If you didn’t put your plans in pencil before 2020, you probably are now. Chances are, if you had a vacation booked, a regular get-together, concert tickets or a vision of an in-person start to school – really any plans at all this year – they were foiled.
In particular, the pandemic took wedding agita to a whole new level. A recent LendingTree survey found that 63% of engaged couples have postponed their 2020 weddings, and more than half had lost an average of $3,300 as a result. One couple decided to move ahead with a much smaller event than originally planned, after rescheduling three times. By the time the groom’s mother reached out to Williams Advertising (asi/360402) in Hopkinsville, KY, for personalized items for the celebration, it was only a week away.
“I was able to do it,” says Sarah Whitaker, owner and client success manager at Williams Advertising. “When you can say that to them, they’re so happy to hear something will be handled when so much is uncertain and not happening. Something’s going right for them and that means a lot.”
In this year of precariousness and distress, it’s a critical moment for well-positioned distributors to demonstrate their value. The most competitive firms will wade through the objections and show clients how promo can help them weather the ongoing maelstrom of uncertainty. “End-buyers should invite us to the conversation,” says Bob De Garmo, the California-based president of The Shamrock Companies (asi/324237), headquartered in Westlake, OH. “We’ll find ways to enhance or supplement what they’re already doing. We want to get a seat at the table.”
And how do they do that? By being proactive, creative and reliable. Those qualities aren’t new, but this year, they’ve become especially important in being able to deliver for clients.
At a time when distributors are looking for guidance, here’s a new sales handbook – with tips that are time-tested but especially relevant right now – to help clients tackle their challenges this year and beyond.
Be Proactive
In the early days of the pandemic, many end-buyers simply weren’t in a position to purchase promo because of budget and event uncertainty. But now, clients have been forced to adjust to the COVID landscape, and branded items are becoming an integral part of that reality. Still, with end-buyers more scattered than ever as their professional and personal lives blur together, it’s essential for distributors to reach out and get their attention.
1. Pitch Helpful Ideas
How do distributors get in front of preoccupied end-buyers who aren’t traveling to in-person sales presentations? Shari Verrone, president of Stackable Sensations (asi/332999) in Parsippany, NJ, sends out weekly emails with product ideas combined with education for making better buying decisions. Direct mail is making a comeback too, since more time spent at home means more frequent mailbox checking. “Our mailers are interactive, with calls to action,” she says. “We’ll include an exercise band and a URL and ask recipients to go there and put in their email address to receive 10 home exercises they can do during the day.”
Whitaker says she’s also seeing more availability for videoconferencing, since people are home instead of traveling. “A high-level person might have been in meetings from 8 to 5 and gone to events. That’s not a part of their life right now,” she says. “So we continue to host virtual presentations and send out samples.”
“Right now it’s a lot of ‘back to sales basics.’ You’ll either be proactive or just be an order-taker.”Ed Levy, Edventure Promotions
Still, home office distractions are legion. From kids’ remote learning frustrations, to partners’ and roommates’ loud video meetings, to nearby weed whackers and barking dogs – not to mention their own workload amid ongoing efforts to source PPE for a possible return to the workplace – clients appreciate proactive distributors who keep them aware of trends and products they’ll need moving forward, but who also respect their time.
Clients expect definite timeframes and an agenda for the call, says Chris Faris, founder and CEO of Boost Promotions (asi/142942) in Gloucester, MA, and they want them adhered to. They also don’t have a lot of extra time to shop around, particularly when it comes to product bundles with multiple products. Verrone’s clients want everything handled and they want it quickly.
“There’s no moseying around,” she says. “They see what they want and they execute.”
2. Emphasize the Need for Promo
While budgets for marketing to customers still may be tight, remind clients of the importance of reaching out to employees dealing with stressful situations. Maintaining distance keeps us safe physically, but the mental toll of isolation these past few months is unprecedented. Companies need to address that as best they can among their employees, and promo products can help.
“It’s hard for colleagues to stay engaged and connected when everyone’s working remotely,” says De Garmo. “If your clients aren’t up at night worrying about their company culture right now, they should be. Reach out and show you care, and be dedicated in idea generation. We need to get assertive.”
Don’t wait for clients to come to you, says Ed Levy, president of Edventure Promotions (asi/186055) in Chicago. For example, if their annual in-person national sales meeting is going virtual this year, they should have more budget for promo since they’re not spending it on airfare and hotels.
“It’s still confusing, but we’re in a position to reach out with suggestions,” he says. “Right now, it’s a lot of ‘back to sales basics.’ You’ll either be proactive or just be an order-taker.”
3. Don’t Give Up
While clients are resistant to spending at the moment, De Garmo says it’s important to keep approaching with ideas, even if they reject them. “No one’s really out there right now, so you’ll stand out,” he says. “Don’t let clients just sit on the sidelines. Push a bit, pepper them with ideas and talk about challenges. You can find an opportunity in every situation.”
Get the creative juices flowing by sending out samples when possible. After a recent virtual trade show featuring products from the brands of Top 40 supplier HPG (asi/61966), Stackable Sensations surveyed attendees asking about their favorite item from the show and then sent it to them as a surprise – it was a thank-you gift that doubled as an idea-generator for future promotions.
This poses a golden opportunity for distributors: As clients continue to navigate the waters of remote work and possible returns to the office, distributors can keep them aware of upcoming trends and what they’ll need in the near future – for both employees and marketing – and help them get the items quickly. That’s been a valuable service of distributors for years, but it’s come into focus even more sharply this year among all the uncertainty.
“We can look at things at a more macro level and see where the biggest demand is,” says Mark Lenox, vice present of merchandising and creative for Integrated Merchandising Solutions (IMS, asi/215310). “That’s how we’ve always approached business, to use our knowledge for our clients. We want to keep them aware of what’s coming, so we forecast trends based on end-user habits.”
Be Creative
Sounds obvious, right? Creative ideas and strategies are what distributors do best. But this year, it’s especially important for distributors to remind prospects and clients of how promo products can serve them in a pandemic-altered reality. Offering that insight will go a long way toward building a long-lasting relationship.
1. Present Relevant Items
Because clients have a lot of responsibilities vying for their time right now, it’s critical that distributors come with pared-down ideas. “They want fewer products of higher quality,” says Faris. “And they’re not looking for mobile chargers and padfolios, the usual business travel items. They want family-friendly home products, like coloring books for kids and adults, blue light glasses for the long hours spent in front of the computer, puzzles and games for the desk or kitchen table. Executives and HR departments are really focused on that right now.”
Verrone and Stackable Sensations have created care packages with blankets, eye masks, tumblers, extenders for charger cords, and speakers for daytime video calls and evening tunes. She sent her own employees Zen fleece sweatpants from J America (asi/62977) and branded Cutter & Buck (asi/47965) sweatshirts for Zoom calls. Her sales reps have created short videos of on-trend products to show clients, like hoodies with built-in gaiters from Fossa Apparel (asi/55141).
2. Go Next Level With Kitting
As offices plan to open, consider back-to-work kits full of employee essentials. After a Fortune 50 financial company asked IMS to source hand sanitizer from overseas back in the spring, they recently ordered 300,000 bundles of 12 items, including a no-touch tool, mask and sanitizer, that IMS is kitting and shipping to individual homes ahead of employees’ return to the office. Also in IMS’s till: swag kits for virtual events and meetings, which clients are using to encourage and reward registration.
“Massive kitting projects will carry over into next year,” says Lenox. “And it’s delivered in a different way now, to homes. We’re equipped to do that. Clients will continue to want quality products, appropriately branded, and on time.”
“Massive kitting projects will carry over into next year. And it’s delivered in a different way now – to homes. We’re equipped to do that.”Mark Lenox, IMS
The education market has also been rife with opportunities. Levy says his company recently put together virtual learning kits with inflatable seat cushions, earbuds and dry-erase boards. “COVID or not, people don’t know what they want until they see what they don’t want,” he says. “It takes a visual to get direction. We’ll continue to do thoughtful presentations of products with purpose, and hopefully they spark conversations.”
With the lack of in-person presentations, the touch and feel aspect of the product pitch has been sorely missed. Faris and his team have always tried out the products they present so they can offer real-life advice on their quality and usability; that’s been critical in recent months. “They rely on us to find quality products that we know, especially since it can be expensive to ship samples to all the decision-makers’ homes,” Faris says. “They’re relying on us for our knowledge more than ever before. We want them to say, ‘You recommended this item and it was fantastic.’”
3. Show Employees Some Love
End-buyers’ spend may look different this year, but pain points are more real than ever. Lenox says one client, a quick-serve restaurant chain, isn’t selling much branded merchandise to consumers right now, though they continue to offer drive-thru, curbside and mobile ordering. It’s been a natural fit for incentive rewards for employees working long hours during the pandemic. “The entire operation isn’t shut down,” says Lenox, “but the demand for branded items has changed.”
This is the next phase of promo demand, now that many of the bulk PPE orders have dried up. De Garmo says employee engagement items are crucial right now to show appreciation for their hard work these past few months. “A little sample will brighten their day,” he says. “Send something that will evoke emotion and create top-of-mind awareness.”
Be Reliable
With so many disappointments this year, dependable distributors have a clear opportunity to assure clients that they’re pitching high-quality products and order details will be handled, even if the need arises quickly. Distributors have always been held to these standards, but they’ve come into even sharper focus in 2020.
1. Mobilize Quickly
Distributors’ flexibility has also been tested in recent months, as in the case with Whitaker’s wedding client. Maybe a local sports team receives news that they’re allowed to open back up; distributors need to be nimble enough to address needs quickly.
“We’re told team sports are happening and now we have a week to get these kids what they need,” says Whitaker. “With rush orders and being more hands-on, we have to be more agile than ever. Clients appreciate our quick work again. So many things are going wrong for people that having some certainty means a lot.”
The most competitive distributors will get the job done quickly and on time, and in the process, become a valued bright spot for clients in a year otherwise characterized by thwarted plans and disappointment. “We want to make it as smooth as possible for them,” Whitaker says. “We want to be an extension of their team, because any sureness is welcome for them right now.”
“So many things are going wrong for people that having some certainty means a lot.”Sarah Whitaker, Williams Advertising
2. Lock in Your Supply Chain
Distributors who had developed solid vendor relationships over the long-term before the pandemic were able to pivot quickly as the virus bore down. By the second day of almost zero client traffic, Verrone had tapped into her preferred supplier network to source hard-to-find PPE from overseas, like KN95 masks and sanitizer by the gallon. IMS also reached out to its overseas contacts and got the ball rolling. “Sourcing PPE was very stressful for clients,” says Lenox. “Even procurement departments were having a hard time and turning to us.”
Now, with traditional promo coming back, distributors are sticking with those preferred suppliers to help them with the quality products and quick turns that clients continue to expect. “They come to us and we take care of all the details,” says Lenox. “We’re a trusted avenue for them.”
3. Have Inventory Ready
Since many clients still can’t get into closed offices, distributors should offer to warehouse and inventory items when possible, and drop-ship them to residences, albeit with padded delivery dates in case of delay due to over-extended freight services. Verrone’s usual UPS person said they were delivering so many packages in the spring, it felt like the Q4 holiday season, and deliveries are still at high levels. Now, every end-buyer order comes with a disclaimer that delivery could vary by two to five days, while preferred suppliers continue to stock up on SKUs.
“Interest has gone way up in company stores and fulfillment centers,” says De Garmo. “We offer ways to get them the product; we’re getting into different spaces and working through it.”