I’ve had the pleasure to be part of the promotional products industry for well over 17 years. In that time, I have seen many displays of boldness as people started businesses, took risks, and tried to stay one step ahead of the competition by doing things differently. Sadly, this boldness is the exception and not the rule. In many ways, promotional products professionals have cornered the market on the phrase, “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
It’s been said countless times – if you do things the way they’ve always been done, you’ll get what you’ve always had. Whether you’re a distributor, supplier, or a service provider in this industry, it’s time to dip a toe in the water of doing things that might make you a little uncomfortable:
• Outsource – It’s simply not necessary to have granular level involvement in every corner of your organization. Realize that you aren’t an expert in everything and outsourcing things like copywriting, web design, marketing, or social media will make you much more efficient and allow you to focus on the things you do well.
• Leverage Partnerships – Strategic alliances with subject matter experts will allow you to rise above the noise. Find organizations you admire and work with them to understand how they have grown and have overcome challenges – many times they are the same challenges you currently face.
• Content Marketing – We are in a “give first” economy. That means that people no longer want to be sold, they want to be given something (education, entertainment, etc.) BEFORE they are asked to buy. Effective content marketing – blogs, video, podcasts, case histories – will give your audience the information they crave so when they are ready to make a buying decision, you will be top of mind.
• Realize What You Sell – If you are a distributor in the promotional products industry in 2017 and focused on selling products, you are making a disastrous decision. It’s time to realize that the end user doesn’t need another “source” for products – they are everywhere and there is little to no differentiation. What they want and need are partners who are invested in solving their marketing/sales/HR issues through the creative use of branded merchandise, not ones interested in selling them a product with a logo on it. Products are the vehicle for the solution – a solution you need to create in partnership with the client – not merely the end result.
Times change, communication methods evolve, and the buying habits of our clients shift. It takes courage and grit to try new things, especially if one has a long track record of success. However, as in any business venture, if you don’t do things that are uncomfortable and allow you to grow, you’ll get the same exact results you’ve always had. Is that what you really want?
Bill is president of PromoCorner, the leading digital marketing service provider to the promotional products industry, and has over 17 years working in executive leadership positions at leading promotional products distributorships. In 2014, he launched brandivate – the first executive outsourcing company solely focused on helping small and medium sized-promotional products enterprises responsibly grow their business. A featured speaker at numerous industry events, a serial creator of content marketing, president of the Promotional Products Association of the Mid-South (PPAMS), and PromoKitchen chef, Bill has extensive experience coaching sales teams, creating successful marketing campaigns, developing operational policies and procedures, creating and developing winning RFP responses, and presenting winning promotional products solutions to Fortune 500 clients. He can be reached at bill@PromoCorner.com.