Brett Bowden absolutely hated his job as a cable guy. Customers routinely screamed at him about things he had no control over, like the high number at the bottom of their cable bill. On one memorable occasion, a man tried to tackle Bowden, chasing him over a picket fence and into his utility truck.

Then, a decade ago, Bowden had had enough and decided to focus his energy on something he was passionate about: rock ’n’ roll. The former touring musician opened up a garage screen-printing shop to sell T-shirts and other merch to bands. Since then, Printed Threads has seen huge growth, expanding well beyond its original niche to service restaurants, breweries and even professional sports teams, including the Dallas Mavericks. The story of that growth was the focus of Bowden’s “Put Your Passion to Work: Hone Your Sales Strategy & Grow Your Base” session at ASI Show Chicago on Tuesday.

Brett Bowden

A key point that many business owners struggle with, Bowden said, is focus. Rather than trying to sell everything to everybody, distributors need to find their focus, using their own interests and knowledge to carve out a niche in the industry. “When you walk into a customer’s office with giant bags of stuff, it feels gross,” he said. “When you walk in with focus, you sound like an authority.”

Once you’ve mastered that niche and developed a loyal customer base, growth happens almost organically. Printed Threads started out printing for rock bands, which naturally branched off into music festivals. The production companies behind the scenes started using Printed Threads for beer festivals as well, which brought the company to the attention of craft breweries. The breweries naturally led to work with restaurants. “When you do a really good job for people, you get pulled into circles that you never thought you belonged in,” Bowden said.

Bowden also advised distributors to look at sales as a relationship and marketing as flirtation. When you’re trying to score new clients, woo them with flattering words and thoughtful gifts. For example, if a cool, new restaurant is opening up in town, Bowden will show up with a gift of 100 shirts, all bearing the eatery’s logo. In addition to building goodwill, the freebies make a statement about your company’s authority and tell a story about your brand. “People latch onto that and listen,” Bowden said.