The Pro

Name: Peter Palermo
Title: General Manager
Distributorship: Elm Street Marketing Essentials Powered by Proforma (asi/300094) in Camden, ME

The Sale

Dollar Value: $11,000
Client: Clearbrook SeniorCare, a home care service for senior citizens
Product: Website hosting, print collateral, trade show banners and promotional products

The Promotion

It was networking gold: Peter Palermo met one of his most loyal clients, the owner of a new senior care service, at a local Rotary Club meeting. The business owner had tapped into her experience both in pharmaceuticals and caring for her aging parents to launch a home care service company for area senior citizens, called Clearbook SeniorCare. And she was looking for marketing advice.

When she and Palermo met, he talked with her about the marketing work he did at his company, and she relayed her need for advertising and marketing. Naturally, she asked Palermo to put together a strategy for her.

“It just goes to show that you can pick up opportunities everywhere,” says Palermo. “We started from the ground up with her company, beginning with the logo. Then we just started rolling everything out.”

Palermo launched and continues to host a website for the company, then designed and printed official letterhead, business cards, rack cards and badges for the business’s growing number of employees. They also ordered a retractable banner and branded table throw for trade shows and speaking engagements.

“The rack cards, for example, were perfect for distribution,” says Palermo. “She could distribute them at trade shows, and also take them to different healthcare offices that serve the elderly, such as audiologists, that could lead to referrals.”

Palermo also put together promotional products for prospects and clients, including a nonwoven tote, hand sanitizer, flashlight, pen, sticky notes and a fridge magnet for keeping contact information close by. Branded candy can be left with clients as a sweet treat, as well as with facilities that would have the opportunity to refer the service. Currently, Palermo is working on a branded journal book that employees will use as a log for elderly clients and their families.

For distributors looking to get a foot in the door at a small business or startup, Palermo says the primary focus with branded merch is to establish a cohesive brand identity and then constantly hammer it home. “Promotional products work for the owner when they’re not standing in front of prospects,” says Palermo. “You can’t be in every location at once. They’re an ongoing salesperson when they’re in the right person’s hands. It’s not ‘build it and they will come’. They have to market what they do. The items don’t have to be expensive, but if they’re done well, they’ll leave a lasting impression.”

It’s guiding small businesses through the process of brand identity and marketing that’s at the heart of his company’s philosophy. “We’re here to help,” he says. “I’m a small business too, so I’ll call on my own experience to help them. We’re in their shoes, so we understand.”

The Takeaways

1. Sales opportunities are everywhere – always have updated business cards and an elevator pitch at the ready.
2. Consider a variety of products to keep the brand visible in different settings.
3. Tap into personal small-business experience to guide end-buyers in their marketing strategy.