Print Solutions Magazine, November 2002 -- Promotional Products

As an account executive at Ridgewood, N.J., distributorship Heritage Inc., Matthew Higgins focused on direct mail, commercial printing, labels and business forms. Then Heritage hired a promotional products salesperson. "He opened up big accounts: McGraw-Hill, Bell Atlantic, Hewlett-Packard...and he did it quickly," Higgins says. "I was impressed that he was selling just ad specialties."

Higgins tried his hand at promotional products for the first time during a family vacation at Eagle Bay Marina in Port Byron, N.Y. Higgins, his wife and two young sons enjoyed boating on the canal leading to Cayuga Lake and befriended the marina owners. They were having a great time--until the boat needed repair.

Higgins and the marina owners struck a deal: He would supply ad specialties, and they would replace the boat's baffles and service its motor. Higgins designed a 2-color logo and ordered screenprinted hats and T-shirts. "The boat ran great, my boys caught fish, no one got hurt and everyone was happy," Higgins says. And he became hooked on promotional products. "I wasn't that interested in [them] before," he says. "That got me turned around."

James Campagna, account executive at distributorship Alpha Enterprises, West Chester, Pa., enjoys selling promotional products for a different reason. "I really like the fact that the customer gets excited about what they're getting," he says. "If you sell them 10,000 invoices, they're not going to call and say, 'These were great! Everyone loved them! They ran through the printer!'" Promotional products account for 25 percent of Alpha Enterprises' sales. Because of casual dress in the workplace, wearable sales are rising at the company, Campagna says. "We weren't looking to replace our forms business," he says. "We were looking to increase the business...This is another thing we can do for [clients]."

When asked why she sells promotional products, Jennifer Fried immediately says, "$978,000." That's how much distributorship Voluforms, Jeffersonville, Ind., expects to sell in ad specialties this year, constituting 13 percent of its total sales. "Pretty much everyone at Voluforms sells promotional products because they're so easy," says Fried, who is the firm's manager--forms management.

"Going environmental has become a step up in quality," says Jim King, partner at Seal Beach, Calif., distributorship Access Eco Promotional Products. "It isn't necessarily a sacrifice. There's so much added value in something that's organic." King should know--he partners with 10 promotional product suppliers that use environmentally safe manufacturing processes.

Here are four advantages of earth-friendly products:

1. Adaptability. Need a promotion appropriate for your client's business? Access Eco recently provided T-shirts printed with kelp-based ink--which qualifies as fertilizer instead of a toxin if spilled--for Monterey Bay Aquarium. The aquarium's logo includes a stylized strand of kelp. Access Eco has sold lip balm to clients such as a surfboard store, a burn center and a sportfishing organization. King has started pitching coffee-flavored versions to Starbucks Corp. "Low-impact products leave a high-impact impression," he says.

2. Image enhancement. As news headlines announce that firms have fudged their accounting records, abused workforces or sold harmful products, social responsibility seems increasingly important for clients' reputations. In addition, oil shortages and energy crises can make energy-efficient production more attractive. According to King, socially responsible products show that your client cares about its effect on employees and customers. Access Eco's catalog tagline says, "Set your business apart and project a positive image with functional, high-quality products made the earth-friendly way."

3. Durability. According to Access Eco, hemp-based wearables are several times stronger than cotton. They also block UV rays and resist tears, stains, mold and mildew. In addition, hemp-based paper offers archival quality. According to Access Eco, one customer preferred hemp flying discs over others because they withstood wear and tear caused by pet dogs. King says prospects sometimes confuse industrial hemp with marijuana hemp. To combat misconceptions, he tells prospects about hemp's historic use in canvas, rope, lantern oil and Bibles. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson farmed hemp, and the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.

4. Quality. Earth-friendly promotional products are high quality, King says. "They have to be so we can convert people [to using them]," he says. Specialty papers made from rags, hemp, or other plants often offer the same brightness and texture as wood-based paper. Others stand out with unique textures: Access Eco's Roasted Java specialty paper, a speckled paper made with chaff from roasted coffee beans, literally shines. Access Eco's Grow-Note® paper sprouts wildflowers when it's planted and watered.

ACCESS ECO receives income in commissions from its partner manufacturers. For more information, visit www.accesseco.com.

Here are 9 tips for getting started in the fun (and lucrative) field of promotional products:

1. Deliver the seemingly "impossible." A large food company gave kids tours of its facilities, including a small gift shop. Campagna hoped to win business from the gift shop manager. But during their first sales meeting, he saw her shop already was full. Seeking to impress her, Campagna said, "I can see you have everything here...What's something that you wanted that you couldn't find?" The gift shop manager said she wanted Matchbox trucks resembling the firm's food-delivery trucks. Previous suppliers had told her she had to order 5,000 before they would make a die cast, but she wanted to order fewer. Back at his office, Campagna found a manufacturer that already had a die cast for a vehicle similar to hers. He ordered a sample and showed it to her. "She loved it and ordered 2,500," he says. "And now she's on her third order of it." Catering to a purchaser's cautious buying habits pays off in future orders, he says. "We're in this for the long haul," Campagna says. "If it takes a long, long time for us to get items from her, then we're going to be there to do it."

2. Consider kids. The 2000 U.S. Census records more children aged 5 to 14 than during the Baby Boom--that's a powerful consumer segment. Recognizing this, Fried brainstorms various gifts, including stuffed animals, that a bank sends to children as rewards for saving money each quarter. "It fosters a goodwill feeling in the parents: 'Hey, I like this bank,'" she says. "It gets [the bank's] name out there because everything has their identity on it." In addition, Voluforms has provided the bank's writing instruments, logo wear, sunglasses, mouse pads, beach towels and more.

3. Anticipate special events. Golf tournaments, back-to-school shopping and winter sports are some events that provide opportunities for promotional product sales. Higgins won an account related to the 2000 Junior Olympics in Buffalo, N.Y. Sony Electronics Inc. wanted to send gifts to the athletes. Higgins helped Sony brainstorm with catalogs and samples. The client chose 2,300 screenprinted gym bags; 2,100 flying discs and sports water bottles; and approximately 1,000 embroidered baseball caps. Higgins worked closely with an independent graphic designer and three manufacturers to create and deliver the products in a week and a half. "It was difficult, but they appreciated the fast turnaround and quality," he says.

4. Leverage the internet. Campagna often uses the internet to view suppliers' products and pricing, allow end users to browse products, and update clients on their project statuses. "They see the same pricing on the web site that they would see if they would get a catalog," he says. Some of Campagna's customers prefer using search engines to find products, then emailing or faxing printouts and photos to Campagna. "Anything you can do visually or have a sample [for] really helps the sale," he says.

5. Target the right markets. Just about every market purchases promotional products, but financial institutions demand more than others, Fried says. "They're more likely to give little items away to their customers," she says. "It's just amazing." Distributors can find other top promotional product buyers in the health care, real estate, hospitality, non-profit, education, automotive, funerary, entertainment, sports and political markets. Clients in these fields face increasingly diverse and/or competitive markets, and promotional products can distinguish their companies.

6. Launch a marketing program for promotional products. "We're getting a lot more inquiries from the internet and from the yellow pages," Higgins says. Clients can learn about Heritage's history and services, as well as view sample products, at www.adheritageinc.com. Alpha Enterprises has employed direct mail, pamphlets and face-to-face visits. Voluforms networked its sales representatives electronically so they could update each other on new ad specialty items and ideas. "We have a super sales force, and they are very good at showing off the new Advertising Specialty Institute items we come across," Fried says.

7. Allow prospects to view and touch samples. "Samples mean everything," Campagna says. Two years ago, Alpha Enterprises created an official show room at its office. "It's like going into a [clothing] store. You go through racks of clothing, looking at things and holding them up," he says. "Customers want to do the same thing."

8. Make creative suggestions. Sacred Heart School, a private elementary school in Monroe, N.Y., wanted giveaways for its annual fund-raising golf tournament. Though the school wanted to project a classic image, it also needed to keep costs low. During the first year Higgins worked with Sacred Heart, he suggested golf towels featuring the school's 4-color logo. The next year, he suggested inexpensive gift packs that each contained two 3-color golf balls, nine tees and a ball marker. Campagna takes a similar approach with his prospects. To save them time, he shows samples of products he thinks they would want. "[The prospect] is going to appreciate the fact that you took the time to bring those items in and narrow it down a bit for them," he says.

9. View market reports. Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) provides statistics that can help sales representatives convince their distributorships to sell promotional products. According to PPAI, the promotional products market grew from approximately $5 billion in 1991 to approximately $17 billion in 2001. For more information or to download a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, visit www.ppai.org.

Rita Tiefert is a former assistant editor of Print Solutions. Email us your comments at editors@printsolutionsmag.com.

Selling to the 'Avon Lady'

Unlike many men, Matthew Higgins welcomes a visit from the Avon lady--but not because he's buying. An Avon Products Inc. division purchases 250 embroidered hats each year from Higgins, an account executive at Ridgewood, N.J., distributorship Heritage Inc.

The customer service skills Higgins used as a forms distributor are just as effective when he's selling promotional products. When Avon wanted neck lanyards and coffee mugs to give away at its Christmas party, Higgins and his contact reviewed several catalogs and ordered samples so they could test the products' quality. Avon selected a stretch lanyard and a 3-color coffee mug printed with a logo matching its lid and handle. The client gave Higgins a disk containing logo artwork that wasn't usable, so Higgins partnered with an independent graphic designer to clean it up. The manufacturer rushed the job in three days. Avon remained under its budget, so it decided to order one more item. Higgins successfully suggested stress balls that change colors when activated by heat. "They were happy with the quality, quick turnaround and pricing," he says. You might even say they were tickled pink.

Consult Your Colleagues

This month, DMIA launched a members-only promotional products Special Interest Group (SIG). It will feature a broadcast email service, monthly business surveys and a member directory. Each SIG will hold two meetings per year. For more information, call DMIA at (800) 336-4641.

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