Impressions - October/November 2024 - 47

products efforts. Are they looking to work
on things like self-promotion, team unity or
employee recognition. Or are they looking
for ways to add to an existing revenue stream?
" I would ask, 'How do you use promotional
products? What is your perception
of a promotional product and what do you
want it to do?' " Kitson says, describing what
he regards as a kind of " guided discovery "
process.
Interestingly, Kitson says he will often find
customers willing to share any number of
different " horror stories " with him, that or
customers who could just never seem to
find the time to get a promotional products
program going. This, he says, presents a golden
opportunity for you to explain the reasons
why the client should do business with you.
" Keep them on topic, but just let them talk,
and they will give you the keys to getting
their business, " he recommends.
Another benefit of asking questions is
figuring out if the customer in question is
someone you really want to do business with.
For example, if the client is telling you a horror
story, is it a legitimate one? Or are they
being unreasonable in their expectations?
You may, in fact, find you are merely the
latest in a long line of promotional-products
providers the client has contacted because
they are never satisfied. " With difficult clients,
sometimes you are just trading dollars, and
it's not worth it, " Kitson says.
Reflecting on his own market-research
efforts, Tom Rauen, president of 1800Tshirts.
com (www.1800tshirts.com), a company that
is actively working to increase its promotional
product sales as well, says, " We're identifying
our top clients and finding out what they
are ordering and where they are getting it
from...We're working on learning how to
better serve them and bring all their orders
in-house. A lot of times we hear, 'I didn't
know you could do that " and that's because
they think of us as only a T-shirt printer. "
Something to keep in mind: while there
is a perception that promotional products
are only for corporations with 100 or more
employees doing safety and staff programs.
However, Rauen, unlike Lantzman, say his
small to mid-size customers represent a wealth
of sales opportunities as well.
" We work with plenty of places like a small
bar or restaurant, and they order a lot of things.
Koozies, pens, drinkware, etc. Whether it's a
construction company or any of the trades,
they're ordering things to give away, " he says.
According to Rauen, he also does a fair bit of
business providing products like sunglasses,
socks and water bottles to organizations like
school booster clubs.
Bottom line: getting started in promotional
products does not mean you have to have
high-volume orders. Some suppliers have a
There's money to be made with mugs and the wealth of other blank products available these days. Put in the work and
expanding into merch can be a great way of growing an existing decorated-apparel business. Image by Luis - stock.adobe.com
minimum of 72, while others are as low as
36. It depends on the vendor, but there are
suppliers offering smaller amounts than before
because there's a lot of print on demand.
" I know of one or two vendors where
you can get single pieces. We've done those
for specialized gifts, " says Rauen. Describing
a marketing event he recently went to in
which another attendee shared the fact his
company doesn't accept new clients unless
they're buying at least $100,000 a year, Rauen
remembers responding, " Send us all of your
smaller customers, because that would be
all of ours. "
The Value Proposition
In addition to finding the niche, or niches,
that works best for your company, one of
the most important lessons Kitson says he
has learned over the course of his time in
the business is that if you want a customer
to buy promotional products from you, you
have to offer a value proposition.
" Anyone can buy golf balls, send in a logo
and get it taken care of. The reason a client
might buy from you is to have you take that
off their plate. They don't have to worry that
they don't know how to specify colors or
provide artwork in usable form, " he says.
The goal, Kitson says, is to establish yourself
as a professional. By doing that, you are
offering a value-added service that will result
in customers continuing to do business
with you.
Best of all, he says, once you have established
a rock-solid business relationship, price
becomes a nonissue. Customers trust you to
deliver on time and with no issues, something
they are willing to pay for.
Speaking of price, Kitson warns against
going after those type of customers who
are simply looking for the lowest price. The
reason? If you are trying to get more business
by being the cheapest, you're setting yourself
up for failure.
" The client who buys from you because
you are a nickel less is going to go online
and buy from China. They can have it in
three or four days, " he says, though he warns
that same client will have no idea what the
product is and no recourse if it ends up not
being what they wanted.
" If you can sell from a point of strength,
of being an expert and ensuring the right
product is delivered on time, you can develop
a really good following, " Kitson says.
" Simply providing the product isn't
enough anymore, " Ottenstein says. " Like
the decorated-apparel industry, promotional
products are evolving. Buyers are looking
for a vendor-partner who can offer them
differentiated value. The primary way we
differentiate is through value-added service,
especially in a market where e-commerce
solutions are emerging every day. "
" You can't just focus on price, or you'll
lose, " Roth says. " And you can't focus on doing
everything. You've got to pick a specialty
and develop a good relationship with a select
group of suppliers. Really learn about that
niche, its suppliers and the customers in it. "
Beyond that, Roth emphasizes the importance
of meeting deadlines and being
truthful. " Be transparent about your pricing.
Having good artwork and being creative is
another plus. Even if it's a water bottle, try
to do better than just printing a basic logo
on it, " he explains.
The good news is that when done right,
there's nothing like venturing into the area
of promotional products to boost your decorated-apparel
company's bottom line.
" Right now, promotional products make
up about 15 percent of our business, " Rauen
says. " But every year, we've been putting a
little more focus on it. I see the opportunity
for it to be much higher. "
Best of all, Rauen says, even if he succeeds
in, say, increasing his promotional products
to 40 percent of total sales, it's not in any
way taking away from his existing business.
You're not robbing Peter to pay Paul, so to
speak. It's all to the good. What's not to like
about that? 
Deborah Sexton is a former editor of Impressions
Magazine and now owns her own company, Saracen
Communications, doing digital media marketing,
copywriting and public relations work for companies
in the decorated-apparel industry. You can reach her
at dsexton@sbcglobal.net.
Oct./Nov. 2024
P.47

http://stock.adobe.com http://www.1800tshirts.com

Impressions - October/November 2024

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