Most of us don’t like to start thinking about Christmas before at least November, but in business it’s never too early… only too late!

And, no one knows this better than Dan Goldhar, co-founder of Toronto-based Admar Promotions Group. Dan has been helping companies get noticed since 1991 when he and partner opened their business. Today, Admar carries more than 1,000,000 promotional products, including everything from award statues to zippo lighters. In this post, Dan offers five smart ways to manage your holiday gift selections:

* Time — Time is one of the most crucial parameters for managing your holiday gift selections. We suggest you start by counting backwards from when you would ideally want to distribute your gifts. Allow 3 to 4 weeks for production, printing and delivery of your chosen products, add in a bit of contingency in case of unforeseen circumstances, and time to research and consider your options. If you want your gifts out the door by first week in December, then you’ll probably want to start doing your research now.

* Budget — Make sure you know exactly how much you have to spend, and how many gifts you need to buy. This will give you a figure per head to work with. Gifts don’t need to be expensive to work well, but do consider the demographic of your target audience when making your selection. This is a key time of year to give corporate or executive gifts to business contacts and clients. Gift-boxed items, digital photo albums, or embossed fleece blankets make distinctive and memorable executive gifts.

* Request a Sample — Ask you supplier to send you a sample product so that you can not only see but also feel the product.

* Choose your Supplier — Make sure you choose the right supplier. Choose a highly reputable online company, which supplies a good range of quality promotional merchandise and adheres to high standards of customer service. The quality of your gifts reflects the standards and aspirations of your company, so you need to be sure that your chosen items are professionally printed and presented, and that you will get the level of service you deserve. Having the help of an industry expert dedicated to your order will alleviate much of the stress associated with managing your gift selections.

* Order early — Whatever your reason for using promotional gifts, you should be aware of time lines. In order to get the best possible experience and be sure of getting your promotional items on schedule, you should order early and confirm your order well in advance. Holiday times are among the busiest times for suppliers, so time lines may be stricter than usual. Again, having the help of a reputable supplier will do much to make sure your holiday gifts are the best they can be…