Proper Ways to Give Gifts to Employees & Clients

It is very important for business owners to remember his/her employees during the holidays. Likewise, businesses should also take care to remember clients and referral sources during the holidays. Whether your client celebrates Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah or other December holiday, you can do something to thank them for their support, business and/or their loyalty. This can also be done during the Thanksgiving and New Year's holiday time

Recently, a few small business people have asked me “What should I send out for the holidays?” They explained that they either send calendars or King's (basketball team) magnets. Those are great items, so continue to send them if your business does well sending them. However, if you gave a little more thought, you and/or a few friends could identify something that is a lot more creative and that may not cost any more to do.

Where do you go to look for new ideas and items?

9 places to get ideas to make your business stand out from your competitors:


1. Call and/or visit your local promotional products companies. You can find them in the local chamber, leads group or phone book.

2. Consider using gift basket companies. You can be much more creative with a gift basket that you used to be with the help of one of these companies.

3. Try your hand at making your own personalized gift baskets with items from your business, food and wine from the local gourmet food store, or other items your clients would like receiving. Be careful thought; this route can be more costly if you are not careful where you make your purchases.

4. Search online with your favorite search engine with keyword "gifts". There are many different companies that will show up in your search results. There will be a variety, which will help you find a gift within your budget and style.

5. Consider working with local gift incentive companies. You provide them with the amount that you wish to spend and they will send the recipient a catalog of items in that price range. This allows the recipient to choose the gift that they want.

6. Purchase a gift card from a store like Sam's Club or Wal-Mart. They offer gift cards in any denomination and will upload your company logo or any photo you want to the front of it. Then you can send gift cards valid for Sam's and Wal-Mart branded with your company logo/photo on it.

7. Consider co-promoting. I talk about this a lot. Arrange for a local service business such as a car wash, massage therapist or any other retail business to provide you with free gift certificates to their business that you can send to your database. The company gets exposure to your entire database (free marketing) and you get to "give" a free gift to your contacts.

8. Give gift cards that are pertinent to each recipient. For example, give cards to Starbucks for the caffeine freaks, Jamba Juice for the health nuts, REI for the sports enthusiasts and Bath & Body Works for the divas.

9. By sending hand-made gifts and/or thank you cards, you can make a huge impression and save some money in doing so.


© Copyright 2008 K. Sawa MarketingWANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Katrina Sawa is known as The JumpStart Your Biz Coach because she literally kicks her clients and their businesses into high gear. She works with highly motivated women entrepreneurs that want to maximize and fast-track their business to make more money and enjoy more free time. Katrina uses online and offline Relationship Marketing Systems & Strategies to leverage your resources, contacts and your expertise; plus she kicks you in the butt to implement it all too! Get her Free Tips, Free Audio & Free Report online at http://www.jumpstartyourmarketing.com/


Technorati Tags: Katrina Sawa, JumpStart Your Marketing, Internet Marketing

Secrets for Holiday Promotions

The Holidays are just around the corner, here are some tips to for Holiday Promotions.

Is your business holiday friendly? Do you get busier during the holidays or are you slower due to the fact that people are not interested in purchasing your products and/or services at this time of year.

Holiday promotions can be a useful tool for any type of business. However, you will still want to be creative. For example, if you send your clients holiday cards around Christmas or other December holiday, your card will most likely be one of 25 (or more) cards that your client receives. For this reason, I challenge you to set yourself apart from your competitors by being more creative than this year!

6 Simple Secrets to help your business stand out from your competition:

1. Send a Halloween, Thanksgiving or New Year’s card instead of a December holiday card.

2. Consider sending a gift instead of a card. There are many gifting services/businesses that can handle this for you, some of which can be very affordable.

3. Stop by to visit your contact and bring them a card, mug, or other personal gift item that they would appreciate receiving.

4. Hold a client appreciation event. This is typically best when held in November or January and not when your clients are busy in December.

5. Ensure that whatever you send stands out. If you do decide to send a card, be sure to just buy the cheapest ones. Instead, put some thought into it. For example, send a card that opens up into a calendar or that has a place for a photo of your staff. Remember, you will need to plan ahead for ordering/shipping time.

6. Most of all, enjoy the holidays yourself by having someone else assemble and send cards/items to your contacts (that is, if you are doing a mailing). However, make sure you personally sign all the cards and include a note. People like to know you thought enough of them to write something personally and did not just rely on the preprinted name or logo.

© Copyright 2008 K. Sawa MarketingWANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Katrina Sawa is known as The JumpStart Your Biz Coach because she literally kicks her clients and their businesses into high gear. She works with highly motivated women entrepreneurs that want to maximize and fast-track their business to make more money and enjoy more free time. Katrina uses online and offline Relationship Marketing Systems & Strategies to leverage your resources, contacts and your expertise; plus she kicks you in the butt to implement it all too! Get her Free Tips, Free Audio & Free Report online at http://www.jumpstartyourmarketing.com/

- Kat Out

Technorati Tags: Katrina Sawa, JumpStart Your Marketing, Internet Marketing

Oprah Update #3

I'm going to Chicago in October, what are you doing?

If you’re reading my weekly ezines or you saw me at the eWomenNetwork conference bid on the Oprah package, then I finally know - it's Oct 21-24 and I'd love to connect with anyone in the area!

Send me an email or connect with me on Facebook so we can meet up when I am in Chicago.

Technorati Tags: Katrina Sawa, Oprah Winfrey, eWomen Network, JumpStart Your Marketing

9 Simple Ways on HOW TO Grow Your Business, part 2

Here are the other four tips of the nine simple ways to grow your business.

6. Continue to learn.

Go to conferences and workshops and read more about new technology, marketing and industry strategies and lead-generating concepts.

7. Position yourself as a speaker and expert.

Write a book and/or develop presentations that will interest your target audience and promote yourself to groups reaching that target audience. Take advantage of media exposure.

8. Form strategic alliances.

Develop ways to co-promote with professionals in newsletters, articles, ezines, workshops, teleseminars, mailings and more.

9. Expand.

Open another location, target another market, franchise yourself or merge with another complementary business.


Get JumpStart on YOUR business and YOUR new lifestyle NOW, let me help you figure out what you need to do to move forward faster. Check out my services online, most people sign up for my JumpStart Your Business in 90 Days Program however if you want to 'try me out' first then sign up for a 1 Hour Business Brainstorm Session at least and let's get moving!

© Copyright 2008 K. Sawa MarketingWANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Katrina Sawa is known as The JumpStart Your Biz Coach because she literally kicks her clients and their businesses into high gear. She works with highly motivated women entrepreneurs that want to maximize and fast-track their business to make more money and enjoy more free time. Katrina uses online and offline Relationship Marketing Systems & Strategies to leverage your resources, contacts and your expertise; plus she kicks you in the butt to implement it all too! Get her Free Tips, Free Audio & Free Report online at http://www.jumpstartyourmarketing.com/!

Technorati Tags: Katrina Sawa, JumpStart Your Marketing, Internet Marketing

F.R.E.E. teleclass this coming Monday night, September 22nd.

Hi there,

Katrina Sawa here, your JumpStart Your Biz Coach. I wanted to send out a quick announcement about a friend of mine who is holding a F.R.E.E. teleclass this coming Monday night, September 22nd.

I know you're a person who has their finger on the pulse of successful business principles and practices.

This is why I wanted to be sure to share with you an amazing womenprepeneur - Heather Dominick - that has developed a radically effective process. It's a step-by-step approach that's propelling business owners to exceptional selling success.

When you use this Unparalleled Proven Process, your business WILL be recession proof and your profits will soar.

At one point Heather was struggling with how to move prospects into profitable clients. Then from her own mistakes and pain she found how to combine her energy with practicality and her conversations went through the roof.

Now she teaches others this effective method so you enjoy every single time you connect with a prospect and easily move them into high-paying clients - no matter what (including the economy or any other sabotaging story).

I know you've heard the saying "teach a man to fish". Heather's approach is to teach you AND to GIVE you the fish.

In fact, I recently had the chance to hear one of Heather's teleclasses and the material she covers in this class seemed like such a fit for you, my own clients and subscribers, that she has agreed to do another teleconference call on the subject - just for you. The timing is perfect. And it's F.R.E.E.!

So sign up with the link below and sign-up for the free teleseminar she'll be doing on this subject on Monday, September 22nd. It's that easy.

sign up now at EnergyRichTeleclass

You will learn how YOU can practically use Energy Principles IN your business to:


· SIMPLY have more fun and get remarkable results in selling your products and services in a way that feels enjoyable for you and the prospect
· USE a powerful process to MAGNETIZE your conversion process
· FEEL a greater sense of peace about talking to prospects

This call is appropriately named, "How to Confidently Sell With Compassion: The Proven Prospects to Profits Process™" Heather will be sharing how this process will literally recession-proof your business. (Hint: it starts first with managing your energy before you can even begin to play a bigger business game.)

Sign up for this
FREE 90 Minute Teleseminar taking place Monday, September 22 at 12pm - 1:30pm, EASTERN
sign up now at EnergyRichTeleclass

Have questions about this first?

Call me at 916-727-4142 or send me an email to katrina@jumpstartyourmarketing.com but hurry before the seats are gone and you can't get in!
I'll talk to you soon!


Katrina SawaThe JumpStart Your Biz Coach

P.S. I hope you register for this call and tune in to what Heather has to say. I know you'll agree her message is significant - especially now. Go here to sign up.

Your registration simply allows her to set up the right number of phone lines for the call so that all who are interested are actually able to get in. Thanks!


****************************************************************************

***Ready to get a JumpStart on your Business and your Marketing now? Check out my JumpStart Your Business in 90 Days Private Telecoaching Program - go to http://www.ksawamarketing.com/pages/90DayProgram.html now!

9 Simple Ways on HOW TO Grow Your Business

You've built a successful business, you have an established customer base and you're well-known in your geographical area, your industry or both - so now what do you do to stay ahead of the pack? How do you take your business to the next level?

Here are five of the nine ways to grow your business. I will share the other four in my next blog post.

1. Delegate.

Stop doing things that don't directly make you money.

Delegate them to an assistant or other professional so you can work on your business instead of in it at least 80 percent of the time.

2. Develop new products or services.

Develop monthly continuity programs and coaching or informational products such as e-books, home study programs, books, live workshops and teleseminars. Combine your current products or services into packages, or record presentations and sell them.

3. Increase repeat business.

Keep yourself on top of your customers' minds by consistently sending out postcards; thank you, birthday or holiday gifts and cards; and monthly, bimonthly or weekly newsletters. Introduce promotions, discounts, affiliate programs and referral rewards.

4. Update your website.

Add monthly specials, discounts or promotions to attract attention. Make it so people have to sign up in order to receive anything so you can add them to your funnel. Add a shopping cart selling your informational products or services. Fine-tune your sales messages, keywords, headings, call to action and content so your site is appealing and makes people want to buy now and come back often.

5. Maximize online potential.

Find ways to be found online more often through article marketing, blogs, webinars, discussion boards, search engine optimization, pay-per-click ads and reciprocal links.

© Copyright 2008 K. Sawa MarketingWANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Katrina Sawa is known as The JumpStart Your Biz Coach because she literally kicks her clients and their businesses into high gear. She works with highly motivated women entrepreneurs that want to maximize and fast-track their business to make more money and enjoy more free time. Katrina uses online and offline Relationship Marketing Systems & Strategies to leverage your resources, contacts and your expertise; plus she kicks you in the butt to implement it all too! Get her Free Tips, Free Audio & Free Report online at http://www.jumpstartyourmarketing.com/

Technorati Tags: Katrina Sawa, JumpStart Your Marketing, Internet Marketing

The Ultimate Marketing Follow Up System for Entrepreneurs and Independent Sales Professionals

So, my new product "The Ultimate Marketing Follow Up System for Entrepreneurs and Independent Sales Professionals" is now done! Yippee!

Here's what it looks like, it's 117 pages of content and me showing you exactly what to do in your follow up system and over 140 pages of samples and templates plus 9 audio/CD recordings - whew!

Ok so it's not up on the website yet but in the next week I'll be sending you out a "Special Announcement" email on how to 'pre-order' it because it won't technically be up until my new site goes live. And most likely because you are my valued subscribers ONLY YOU will get first dibs on the first few copies and probably for an introductory discount!! OMG! Don't snooze on this one!

Sound like something you could use? Do you always get to your own follow up or do you have business cards sitting in piles on your desk waiting for you to get to? Watch your email next week, this product will show you EXACTLY HOW TO FOLLOW UP EFFECTIVELY!

If You are not on my email list you can sign up here!

- Kat Out

Thursday, September 18 - Katrina is the Featured Speaker at the eWomenNetwork Accelerated Networking Luncheon at the NEW Chapter in Folsom, CA

Thursday, September 18 - Katrina is the Featured Speaker at the eWomenNetwork Accelerated Networking Luncheon at the NEW Chapter in Folsom, CA

Location: My Brother Vinny's Restaurant,
718 Sutter St. #200 Upstairs, FolsomTime: 10:45 am

Info: Get all the details and register here!

Topic: "Maximize Your Follow Up System for Million Dollar Results!"

At this powerful event you'll learn:

• The easiest, quickest ways to build an effective follow up system,


• What exactly you should be sending, mailing, emailing and saying,


• The 3 types of follow up marketing you want to concentrate on,


• How to delegate and automate the majority of it so it all gets done,


• Strategies that millionaire entrepreneurs use to increase their business.

Oprah Update #2

Oh and I just sent out a press release for my trip to Oprah and you can check it out online here along with that video of me bidding on the package, it's hilarious. Enjoy !

Technorati Tags: Katrina Sawa, Oprah Winfrey, eWomen Network, JumpStart Your Marketing

The Ultimate Marketing Follow Up System for Entrepreneurs and Independent Sales Professionals.

This week I've been furiously putting the final touches on my new product entitled The Ultimate Marketing Follow Up System for Entrepreneurs and Independent Sales Professionals.

Sound like something you could use? Do you always get to your own follow up or do you have business cards sitting in piles on your desk waiting for you to get to?

This new product has email templates, samples and direct mail follow up letter samples and templates that will make your life soooo much simpler; plus it has a whole bunch of other resources but most importantly it will show you HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR EASY TO IMPLEMENT FOLLOW UP SYSTEM!

This is huge, because when your 'system' is 'in your head', you can't ever delegate it right? So, watch out for the launch of this Ultimate Marketing Follow Up System coming THIS MONTH!

Jann Taber's online TV show

Last Sunday I recorded and was the featured guest on my friend Jann Taber's online TV show! If you missed it, you can check it out now and watch us LIVE! (It's 15 min packed with some great tips!)

Oprah Update

I've already sent out a message to my Mentor Members and a few people that have recently inquired about my private coaching --- but if you're on the verge of signing up for one of my 1on1 services I need to warn you that I'm limited to taking only 2 more new clients in Sept and 2 more starting in Oct.

Why? Because I found out when I'm going to Oprah and it's in October! I still don't have all the dates and details yet but I have to make sure I'm MEDIA READY!

Oh yeah, and (when) I come back after being ON her show, you know I'm raising my rates again right? :0) SO ACT FAST PEOPLE!

-Kat Out

Technorati Tags: Katrina Sawa, Oprah Winfrey, eWomen Network

Do you need to update your website?

So, what do you think? Are you getting the most your website could bring? Here are some questions to ask yourself (or your web designer or hosting company):

• When is the last time you rewrote any of the copy or uploaded new content?
• Have you maximized your pages for keywords for the search engines?
• Do you have an opt in box on every page? Is it working?
• Are you tracking your web stats to see how many people are coming to which pages, staying for how long, leaving on what page, signing up for what?
• Are you offering valuable resources, content, articles and links that your target market will come back to your site often for and/or forward to a friend?
• Are you paying more than $10/month for regular hosting?
• Could you be having people sign up online to buy your products or services and aren't?
• Are you as totally automated online as you could get to really maximize your time?
• Do you understand all the capabilities a website could provide for you to save you time and make you more money with less work?
• Do you have a content editor on your site so you can change the text or add pages anytime you want (or outsource to an assistant, either way you could get it done right away)?

Those are just a few questions I ask my clients when they meet with me regarding their websites...there is really so much more to cover and to know. But you may not be a website or internet marketing specialist. I'm certainly not either, but what I've learned over the last two years has catapulted my business into huge success and it's allowed me much more freedom in my life and business. Would you like to be more automated in some of your processes in your business in order to give you more free time? Think of all the new clients you could get, relationships you could cultivate and overall more money you could make if you really updated and automated your website to make it work for you, not just sit there.

So, ready to take action?

You can do one of three things the way I see it:

• Contact your current web designer/developer - ask them these questions which might also stem into more then figure out how to maximize your site.
• Hire me to do my JumpStart Your Website consultation to get a better handle on where your site could be improved, how to get it there, who to contact to get it done and/or how to do it yourself to maximize your site, automate more in your business and make you more money!
• Do nothing. Get the same results you've been getting and be content with it.

Which do you choose?

I'm here if you need me. I'm a very no pressure type of marketing person but I really only want to work with business owners and entrepreneurs that are competely MOTIVATED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES IN THEIR BUSINESS in order to create a more desirable life and business for themselves.

My specialties include building your list of contacts (through various ways), keeping in touch with that list (through all kinds of relationship marketing and follow up techniques) and niche services such as helping you get your email newsletters up and running so they are effective and bring you more referrals and repeat business and my website review and consultations. Read all about my services on my Small Biz Services page now to get a JumpStart on your Marketing!

© Copyright 2008 K. Sawa MarketingWANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Katrina Sawa is known as The JumpStart Your Biz Coach because she literally kicks her clients and their businesses into high gear. She works with highly motivated women entrepreneurs that want to maximize and fast-track their business to make more money and enjoy more free time. Katrina uses online and offline Relationship Marketing Systems & Strategies to leverage your resources, contacts and your expertise; plus she kicks you in the butt to implement it all too! Get her Free Tips, Free Audio & Free Report online at http://www.jumpstartyourmarketing.com/!