Impressions - April 2015 - 67

Figure 1. These two sublimated products use the same
photo as a starting point. One is simply a photo panel that costs
about $8 to produce and could be sold for $19.95. The other adds
graphics and text, and makes use of a themed substrate. Total
cost is about $12, but the selling price easily is in the $35-$40
range. Images courtesy of Unisub, Louisville, Ky.

medium-weight version as a compromise
between price and quality.
The same process can be applied to
other product lines as well. For sublimators, something as basic as a coaster comes
in multiple quality levels. A simple, hard
plastic version will sufﬁce for the "good"
scenario. A cork-backed one works well
for the "better" version and a sandstone
coaster is ideal for the "best" product.

PERCEIVED VALUE
There is a lot more to maximizing margins than just upselling products. Pricing is
a tough game to play, with most decorators looking for some kind of mathematical
formula to guide them. In reality, customer
perception is truly what sets the selling
price of a product, as it's only worth what
someone will pay for it.
Focus on driving up the perceived value
of your products by using creative samples.
This usually can be done with something
as simple as graphics, and even though the
perception of value increases, production
cost does not (see Figure 1).
The same concept can be applied to virtually any type of decoration on nearly any
type of product. Just use your imagination
and come up with some great ideas. Use
impressionsmag.com

this strategy to assemble samples that can
be used to support your sales presentations.
Just as a good sample kit can help you,
a bad one can work against you. Like it or
not, people do judge a book by its cover
and they will certainly make assumptions
based on your samples. Avoid tossing random samples into a bag and dragging it
from client to client. Your kit needs to be
carefully thought out and strategically created (see Figure 2).
Don't try to impress a client by showing a sample of everything you can do.
Instead, carefully choose items that should
be of interest to that customer. Think of
what makes sense for your pitch and create a presentation around it. Each sample
product should play a role in that presentation. If it doesn't, leave it at home - or
at least in the car.

FULFILLING NEEDS
One sample kit won't work for every
situation. Thus, you ultimately will end
up with multiple kits that target different
markets and needs. What you show to the
corporate market will differ from what
you show to the sports market. And even
within a given market, you may have specialized products for different sub-markets.

For example, in the sports market there
are many different categories: golf, soccer,
baseball, basketball, hockey, volleyball,
swimming, etc. So it's important to focus
on what deﬁnes a given market so that you
can develop unique samples that fulﬁll its
needs. With your clients, always ask what
they need and why. That will help you
deﬁne not only the products, but also the
graphics and margins. After all, the more
they need it, the more they are willing to
pay for it.
Let's look at a small business. Why do
they need decorated products?
1. Advertising to bring in business
2. Promotional products to establish
their brand
3. Apparel for employee uniforms
4. Recognition products to reward
their best employees
5. Holiday gift items to thank their
top customers.
Chances are good that the business
thought about Nos. 1 and 2 on the list,
but maybe not Nos. 3-5, so this gives you
a chance to tell a story that grows beyond
its basic needs. And keep in mind that, if
done correctly, Nos. 3-5 also will fulﬁll the
top needs - advertising and promotions
- which usually are the most signiﬁcant
April/May 2015 | Impressions

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