Ryan S. from Promotions Guy is a screen printer who joined ASI so he could sell promo products as an additional source of revenue for his business. He recently shared his tips for getting leads, sourcing products and bringing in more profit with promotional products. Check out the tactics he uses for prospecting, lead generation and increasing his profit margin.

Lead Generation:

Decide which businesses you want to target and check out what they currently have to offer in the realm of imprinted swag. Send free designed and imprinted samples of promotional products you think might be a good fit for them to demonstrate your value by showing them how you can help them make more money. When presenting samples, make sure you choose items that make sense to the specific business. For instance, you wouldn’t pitch sweatshirts or multi-layer outerwear to a Florida-based business, but you would pitch floppy beach hats, can coolers and moisture-wicking apparel.

 

Prospecting:

Once you have an idea of who you want to target, look at their website (if they have one). This is a great place to find contact info and get intel on their branding colors and slogans, as well as their online offerings. Look for promotional products for sale on their site. If they don’t have any, that means there’s an opportunity for you to increase their profitability. In their Contact Us section, see if they have a phone number you can call or, even better, a physical address where you can stop by with some samples. Do they have more than one location? More opportunities! Start by calling one location and offer to send them some samples. When prospecting, choose customers you’re excited to work with. Reach out to businesses you patronize already, such as restaurants you like, your gym or your favorite local coffee shop.

 

Using Samples:

While ESP is incredible for setting up presentations and getting sell sheets for clients, you can also use it to build virtual samples if sending physical products isn’t in the budget. I search specifically by what product I think would be a good fit for that prospect and look for suppliers I’ve worked with before. You can also download the product images from ESP, add the customer’s logo virtually and email the sample. Seeing their logo on the product can make a dynamite first impression.

 

Following Up & Closing the Deal:

Keep in mind that closing deals can sometimes take a while, and you won’t close 100% of the leads you nourish, but you only need to land a few to make it all worthwhile. Remember, when it comes to closing deals, you have to spend money to make money. Giving imprinted samples away shows potential customers you’re serious about working with them, and it’s one of the most effective ways to convert a lead.

 

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