Okay, so I’m the old man in the bunch of “columnists,” “bloggers,” or “contentists” for Promo Corner. That makes it incumbent upon me to remind our sales professionals to sweep the floor - starting the moment you read this.
Traditionally, there are two places to sweep before the end of the year.
Your Sample Rebate Allowances
This is the easy one. If any of your suppliers still award sample rebate allowances based on annual sales, remember: if you don’t use it, you lose it.
As we close out 2025, if there’s anything left in your 2024 piggy bank of sample rebates, spend it now. While you may be tempted to order a shiny new sample, the most strategic use is self-promotion and self-branding.
This allowance can yield a meaningful order of personally branded pens, mugs, notepads, or other promotional products. Self-promotion builds your brand - and often turns into a sale for the very same item you used to promote yourself.
If you are not aware of a sample rebate, ask the top 5 suppliers who you have given a significant amount of sales.
Your Clients’ Corporate Budgets
The real opportunity lies in sweeping your larger corporate clients’ advertising, marketing, and promotion budgets. These are classic use-it-or-lose-it budgets.
“Use it or lose it” means that if the money isn’t spent, it goes back to the central budget. It also signals to upper management that they may have been too generous - and next year’s budget may be smaller.
Corporate America runs on annual budgets. Unlike me, who as an owner often spent freely when needed, corporations plan in the fall and execute starting January. Most companies align their fiscal year with the calendar year. And most do not allow unused funds to roll over unless it’s a capital project, a multi-year initiative, or a rare exception.
Whether it’s a few thousand dollars or much more, there is still time to turn that remaining budget into an order for you.
Beware the Hard-Nosed Accountants
Some accountants will set procurement cutoffs:
These rules are meant to prevent last-minute spending sprees - but the world is full of budget cheaters. You can often write the order, issue a pro forma invoice, and produce and ship after January 1. I’ve seen hundreds of such orders totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars over my career.
The Clock Is Ticking
If you haven’t begun to sweep, you still have time to turn this into a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
Email your clients.
Be direct. In a short, bullet-point email, tell them you can help them stay on budget by investing wisely in promotions they can use next year.
Call your clients.
Deliver the same message, but with urgency. Be ready to leave a powerful voicemail that makes it clear you’re working for them - and reminding them that unspent budget can be applied to promotional products or programs.
Here’s a sample script:
“Mr. Johnson, we’re less than a week from year-end and budget closing. If you have unspent funds, this is the perfect time to invest in branding. We can decide together what to apply it to, and I can put it into action immediately. I can also issue a pro forma invoice so it hits this year’s budget. As you know - it’s use it or lose it.”
Finally, if you think it’s too late…
Open your calendar and write down “Sweep the Floor Campaign” for next year. Make it an annual habit.
Happy New Year - and Happy Birthday, America.
Joel D. Schaffer, MAS is CEO and Founder of Soundline, LLC, the pioneering supplier to the promotional products industry of audio products. Joel has 48 years of promotional product industry experience and proudly heralds “I was a distributor.” He has been on the advisory panel of the business and marketing department of St. John’s University in New York and is a frequent speaker at Rutgers Graduate School of Business. He is an industry Advocate and has appeared before the American Bankers Association, American Marketing Association, National Premium Sales Executives, American Booksellers Association and several other major groups. He has been a management consultant to organizations such as The College Board and helped many suppliers enter this industry. He is a frequent contributor to PPB and Counselor magazines. He has facilitated over 200 classes sharing his industry knowledge nationwide. He is known for his cutting humor and enthusiasm in presenting provocative and motivating programs. He is the only person to have received both the Marvin Spike Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) and PPAI’s Distinguished Service Award (2011). He is a past director of PPAI and has chaired several PPAI committees and task forces. He is a past Chair of the SAAGNY Foundation, Past President of SAAGNY and a SAAGNY Hall of Fame member. He was cited by ASI as one of the 50 most influential people in the industry.