Noel Garcia knows the value of client retention.

Consider: The managing director at Counselor Top 40 distributor Boundless (asi/143717) started working with his current biggest client in 2003. Last year, the organization did $7 million worth of business with him.

How did Garcia grow the account to that lofty seven-figure level? Fundamentally, he says, the success has been built by being a dedicated partner to his client’s business – an embedded consultant who puts the organization’s best interests first and who proactively proposes and executes solutions that advance its goals.

“A lot of it comes down to being consistent and fair, never taking advantage,” Garcia says. “When you care about your clients and make them feel special – when you invest in them – loyalty comes. Longevity is more important than a short-term margin win.”

Statistics back him up. Studies show that it can cost about five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one, and an analysis by Bain & Company revealed that increasing customer retention by 5% can send profits soaring by as much as 95%. Plus, the success rate of selling to a customer you already have is reportedly 60% to 70%. To a prospect? Just 5% to 20%.

So, how can distributors create a quality client roster full of reliable regulars? Top-performing industry sales professionals like Garcia offer strategies here.

1. Be a Problem-Solver

The way Brandon Kennedy sees it, the key to client retention lies in creating value for a customer in every possible interaction.

Doing that starts with being inquisitive. It centers on asking questions that allow a distributor sales pro to understand the client’s business, challenges and objectives – both broadly and on each individual campaign that may involve branded merchandise, says Kennedy, president of BrandCo Marketing (asi/455385), an affiliate of Counselor Top 40 distributor American Solutions for Business (asi/120075).

Equipped with a keen understanding of a client, distributors can then draw on their expertise to craft swag solutions that work best for the customer – time and again. “When you take a truly consultative approach, you’re more than an order taker,” says Kennedy, a Counselor 2023 Distributor Salesperson of the Year finalist. “You’re a problem-solver. That greatly increases your value to the client.”

Increasing customer retention by
5%
can send profits soaring by as much as
95%.(Bain & Company)

2. Establish & Grow Trust

Madeline Hardy is a big believer that every successful relationship is rooted in trust. That’s just what the senior account manager at distributor Whitestone (asi/359741), a Counselor 2024 Best Place to Work, seeks to establish with her clients. She does so by observing the Golden Rule.

“You have to be honest, transparent and reliable,” says Hardy, a Counselor 2024 Distributor Salesperson of the Year finalist. “When clients know they can count on you, they’ll come back time after time.”

Hardy experiences this firsthand. Her business includes a sharp focus on clients that execute experiential marketing events. They often come with last-minute rush requests. Hardy keeps cool, assesses the situation and then shares with the client what can realistically be accomplished given the deadline-compressed timeframe. “By being transparent about what’s possible, getting them answers quickly and being firm about the time line they need to meet, you’ll position yourself as the expert and gain their trust quickly,” says Hardy. “You’ll become a reliable source for all projects.”

“Longevity is more important than a short-term margin win.” Noel Garcia, Boundless (asi/143717)

3. Anticipate Needs & Proactively Pitch Ideas

Jeana Nicotera, a brand consultant with New York-headquartered distributor Cooley Group (asi/168125), doesn’t sit around waiting for clients to send orders her way.

Rather, she thinks deeply about the needs of her customers and creates proposed promo-powered initiatives that can help meet them. Then, she shares those ideas – sometimes at client meetings and lunch-and-learns. Those in-person touch points, she believes, are an advantage to relationship-building in a world of increasingly impersonal digital commerce.

“My presentations share new ideas and products that, most times, the team members have never seen before,” says Nicotera. “I make sure to keep it fun, engaging and educational.”

The approach garners results.

Last year, she presented a deck of branded apparel ideas to a contact at PepsiCo. It was so well-received that the contact sent the deck to her counterparts throughout the Northeastern U.S.

“As a result, I gained additional business with my PepsiCo contact and expanded and landed new accounts within Frito-Lay and PepsiCo nationwide,” Nicotera says. “In 2023, this partnership quickly grew into my most significant account, and we’ve already surpassed that pace in 2024.”

4. Increase Your Value-Adding Touch Points

Clients are busy, their days quickly cluttered with tasks and responsibilities. To cultivate fruitful business relationships, distributors must cut through the noise.

A tactic for achieving that is to selectively – emphasis on “selectively” – send self-promotions, spec samples and “lookbooks” to customers. “By being selective, I ensure that clients see every message as meaningful, and I avoid overloading them,” Nicotera says. “This helps to keep our exchanges impactful and fresh.”

“You have to be honest, transparent and reliable. When clients know they can count on you, they’ll come back time after time.” Madeline Hardy, Whitestone (asi/359741)

5. Demonstrate Gratitude

As you would in any personal relationship for which you are grateful, it’s important to express gratitude to clients whose business you prize.

This has the strategic advantage of creating another positive touch point while also humanizing you to the client and showing them that you care about them and their success, not just the money they spend with you. “We send out lots of handwritten cards and swag items to thank customers for their orders,” says Kennedy. “We even have a redemption website that our clients can visit, select a self-promo item and experience using technology as a different way of engaging with us.”

6. Turn Problems Into Opportunities

Despite everyone’s best efforts, sometimes orders are going to run off the rails. The best distributor sales pros, however, transform these trying times into moments to shine. They diagnose the issue and present potential cures.

“Come to the table with a solution, not a problem,” says Hardy. “Clients respect that.”

Adds Kennedy: “An error or issue is an opportunity to stand out and create loyalty. We don’t pass blame. We own it, 150%, and make it right.”

7. Have Your House in Order

To provide clients with high-quality service and solutions, distributors need to be on top of their game as print and promo professionals. Sure, this includes continually expanding knowledge of products and decoration techniques so that you can best consult customers.

Still, it also involves having the back end of the business in order. Strong relationships with good suppliers are part of that. So is being well-organized personally.

“By having all of my projects clearly laid out, I can keep track of what stage we are in and what needs to happen next, keeping us one step ahead of the client at all times,” says Hardy.

Of course, establishing efficiency-streamlining business processes is vital, too.

“For instance, we have systems in place to ensure orders placed with suppliers are received complete and shipped to meet in-hands dates,” says Kennedy. “There’s also a follow-up element to ensure clients were happy with the finished products.”

8. Tune Into Tech Solutions

In the digital age, distributor pros agree that being able to provide clients with technology-driven merch solutions is pivotal to courting and keeping many high-worth customers. Easy-to-use web stores, for example, can be critical to client retention.

Nicotera says several of her global and national accounts rely on Cooley Group’s online store platform – a reality that’s encouraged them to continue coming back.

“If the time is dedicated to making client online stores as user-friendly as possible while making your clients’ lives easier, the stores become a ‘barrier to exit,’” she says. “Show me a client with a successful and well-maintained company store solution, and I’ll show you a long-standing and loyal client.”