I’ve been in the promotional products industry for a long time – 19 years to be exact. To put that number in perspective, I’ve lasted longer in this industry than the average career of a Major League Baseball player (6 years), longer than the average marriage in the United States (8 years), and even longer than David Lee Roth fronted the mighty Van Halen (14 years). That’s a long time to be in one industry.
For all that time, I worked in executive leadership positions at leading distributors and while I was involved in the industry, I wasn’t invested. Of course, I attended major industry events and even sat on the board for PPAChicago, but I was hardly what anyone would even remotely describe as engaged. If I was known at all, it was as a sales leader/recruiter for large industry distributors that blended into the background. This all changed, however, in January 2014.
After losing my job due to my employer forming a strategic alliance with a large office products company – you can likely guess which one – I was at a career crossroads. I knew I needed to change the perception people had of me in the industry if I were to survive so I set out to do just that. I started my own company to provide a vehicle to consult for suppliers and distributors while I looked for a job. I began to not only write but share my honest thoughts with the industry. I developed education sessions and spoke at regional associations, PPAI events, and skucon. I freely gave time and volunteered for my regional association (PPAMS), the Regional Association Council (RAC) board, PromoKitchen, and PPAI. I started a podcast (unScripted) with my friend Kirby Hasseman that’s received two Pyramid Awards and is recognized as one of the most popular podcasts in the industry. Over the course of the past five years, I can honestly write that I accomplished exactly what I set out to do: I built brandivate to the point where I sold it to PromoCorner and, in the process, changed people’s perception of me in the industry.
Sometimes, however, perception can shift too far.
I’ve come to realize that the perception of me as a respected writer, industry speaker, and podcaster has hurt my reality. I’m now known more for writing, speaking, and podcasting about sales, marketing, and branding than being an expert on those very same topics. Despite years of direct experience, I am primarily seen as a podcaster who writes a blog and speaks which is not the full scope of who I am or what I do.
The same can be said for many promotional products distributors and how they are perceived by their clients. Almost every salesperson can share a story where they visited a long-term client only to find a branded Yeti tumbler (or other product) on the desk that the client did not order from them. After asking the client why they didn’t get the order, the response is some variation of, “I didn’t know you sold Yeti tumblers! I thought you only sold apparel.”
If your clients only see you as the “apparel guy” or the “backpack lady,” their perception of you and your areas of expertise are hurting your reality. When this happens, the only recourse is to shift the perception by effectively communicating to your clients what you do and the value you provide. It’s changing the conversation from a product salesperson to a solutions provider who happens to utilize branded merchandise as the vehicle. If you don’t take the time to do that, you’ll continue to be slotted with a perception that is inaccurate. You don’t want to be the “t-shirt guy” who only gets the t-shirt business.
As I stated above, it’s time for me to change my conversation in the industry. What I do with the team at PromoCorner – and the value we provide – goes far beyond writing, speaking, and podcasting. Those three things are important to what I do, but I don’t want people in the industry to lose sight of the actual work behind those pieces of content. Clients choose to work with PromoCorner because we design, develop, and execute marketing strategies that positively impact their bottom line. Whether it’s creating compelling digital marketing that moves a target audience to action, delivering advertising campaigns that elevate both the brand and the merchandise, developing a complete corporate rebranding, finding new ways to incorporate video to deliver messages where the intended audience lives, or leveraging content marketing to ensure messaging is received, PromoCorner clients trust us to help them drive growth and scale their business. They may initially know PromoCorner because I spoke at an event, wrote a blog post that was shared, or they heard me on a podcast, but that activity doesn’t move their business forward. Thoughtful strategy followed by executing the right tactics that bring results do – and that’s what we deliver.
The bottom line is that I’m a sales, marketing, branding, and promotional merchandise expert which is what gives me the platform to write, speak, and podcast. If I don’t share that I – along with PromoCorner – stands for more with that audience, then I’m complicit in perpetuating the incorrect perception.
Next time you feel that your audience’s perception of you is hurting your reality, it’s time to change the conversation. Remember, perception is reality and only you can change perception.
Bill is president of PromoCorner, the leading digital marketing service provider to the promotional products industry, and has over 18 years working in executive leadership positions at leading promotional products distributorships. A featured speaker at numerous industry events, a serial creator of content marketing, president of the Regional Association Council (RAC) board, and PromoKitchen chef, Bill has extensive experience coaching sales teams, creating successful marketing campaigns, and developing branding that resonates with a target audience. He can be reached at bill@PromoCorner.com.