What's that smell?

I was speaking to someone last week regarding promotional bags.  She remarked to me that in the past when her organization ordered bags they came with an odor - not entirely pleasant.
It reminded me of another conversation I had with someone who humorously described getting a sample bag that he was considering for his organization.  This bag also had an odor.  He placed it in the back of his pickup and went for a drive hoping that the smell would dissipate on the open road.  He brought the bag back to his office and decided that he couldn't bring it inside because the smell was just too powerful.
Fortunately, he got a sample before selecting the bag in question.  Imagine how he would have reacted if he had ordered hundreds of promotional bags without a preliminary sample and they had arrived with this powerful scent.  Suffice it to say, that he would not have been happy.
For this reason, I always recommend to our clients to plan in advance.  Request a sample of the bag (or other promotional items) of interest to insure you are getting the quality you want and need and not a smell which you don't need.  When you select a promotional item which you are distributing to friends or possible clients, you want to make a positive impression.
A highlighter which is dry;  A bag which falls apart at the seams;  A USB memory with a virus on it.  A poor imprint on a mug... All of these items create an impression on the recipient.  And although it may be true that a person formulates his impression in the first half a minute after meeting you; a gift or promotional item will send a long term message about your business.  An inferior product gives a message that your image is not important to you.
Plan in advance and get your samples.  Don't be caught unaware.