Promo Pro: Rose Sarro, Vice President of Sales, Promo Direct (asi/300477).
End-Client: A government entity that provides services to veterans, their families and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Job: Deliver branded products that help raise awareness about the client in the lead-up to Veterans Day.
Order Value: About $1.82 million over two orders.
STEP 1: Start Small
When Rose Sarro gets an opportunity, she makes the most of it.
Such was the case when she earned a referral to a government entity that provides an array of services to veterans, their families and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The prospect was disgruntled with its current vendor and was looking for a new partner. Sarro met with two buyers for the agency and they hit it off, developing an easy rapport. “We just clicked,” Sarro shares.
And so, the client started working with Sarro on smaller orders.
Sarro, Counselor’s 2024 Distributor Salesperson of the Year, knew that no matter how much the buyers liked her on a personal level, the true test would be providing white-glove service, quality products with attractive, well-produced graphics and on-time delivery if she wanted to grow the account. That’s just what she did – all of which led to a whale-sized campaign in 2022.
STEP 2: Set the Stage for a Bigger Project
That year, the agency enlisted Sarro’s help on a major project. The goal was to raise awareness about the entity among the groups it serves in the lead-up to Veterans Day, which is always officially observed on November 11.
Sarro came through, providing products that included custom-cut stickers and magnets. She worked with an overseas supplier on the singularly unique items. That took considerable coordination and care but was made easier by the fact that Sarro had cultivated a relationship with the vendor over a decade.
“The design and size were very specific, and it made more sense to go overseas,” says Sarro. “This vendor is my go-to for something like this.”
In the end, Sarro and her team at Promo Direct, where she’s vice president of sales, executed the $770,000 campaign with aplomb.
STEP 3: Close the Next Deal
For sure, so pleased was the client that they came to Sarro again in 2023 for the Veterans Day-related campaign. Only this time, the order was going to be even bigger.
Custom-cut stickers and magnets were again among the offerings, as were power clips, pens and microfiber cloths – all well into the hundreds of thousands in count. The order was poised to total more than $1 million, which it did.
But this was no mere rinse-and-repeat reorder; far from it.
“Closing the deal took me a couple of months to complete to perfection with art changes and compiling all the addresses where we had to ship,” says Sarro, a 14-year industry pro who previously held roles in entertainment and medicine. “You could also say the process on the fulfillment side was a little nerve-wracking.”
STEP 4: Take Help Where You Can Get It
Indeed, Sarro’s task was to ensure all the items were packaged appropriately and shipped to more than 450 locations around the country.
Things got off to a shaky start when a FedEx truck arrived a day earlier than expected, bearing products that needed to be unloaded immediately.
“FedEx was short-staffed and they had to drop off trailers for our fulfillment staff to unload for them and then come back the next day to pick up the trailers,” Sarro explains.
Sarro and the Promo Direct team, which is based in Henderson, NV, flew into action. Her daughter Amanda, who heads up fulfillment at the firm, enlisted the help of her husband to get started on the heavy lifting. Another of Sarro’s adult children, a daughter with military experience, lent a helping hand too, chipping in by driving a forklift for the unloading of the pallets.
Over the course of a few weeks and with the help of temporary workers, Sarro and the Promo Direct crew got everything sorted correctly and staged to ship. Ultimately, thanks to the muscle work and Sarro’s deft coordination, the products made it to their destinations on time, with only a minor hiccup here and there that was swiftly made right.
“This order was unique because of the size and the work to get it delivered in time for Veterans Day,” says Sarro.
STEP 5: Keep Building the Relationship
Most importantly, the client was happy, as the initiative accomplished its goals. “The campaign raised more awareness, and we got very positive feedback that everything was well-received,” Sarro shares.
There’s no greater proof of that client satisfaction than the fact that the agency has continued to work with Sarro on orders small and large. And yes, that includes another awareness-raising campaign tied to Veterans Day in 2024.
“We’re crossing our fingers,” says Sarro, “that it will be another great success for them and for us.”
Takeaways
• Focus on making personal connections with clients.
• Do a great job on smaller orders, as they can lead to much bigger ones.
• Pitch fully custom products; they’re unique to the client and can showcase your creativity, making you more valuable.
• Have a strong team and processes in place to ensure smooth fulfillment.
