Oftentimes a company director commissions a close relative to design a logo. This may be a good short term solution but the logo may look amateurish and cheap. The customer will note this lack of quality in design and it will influence him negatively. Often a good stationery design can be harmed by printing on a poor quality printing press or cheap paper. Have a close look at your brochures, stickers and other printed material and compare them to your competitor's.
All colours send out a subconscious coded message to the viewer.
A walk through the supermarket will reveal that certain primary colours suggest budget value and darker colours suggest quality and higher price. Corporate colours also have their own code which is different from the retail market. A good designer will be able to advise you on the best colours for your industry. Most small businesses run display advertising in the local newspaper or trade magazine. If it has been designed for free by the in-house artist at the publication it will probably lack the sophistication of the rest of your promotional material.