Key Takeaways
• At PRINTING United Expo, a panel of print professionals shared how expanding into promotional products has driven new revenue and expanded opportunity.
• Panelists Linda Fox of SpeedPro Imaging Nashville South (asi/553949), Kent Ross of RP&G Printing and Gordon Klepec of Counselor Top 40 distributor American Solutions for Business (asi/120075) noted that promo enables diversification, repeat business and marketing appeal without major equipment investments.
• Speakers urged printers to partner closely with suppliers, attend trade shows for ideas and samples, and embrace the growing client demand for one-stop branding solutions.
The client wanted fabric wristbands for a VIP event at this summer’s CMA Fest in Nashville. And she needed them in three days.
It could have been a missed opportunity for Linda Fox, owner of SpeedPro Imaging Nashville South (asi/553949), who didn’t offer promotional products in her large-format sign shop at the time. But Fox was able to outsource the job to a friend who specializes in direct-to-film printing and delivered the decorated wristbands right on time for the event.
“It was amazing,” Fox said. It also led her to the realization that the next time her clients had a promo need, she could – and should – be the one fulfilling it. By July, Fox had become an ASI member and attended her first ASI Show in Chicago.
Fox’s story was one of many wins discussed during a panel discussion moderated by Print & Promo Marketing Content Director Brendan Menapace at PRINTING United Expo in Orlando on Oct. 23. The session, “Promo Success Stories From Print Pros,” also featured Gordon Klepec, regional vice president at Counselor Top 40 distributor American Solutions for Business (ASB; asi/120075) and Kent Ross, owner/founder of RP&G Printing in Wesley Chapel, FL.
Ross added promo to his business about a decade ago to diversify his company’s portfolio. “We used to do a ton of forms and checks, but those have gone away for the most part,” he said. “We were scrambling around for something to fill that hole, and promo seemed like a good fit.”
The reasons were manifold: Adding promo didn’t require an investment in new equipment and allowed RP&G to cross-sell and capture repeat business. “Promo sells itself, and you can build on it year over year,” he added.
Plus, promo has a “whizz-bang” factor that makes it attractive for marketing via social media and offering customer specials, Ross said.
“I can’t get you to buy envelopes until you need envelopes,” he explained. But RP&G can entice clients by, say, offering a deal on branded umbrellas in advance of Florida’s storm season. “It gets us on customers’ radar,” he said.
When ASB started in 1985, it was almost exclusively selling print, Klepec said. These days, the distributorship sells about 60% promo and apparel and only 40% print. In fact, promo is such a hit with the company’s 650 salespeople that Klepec said he has to remind the team sometimes that print is still viable.
“Now nobody wants to sell print, but we’re telling the story of how print reorders are so much easier to do, since with promo, you have to find something new every time,” he said.
Becoming a One-Stop Shop
Clients these days, said panelists, expect a “one-stop shop” experience where they can get everything branded, rather than having to source their signage, print, apparel and promo from multiple places. And that first promo order, small or large, can unlock untold opportunity.
For example, an ASB rep was recently contacted by Subway to provide 250,000 T-shirts for an upcoming event, Klepec said. Snagging that order gives ASB the potential to roll that client into a program deal to provide more of the chain’s promo and apparel needs.
“Those door-openers – it could be a water bottle, a squishy toy or a T-shirt – if you can say yes to them, they open the door for a lot of other revenue,” Klepec said.
Advice for Getting Started
The panelists advised printers starting their promo journey to lean on their suppliers and develop relationships you can leverage for product ideas, samples and other support.
“Our vendors are very hungry to help us,” Klepec said. “The more we work with them, the more ideas we glean from them.”
Attending industry trade shows is a great way to begin making those connections with suppliers. Fox has a literal bag of tricks she’ll dig into when she needs inspiration, drawing from a tote full of samples she nabbed from suppliers at ASI Chicago when she’s seeking product ideas for clients.
Though there are thousands of suppliers out there, it’s fine to stick to just a few that offer the right mix of service, quality of product and proximity, especially when you’re just dipping your toe into the industry, Ross said. The beauty of adding promo, he added, is that you can make your business as big or as small as you want.
Bottom line? “It’s not as difficult as you might think getting into promo,” Klepec said. “Don’t be afraid of it.”
