The boss just informed you that you're in charge of ordering the promotional giveaways for the big trade show next month. This is your chance to shine ? but you've never done anything like this before. Relax ? ordering products from business gift companies is not as complicated as it seems at first glance. Here's how to make gathering quotes for your business gift order almost painless.

Knowing The Lingo

Reading pricing charts and policies can be confusing if you don't understand the industry lingo. Some of the terminology that's helpful to know when dealing with business gifts companies includes:

Screen setup cost is what the company will charge you to set up the screen printing press for each color. The cost is assessed once on each of your product orders. If you are ordering a run of 1,000 mugs with a two color logo, and the screen setup cost is ?30, then you will be charged ?60 as a screen setup cost. The cost is the same if you are ordering 10,000 mugs. If, on the other hand, you are ordering 5,000 key rings and 1,000 mugs with the same logo printed on them, you will be charged a screen setup cost for the mugs and a separate one for the key chains.

Artwork Creation will usually cost you extra if your order is a small one. If you've got your artwork in the appropriate format and it doesn't need any modifications, then this cost usually won't apply. Design and artwork creation charges will usually be based on the amount of time that the design department spends to create the artwork for your items.

Lead Time is the time you give the company to process your order once you've given final approval. Most companies have a standard lead time of about two weeks. If you need your products delivered in less time than the standard, expect to pay a fee for a rush job.

Getting a Quote

You can estimate the cost of your promotional gifts or items order based on the pricing charts, but it's far more accurate to request a quote from the advertising business gift company. Requesting a quote does not obligate you to anything, but it does give you a chance to evaluate more than the price of your products. You can gauge the service you'll receive and the ease of doing business with a company by the treatment you receive when you request a quote. To get an accurate quote you should know:

-the product that you are ordering

-the quantity of items you'll be ordering

-how many colors your logo/artwork will use

-if you have camera ready artwork (an eps file)

-when you'll need the product delivered

Those should be enough for an account representative to give you an accurate quote on your order.

At Ideasbynet we encourage you to get quotes from several business gift companies because we know that we offer the best service and the best prices in the industry. We'll also be happy to answer your questions about any part of the ordering process and assist you in any way possible with your order, from planning to execution.