Times have changed when it comes to sales in the promo industry. “When I came up, it was a much different beast. They handed you a phonebook and said, ‘Go get after it,’” says Rusty Pepper, head of new markets and partnerships at Taylor OnDemand, the print-on-demand fulfillment arm of Taylor Corp., which is the parent company to multiple print and promo entities, including Counselor Top 40 distributor Taylor Promotional Products (asi/333647).
Now, cold calling has given way to digital networking. Training and onboarding are far more robust, and promo industry sales reps are no longer exclusively commissioned independent contractors. The annual ASI Sales Compensation Survey has tracked many of these changes throughout the years.
It’s no different in this edition of the survey, which has uncovered marked shifts in rep pay structures and benefits offered. However, there’s one data point that remained unchanged from 2024: average compensation for reps. After six years of increases, the median compensation for reps and sales managers with their own book of business remained flat at $75,000. This signals the end of a growth period, as promo products sales rep compensation had increased by 36% since 2015 (compared to 9% from 2010 to 2015). This year’s survey also provides new findings about the employment status of reps and the products they’re responsible for selling. For salespeople, managers and owners eager for insights into the evolving landscape for promo reps, be sure to read on.
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