newly opened sales positions. We can see you immediately as we are looking to fill our available positions as soon as possible. So if you are looking for more than just a job, but a lucrative career opportunity, dial that number and press #4 to speak with a sales manager today!

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy Easter long weekend. With most businesses closed today – as Good Friday is a statutory holiday – we thought we end off this week’s series of blogs with some ideas on how you can make the most of your long weekend.

Whether you are celebrating Easter or not, this is most certainly a long weekend that you can enjoy. And although many business owners feel as if they never take a day off from work, it’s important to remember that resting and recharging are important elements of doing a good job. It’s much harder to accomplish tasks when you are exhausted. So give yourself a break!

This weekend, consider some well-deserved rest and relaxation. You may be surprised at how much it will help you and your business when you return to work. And, as usual, you don’t just have to take our word for it. InFlowInventory.com writes about the various benefits of rest and relaxation. Simply put, “working too hard can be bad for your business.”

Most business owners are constant-thinkers. They know that it is their jobs to solve problems when no one else will. The website acknowledges that we are often taught to focus in order to solve a problem. But sometimes, when you get stuck on something, it’s better to “unfocus” and let your mind wander.

That way, you will be allowing yourself the freedom to have inspiration strike you at any moment. “Eureka” moments are best achieved when you refrain from over thinking and simply allow for your mind to stumble upon a brilliant idea. Are you currently working out a major issue at your business?

Perhaps, this weekend will be the perfect time for you to just let go. As InFlowInventory.com explains it, when you relax your brain, your “unconscious brain is still hard at work making all sorts of random connections and associations. When it comes across something that it recognizes as an insight, it reports back to your conscious brain, and you think, a-ha!”

It is harder to have real insights when you are overworked and overstressed. The key, of course, is balance. After all, not every weekend is a long weekend. So you’re not always permitted extra time or days off work to solve a problem. What needs to be done then is for you to create appropriate time towards both completing day-to-day tasks, and relaxing your mind.

The website suggests that working any other way would only work towards “handicapping your ability to generate ideas that can take your business to the next level.” So enjoy your long weekend. Rest, relax and allow your brain to recharge. You may just stumble upon the best solution to all of your problems!

“The Toronto Blue Jays are officially spring training champions!” remarked one of our Synergy sales reps earlier today. Incredibly excited about his hometown baseball team finishing off the season-before-the-season with the best record in the Major Leagues, our co-worker is hoping that the Jays’ good fortune carries over into the regular season – which begins today.

At 3:05 p.m. EST today, the Toronto Blue Jays kick off another season of baseball against the team that happened to have the worst spring training record in the Major Leagues – the Cleveland Indians. As the final spring training standings make clear, the 24-7 Blue Jays will take on the 7-22 Tribe today.

“The spring training standings really don’t mean anything,” chimed in another of our great staff members, “The games that matter begin now. The Jays have played amazingly throughout the spring but now is when it counts. We’ve got to keep the momentum going. It’s a young team, but they have a lot of talent. It’s a long season though.”

Our esteemed team member is right. The Jays, like every other team in baseball, have 162 games to play before they can make any legitimate claims to greatness. Once the season is done, it’s the season-after-the-season that will really prove who the best in baseball will be. The playoffs is a destination the Blue Jays have been craving since they last won the World Series in 1993.

“There’s something about 2012 that just feels right,” mentioned another team member, “This season marks the 20th anniversary of the first World Series ever won by the Jays. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate it than to win it all again. Baseball is a crazy game, so anything is possible. Winning it all is not likely – but still possible. If spring training is any indication, you never know!”

Of course, if you’re a baseball fan in Toronto, it’s easy to be optimistic about the Jays’ chances. After all, having the best record in spring training is something to be proud of, isn’t it? Well, most would argue that it isn’t. And they’d be right. None of the spring training games will ever count in the official record books.

But after a seventh straight season of the Toronto Maple Leafs missing the NHL playoffs, the city of Toronto definitely needs something to cheer about. And unfortunately, the NBA’s Toronto Raptors also appear a long way off from accomplishing a good reason to cheer. So why not make the Blue Jays Toronto’s top team?

“They already are,” answered one staff member, “They compete in the hardest division in baseball – maybe all of sports – and they are in it every game. There’s always a sense that they can win every game they play. I’m looking forward to one of their best seasons in a long time. Let’s go Blue Jays!”

At Synergy Marketing Consultants, we are in the business of “thanking”. Sure, it may seem as if we sell the best promo products in the industry – and we do. But what is truly being provided to business owners all over Canada is the ability to grow their companies through a simple tried-and-true marketing strategy: thanking.

Saying “thank you” to your customers through handing out promotional gifts is perhaps, the most cost-effective and efficient way to grow a business. They provide a personal touch to your interactions with your clients to ensure that they are more connected with the experiences had with your place of business.

People, most often, enjoy returning to a company when they enjoyed the experience with it. Our promo gifts have helped to start conversations, begin new relationships and, of course, provide reminders about where products and services are available. On BusinessKnowHow.com, Joanne Victoria discusses the importance of thanking your customers.

She writes that it is “never too early to start saying thanks to your clients, vendors and referral sources for what they contribute to your business. Everyone loves to be appreciated and acknowledged, so start now and do something every month.” In addition to handing out useful and practical promo gifts to your clients, there are many other ways to thank them.

Victora writes that it can be as simple as asking “how are you?”. Keep your lines of communication open by creating emailing lists. Be sure to not bombard your clients with ads, but instead, offer a genuine greeting while informing them of new value-added products and services that you offer in a monthly newsletter.

She reminds us that marketing doesn’t have to be expensive. The key to any good relationship is communication. So be sure to communicate your sense of gratitude to those who support your business. “The people who are your advocates or supporters are the ones who require nurturing,” writes Victoria.

Don’t forget to thank your staff, as well. They are a big part of your company’s success. Victoria advises that it’s a good idea to have informal meetings now and again by setting up group breakfasts or lunches. Be sure to advise your employees about your upcoming plans and ask for feedback. A combination of kind gestures and the act of keeping them in the loop will go a long way.

Remember that referrals are among the best possible ways to promote your business. When your customers tell others about your company, it is better than any type of commercial. Stay on top of maintaining that personal connection with your clients. It’s as easy as saying “thank you”!

In yesterday’s blog, we began discussing ways that business owners can take advantage of the upcoming summer season to increase sales. Obviously, the summer brings about warmer weather and therefore,a great opportunity to go outside in an effort to draw more attention to your business. Sidewalk sale anyone?

We took a look at an article from MoreBusiness.com that not only suggested sidewalk sales as methods of increasing business during the summer, but listed a number of other tips as well. We’d like to revisit that list in today’s blog in an effort to continue our mission to help businesses throughout Canada grow.

Promote summer sports. The site points out that “summer is a great time to unload your stock of sporting goods.” No matter the sport, summer is the perfect time for play. Even hockey equipment can be used for the outdoor, street version of the game. So if you sell sporting goods, start up a campaign to promote your store as the place to shop for them!

Encourage road trips. Summer is the season for traveling. Think picnics, beach excursions and just getting away for the weekend. What products do you sell that can be attached to any of these activities? Do you carry luggage and carry bags? Do you sell food containers or baskets? Do you sell music that would be ideal for “travel”? Put them all on display now!

Promote an ice cream social. We like this one! MoreBusiness.com recommends that you use the sweet dessert treat to bring more customers into your store. Who doesn’t like ice cream in the summer? Offer a free ice cream cone to those who visit you this summer. Promote the social in a local paper or on the radio. It’s a great way to introduce your business to new customers.

Promote wedding products. How could we forget? Summer is the season of love. You just know that there will be a wedding taking place every weekend. How can your place of business get in on the action? MoreBusiness.com reminds us that “overall wedding spending in America is about $42 billion per year”!

The fact that so much money is spent on weddings may be the best reason for you to partner up with another company and cross-promote. If you don’t run a bed and breakfast that can offer a romantic getaway, find one and think of ways that you can help them help you! If you don’t sell wedding invitations and party favours, is there a business that you can connect with that does?

As MoreBusiness.com writes, “if you have any product or service that relates to weddings, summer is the prime time to make top sales.” And if you don’t, being innovative and taking the steps to associate yourself with businesses who can help build your company image will be a key ingredient to making this summer your best one ever!