Ubiquitor Inc. acts as the IT department for companies that don't have their own. "Everything we do is at a low, fixed, monthly rate, and we're all-encompassing," says President Doug Grabowski. "It's what I like to call location independence, so our clients can do anything from any place."

As Grabowski's career has evolved, so has his understanding of the importance of using the right promotional items in the right settings. "What I learned is it's all relationship-driven," he says. "I try to do things with my business that will be lasting and won't have my logo all over it, but while people are using the products, they'll be pleasantly reminded of our company."

Grabowski makes sure to give his customers products that won't be thrown away. For example, he mails every new client a four-gigabyte USB ballpoint pen. "Two weeks into the agreement, they'll get a lumpy envelope in the mail – I'm a big fan of lumpy envelopes," he says. The pen has the company logo on it and is preloaded with all the system tools.

"People really get into it because it's a thicker pen vs. just a normal pen, and they like the idea that we had the forethought to preload it with our system tools," he says. "Those are the types of things that give me positive word-of-mouth."

Grabowski has also utilized high-end pens with clients' names on them for his top customers. "They're all black with a thick barrel. One end has our laser-etched logo, and on the other end, we laser-etch the client's name," he says. Personalizing the pen makes it less likely people will throw it away. "Since it has their name on it, they're prone to use it more than other pens for no other reason than it's got their name on it," he says. "It's expensive, but it's worth it."

And Ubiquitor's 12-pack cooler bags have been an unexpected hit with clientele, according to Grabowski. "The first holiday that we were in business, I invested in the cooler bags. They were all black and said ‘Ubiquitor' on the side," he says. "People really took toward that more than a lot of the other stuff. I got a lot of requests like, ‘Can you get one for my wife?,' which I didn't expect coming out of it, but it's really been a nice side effect."

Bottom line: Grabowski has learned that investing in higher-end promotional materials that people use and keep is always worthwhile. "If we take our clients to play golf, we give them a $100 shirt vs. a $10 shirt, or the Titleist golf ball vs. the cheap golf ball," he says. "Trade show junkie guys walking around with their little bags trying to get all the free stuff – there's really no relationship there. It's a favorite thing of mine to do the unexpected."