Whether you’ve been around the promotional products industry for generations or are just starting out, refining and updating sales and marketing is foundational. A lot has happened in the last 5 years. We’ve asked other suppliers and our distributors for their industry best-selling practices, so we’re here to share!
1. WHY SELL PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS?
If your answer is to earn a living, nothing differentiates you from all the other suppliers or distributors. Knowing WHY you sell these products is your starting point. Are you creative? Do you express branding ideas well? It’s not just a pen or a lanyard with a logo. It’s how you express yourself with a virtual storyboard or how you offer product ideas for drip campaigns. WHO you are is the differentiator! Knowing WHY you’re in the industry is more important than the products you sell.
When a client wants a product to support different campaigns, know how to present a business plan focused on their customer acquisition or loyalty pathways. Use industry statistics. Craft infographics on Shutterstock to support your proposition and their needs. Your goal is to make an impression, not sell one. Orders will come when you supply value.
Print methods may seem straight forward to you, but it’s an essential value for you to share. Most buyers are unaware, providing you with an excellent opportunity to become a go-to resource. Pad Print. Silkscreen. Full-colour digital printing. Heat transfer. Laser engraving. Debossing. Embossing. Embroidery. Each time you send a sample or quote, include a note explaining how the products are printed. Clients are not born knowing the difference between debossing and embossing. As a resource, know what print methods are best for what product, and how it can affect the client logo. Making smart recommendations to your clients presents you in the best light.
Not all suppliers, distributors or end-users are going to be ideal partners. Getting to know them is very important. Your suppliers or customers after order service/behaviour, credit facility, and responsiveness all play an essential role in knowing with whom and where to invest your time and money. Chasing people reduces the chances of meeting and creating additional ideal partnerships. Whether you are just starting or have been in the industry for 30-years, evaluate the behaviour of past relationships or watch early beginnings. Determining who to work with is very intrinsic to success.
The digital age has altered the selling landscape. Your reputation can carry you far, but your website is the key to winning new business. In generations past, having a brick and mortar operation with salesy flyers to promote your company was how customers viewed you in the market. Now, having a high-quality website, with proper design and ease-of-use, can make the phones ring. Be digitally engaging! First looks usually view an About Us page – so write an authentic about us that expresses why you are in the industry. So many others explain processes but explaining who you are and why you do this is an engaging first impression. Constant website refinement, new skins or colour, and blogs all combine to introduce you digitally.
Direct email campaigns are effective but knowing someone, even in passing, helps to convert someone into a customer or an ally. Take the time to script targeted connect-requests for LinkedIn and a ‘thank you’ script for connecting. When a birthday notification pops up, send a personal note. Learn about those in your network and others that are new to it. Comment on articles and posts that pop up on your network feed. Build slowly and carefully to grow sales. This effort makes your mass emails more likely to be viewed. Consider building your personal brand. Write an “About Me” page that reflects who you are, your brand – what makes you tick in this business. Speak to who you are, your expertise, how you help with problems or goals, and how to contact you.
Buyers are competent. They can purchase branded items online. Where do you fit in? When customers search for ideas. When customers have a budget that needs to be analyzed against shows, events and PK’s. So, while your site is super-duper and you make buying easy, your job is to be a consultant and present ideas, how-to proceed, know about what other buyers are doing and offering best practises. A personalized approach will augment online sales and make you a go-to person for projects. The bottom line is to provide value.
Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Twitter. Your daily product post is mandatory. You can and should be as informative as possible. Make strides by creating a conversation. How? Post shareable content that your customers will share. Content that makes them look good. Pure sales content (think posted flyers) perform poorly. For every flyer you publish, you should be posting five informative An authentic voice is the way to go unless you have exciting news or a crazy promotion they cannot miss. Sharing your customer’s posts also endears you!
Software, software, software. Customer Relationship Management or CRM is a simple and inexpensive at the base level. Data is king, so recording customer size, industry, buying habits, birthdays, all help to find leads within your network. HubSpot has a free tool to get you started.
Engaged promo companies post blogs, and send newsletters with industry news, trends, sales and marketing ideas, and problems solving unique to our business. Look to these informative market pioneers for current education that engages with customers. Learning is a life-long pursuit. Find blogs inside and outside of our industry to increase your knowledge base so you can sell more promotional items.
Martini-Vispak has been manufacturing promotional products for 25-years. Raw materials are responsibly sourced, then produced in our clean factory in Montreal, Canada. Our China office qualifies partners in the region for sourcing raw materials and decorated products. Martini-Vispak is one of the first companies to bring lanyards and microfiber products to market for our industry. We are proud of our ability to offer innovative new products every year to support our growing distributor base. Learn more