First impressions are crucial when trying to land a sale, especially in the promotional products industry. You’re primarily dealing with overburdened and under resourced decision makers, who are pressed for time. Without a good first impression to win them over, you’re unlikely to get a second shot.

“We only get a short window to get any initial face time with new clients in today’s business world,” says Justin Zavadil, president of Top 40 distributor American Solutions for Business (ASB, asi/120075). “You have to make it count so that you not only create an unforgettable impression, but also build immediate trust.”

Whether you’re meeting a potential client in person, through email, by cold calling or via social media, you have to endear yourself right away to capture that prospect’s attention and interest. “I want customers to understand what American stands for as a company and to get to know our employees, what our values are and how we give back and make the world a better place,” Zavadil says. “People don’t always remember what you say or what you do, but they almost always remember how you made them feel. We like our social media presence to make everyone we touch feel included and welcome.”

Injecting personality into your social media posts is how you differentiate yourself, says Michelle Bottino, owner of Fully Promoted St. Charles, IL, an affiliate of Top 40 distributor Fully Promoted (asi/384000). “You won’t get automated messages when you talk with us,” Bottino says. “I want people to see we’re real-life human beings.”

When joining Fully Promoted, Bottino was given a company website with standard information that every affiliate receives. Encouraged by Fully Promoted to change it up and localize it, she edited the home page to fit her personality. “We don’t post just business stuff or boring informational things,” Bottino says. “We post fun videos of me doing weird things with products. We try to answer the types of questions a customer would ask when seeing us for the first time.”

Scrolling through the @fullypromotedofstcharles Instagram, you’ll see videos of Bottino weathering a storm, hyping up the benefits of a branded umbrella during the rain and a knit scarf and beanie in the wind. It may be wacky, but it grabs your attention and separates her from the competition.

Mike Fossano, vice president of account services at Royal Oak, MI-based Premiere Communications Group (asi/298496), has taken an old-school approach. Instead of relying upon social media, his company has tried direct mail pieces to stand out from the pack. Last year, Premiere Communications Group sent targeted customers a small, decorated box full of colored, crinkled paper. Inside the box was a branded mug the company’s logo and name, a couple packets of hot cocoa mix and a branded card saying “warm up your marketing.”

“It was a simple, yet fun greeting from our sales team that triggered engagements and led to new projects,” Fossano says. “It showed what we could do and demonstrated the power and feeling of receiving promotional products.”