Craig Nadel, president and CEO of Jack Nadel International (asi/279600), and Gregg Emmer, CMO at Kaeser & Blair (asi/238600), offer strategies for boosting tech deals.

1. Play to your strengths. “If you’re new to the technology industry, find your own voice,” Nadel says. “If you’re a natural networking person, go to some networking events. If that’s not your natural skillset, try a different thing, such as reaching out to people on LinkedIn. Be who you are.”

2. Pitch brands. “When the price point of promotional or incentive items goes up, the availability of a branded item through their special markets sometimes adds value or perceived value to the recipient,” Emmer says. “If I gave somebody a wristwatch that had no brand on it but it had my logo on it, it would certainly be accepted. But if I gave someone exactly the same but it said ‘Seiko’ on it, you now carry the quality impression of a Seiko watch.”

3. Think differently. “We recently did a simple insulated lunch sack for a high-tech company that was encouraging their employees to be healthier,” Emmer says. “High-tech customers don’t necessarily want to use high-tech promotional goods. They are businesses with similar messages for their customers and employees as other businesses have.”