One of the things that makes being a distributor so fun is the variety of things you can sell. One day you are selling printing and office supplies, the next day you are selling promotional products and branded apparel. Every day is different.
But not all sales are sticky. In some categories, a competitor could come in and undercut you on price or turnaround. That’s why it’s important to mix in stickier products like durable labels. Account relationships based on these products are much more difficult to dislodge.
What’s a durable label? It’s a label that is affixed permanently or for a significant duration to the product itself. Examples include identification labels on power tools and marine containers. These are challenging applications. How do you find the right adhesive to adhere to metal or plastic even when the product is sitting outside in the rain? Being exposed to wind and abrasion? Submerged in sea water for months at a time?
It’s important to work with the right supplier that has the right experience to navigate these applications. Once you help the customer find the right combination of label stock and adhesive for the application, you aren’t going to lose that business easily, even if someone else offers a lower price.
So where do you start?
When Durable Labels Go Wrong
You sell into the operations side of the business rather than the marketing side. Then you start asking questions. You might be surprised by how natural the opening is.
One manufacturer, for example, found that, because it had ordered labels using the wrong adhesive, the labels were vibrating off the drums during transportation of the product. Another found that its labels were fading due to exposure to the sun.
One great place to start is manufacturers that deliver products in returnable totes. It’s not unusual for these companies to order consumer labels that fall off after a few uses. These labels are designed to peel off easily and not leave a residue, but they don’t have durability. Those that do stay adhered—industrial-grade labels—have their problems, as well. They become part of a layered label stack that gets lumpy and difficult to read after multiple labels have been applied. Solutions include placard labels that offer enduring adhesion and yet pull away easily, but they aren’t something businesses can simply order on Amazon.
So ask those questions! Find out if your customers are having issues with their durable labels, and if so, bring those issues to a knowledgeable supplier. Being able to solve customer label problems makes you more than a distributor. It makes you a business partner that they won’t want to replace.
Bob Saunders is VP Sales of Wise, Alpharetta, GA. Wise manufacturers industrial/prime labels and tags, traditional forms, and digitally printed products and services for resale only. For more information, visit www.wbf.com or email Bob at [email protected].
