Did you ever think about an employee incentive program?

Give this a try…

Set some specific goals with an appropriate timeline. The goal could be something like increased sales or increased productivity, over a one month period. Then pick some rewards or even ask the employees to choose items like jackets and work shirts from a group that you have already pre-selected.

Then you will add your embroidered company logo and maybe even a special tag line created just for this challenge.

Start the program so everyone on the team knows the rules. As the members earn the items, create some kind of special ceremony for handing out the rewards and giving attention to that individual.

As the team member wears the item around work everyone else on the team knows that they hit their targets, thus giving them more attention and recognition. Remember, most people are motivated by emotional factors and not money. The added feeling of accomplishment received by being given the special reward along with repeated attention it bring when worn at work, will continue to motivate that person beyond just the date the item was given out.

In this case everybody wins!

Plaques and crystal awards are a great way to get that point across on an individual basis.  “Employee of the Month” and “Salesperson of the Month” awards are easy ways to give recognition and it also helps to motivate your team.

Imagine the heading plate of a plaque that says something like this, “These are the employees who were awarded the employee of the month for this year.  They best exemplify the organization’s Vision and Mission.”  This plaque would be displayed in a prominent location for all to see.  The employees so recognized are likely to be proud of their accomplishments and will continue to live by the example they set.

When you have a larger group of employees that need to be recognized simultaneously some popular ideas include golf shirts, caps, t-shirts, and jackets. They not only give recognition, but they also help to create visibility for the company or organization and the employee.

I always say that an imprinted or embroidered garment becomes a walking billboard.  Garments decorated with an organization’s logo provide a great way for people to start a conversation when they meet someone new.

Then you buy it, take it home, and wash it.  That’s when the trouble becomes apparent.  The threads start to unravel.  Now the logo doesn’t look so good.  The edges get jaggy and the rest of the logo doesn’t seem quite as tight.

Many embroiderers, especially new embroiderers, fail to use a locking stitch at the end of satin stitches. Satin stitches are the type of longer stitches that make up the bulk of embroidered text and some designs. They are usually 1/8″ or 1/4″ in length.  If these are not locked down at the end of the letter or logo the stitch will unravel in the wash or when pulled on.

To prevent this problem with embroidered shirts, the person creating the logo can add three small stitches, thus making a knot that will hold the top thread and bottom thread in place.

Click here for some examples of fashion golf shirts, performance sport shirts and woven dress shirts.  Each of these shirts will stand up well to professional embroidered logos!

Did you know the single largest reason someone leaves a current job or position in an organization is because they feel under-appreciated?  A personalized item not only gives that recognition, but has a higher perceived value. 

A business was interested in handing out grill sets to all of its employees. The set included 4 grilling implements and an apron that would hold those items.  Each apron had the company’s logo and was further personalized with the recipient’s initials.  Each employee felt special.  Imagine that!

Another business ordered a 3-piece luggage set for each of its employees.  Each bag of luggage set was personalized with the initials of that employee.  Again, the employees felt great about these gifts.  Those feelings come back around to the employer.

In both of these examples the personalized gifts were a big hit.  The companies went the extra mile and added each employee’s initials and not just their own logos.  This extra action helped drive home the point that the company is as good as its employees and that everyone is appreciated and important.

What can you do to make a similar impression?

Consider a salesperson at your company.  Maybe that person is you.  Maybe it’s someone else.  Regardless of who the salesperson is, no doubt they have a lot to say about what they can offer potential new customers.  Can you imagine how ridiculous it would be if they tried to put their entire sales pitch on the chest of a shirt? :)  The more text and information you add to the embroidered logo the messier it starts to look.  

For many the first step in the sales process is to sell the sales person.  The next step is to sell the company.  Keep embroidery logos clean and sharp, simply allowing the logo to catch the eye of your potential customer.  A great shirt should catch the eye of a prospect and make it easier for them to strike up a conversation with you, “Oh do you work for…”

If the logo looks like it contains more information than a Google search result, it will be sloppy and hard to read.  What does that say about the person and the company?  Allow the embroidered shirt to start up a conversation and let the sales person do the selling.

Need an embroidered cap or embroidered knit shirt, check out these products that can easily support your logo!

A great way to help visualize the size is to print your design to the size you think you might want the final version to be.  If you cannot print that big, use a photocopier to enlarge to the desired size.  You can even enlarge a business card size logo to 12 inches wide through several enlargement cycles.  If the design has to be larger than the output paper then enlarge and print portions onto 2 or more sheets.  You can cut out the appropriate parts and tape them together.  Once you have a reasonable representation of the logo at the desired size, place it on the garment and see what you think.

Going through this process, and then viewing against the garment, will give you a good feel for whether the size you chose is appropriate.  If you like the results, great!  If you don’t, then try a different size.  This is much smarter than creating a run of t-shirts or golf shirts and then deciding that your logo should have been a different size.

Here some examples of silk screen t-shirts and embroidered polo shirts that would be great with a logo.

Imagine if you took the time, just once a month, to give out an award for the employee or volunteer that showed the best example of your organization’s vision, mission, and culture. Then you present them with a small plaque that they get to keep.  And, you take it one step further and also put their name on a larger plaque that displays all the winners.  That plaque hangs in an area that everyone can see.

By taking this action you’ll motivate the great performers on your team by giving well-deserved recognition.  These are the people that you rely on to keep momentum going and your organization growing.  These are people you want to keep because they’re worth it. 

In a down economy you may not be able to give someone a nice raise.  You just don’t have the cash-flow for that.  Consider that recognition, honest praise visible to peers, will cost you a lot less and have a positive impact!

Take a look at these employee recognition plaques for individuals and these 12-month perpetual plaques for public display.

In traditional engraving the tools used in the process will etch the brass will expose the metal to air.  Eventually you will find that the engraved area becomes oxidized, darkening over time.  While brass does not oxidize with the obvious rust of iron, it is none-the-less a discoloring that will show the age and give a “lack of care” impression.
 
On the other hand, laser engraving uses a laser and only removes the pigment, or paint, on the surface of the plaque. Metal which is “laserable” also has a clear coat beneath the painted surface which is not removed by the laser during the engraving process.  This clear coat prevents air from reaching the brass, and thus protects it from oxidizing.  Years later the plaques will look the same as the day you gave them out.  Impressive!

No need to wait, with expedited service Geiger Incorporated can provide high quality corporate awards really fast!

You’re not alone, but this is not supposed to happen.  If the plastisol ink (truly a plastic) is cured correctly, it will behave much like a rubber band.  When pulled apart it should stretch without cracking.  Of course even rubber bands break if you stretch them too far, so proper curing does not solve reckless behavior.

The problem is that some screen printers have small electric ovens for curing.  There simply is not enough forced circulating air.  To do a great job of curing the ink you need a screen printer who has a gas oven with forced air on the top and bottom.  This way the ink reaches its curing temperature on the surface and the underside, thus curing the ink at all layers.  By reaching the correct temperature the ink is fully cured and can then stretch without cracking.  Your imprinted shirts can last until you wear them out.

Click here for Silk Screen T-Shirts with quality you can be proud to wear.