In working with hundreds of small and medium-sized business owners over the years, the last six with distributors, I have noticed five common mistakes most of them make that are hindering business growth. Let’s take a look and those mistakes and what to do to correct them. If you stop making them, you will see a big difference in your business…
Read MoreEditorial Type: Best Practices
QR Code Packaging, Plush Chicken Tenders and More: Popeyes and Burger King Follow McDonald’s With Their Own Twists on Celebrity Meal/Merch Collabs
McDonald’s has had a ton of success with its celebrity meal/merchandise collabs featuring superstars like Travis Scott and BTS. Other fast food brands have taken notice, and as predicted are rolling out their own versions of the celebrity meals with a few twists on the McDonald’s formula…
Read More5 Reasons to Start Your Own Promo Business Podcast (Plus Tips and Advice)
Starting a podcast is easier than you think—and it can have big benefits for your distributor business. It takes commitment and dedication, and if you feel you don’t have the time, consider being a guest on other people’s podcasts. But if you’re ready to do your own show, here’s how you can get started…
Read More5 Things to Know About Selling Promotional Socks and Footwear
To get a toehold on what customers and end-users are looking for in promotional footwear, we spoke with Chloe Ayres, marketing manager for Sock Club, Austin, Texas, and Kaydee Walter, marketing specialist for Strideline, Seattle. Here are five big things to know…
Read MoreApparel Contract Decorator Partnerships Series, Part 3: Contract Pricing Refresher (and How to Not Annoy Your Decorator)
A distributor works directly with a client to determine every detail of the order and relays that to a decorator, who completes the technical aspect of the project. Decorators acknowledge the distributor’s role when creating their contract pricing. But what should distributors expect out of that relationship?…
Read MoreApparel Contract Decorator Partnerships Series, Part 2: Building Relationships (and How Many Decorators Do You Need?)
Just like you have different promotional suppliers for different products, you’ll need the same for different decoration methods or geographic locations to reduce transit from your preferred supplier warehouse or to the order’s final destination. So you’ll want to have solid relationships with more than one contract decorator…
Read MoreApparel Contract Decorator Partnerships Series, Part 1: Boost Business With a Sales-Focused Mindset
Distributors sometimes opt to bring decoration in-house, and there are some good reasons to go this route. However, leaning on a contract decorator has one major perk: The distributor can focus on selling while relying on contract decorators who know a thing or two about decorating apparel already…
Read MoreHow to Provide Product Samples Without Going Broke
Clients like samples, but if you’re not careful, they can nickel and dime money out of your business. Here are some ways to provide samples wisely, so you can give your clients the peace of mind that their order is exactly what they wanted while saving money yourself (or even making more)…
Read MoreInventory Shops Have Made a Comeback in 2021: Here’s Why
“Inventory” was once an ugly word to customers. But times have changed and inventory has made a comeback. Knowing the reasons why inventory is now in higher demand can help you guide clients toward smarter solutions and help you sell shops simpler, faster and more profitably…
Read MoreDecoration Diaries: How One Distributor Wowed His Client With a Branded Apparel Kit
Ideas sometimes go beyond finding the latest decoration method. When his concrete installation client wanted to maintain the high price point of its previous employee gifts, but avoid repeating previous years’ promos, John Helder created a multi-piece apparel collection that wowed his client…
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