I have just worked with a distributor on Guerrilla marketing. Her objective was to get into golf courses, country clubs, and the golf/imprinted sportswear marketplace. Her company and capability were really nothing extra special where she could garner the attention of potential buyers, so how then can she accomplish her goal?
The answer may be by creating her own event (a la Amazon and other online retailers). The starting point was to gather a product offering that every golf buyer would be interested in. The next step was to get preferred pricing from the suppliers she identified. She asked for a price they would give her until this coming December. The next step was to get an outsourced artist to create a PDF catalog and turn it into a Zoom-style catalog. She then looked to buy a mailing list. There were plenty, but it was almost impossible to buy a thousand or two thousand names at a reasonable price. So, she turned to Linked In and searched for golf club managers. She did many searches. As cumbersome as it was, she was able to create a list of a few hundred courses within a few hours of her business. This was the starting point.
With the name of the manager and the address of the golf course, she was ready to do a physical mailing and it was a lumpy mail. I was asked not to reveal what went into the mail, but it added about an ounce to the first-class postage. She sent out to 100 people to test.
Her mailing included a full sheet talking about the Big Event – Her theme was There Are Masters in Golf and her company’s expertise is Masters in Branding. She held a 30-day Master Shopping Event where everything was on sale. Yes, everything was on sale. She offered an across-the-board 20% off as well as free setups, etc. She calculated that, if the item was regularly $1.00 on a “C”, she would bill .80 on the item at a cost of .60. Her gross profit was 25% or more, depending on her discount, and that was a great return for a brand-new customer that she now had a relationship with. Retailers call it lost leaders. I am not a fan of price cutting in our industry except if the offer is strategically used to build a business and initially attract a new client. You have a split personality. I often call you the promotional product distributor and, most often, call you the promotional agency. These monikers have different meanings. Distributors in any industry use price to promote business, consultants do not. Let us always keep in mind that consultants in almost all industries advise and do not sell products. That is for another time.
Getting back to the theme of this writing, as we are 150+ years from what many consider the start of the American branding industry, the world is not that of Jasper Meeks. Retail has invaded our supply chain. We cannot run, we cannot hide, we cannot BS our way around it. We need alternative strategies to pull in new business and new accounts. We need an alternate strategy to yank buyers from the bombardment of advertisers such as Custom Ink and 4 Imprint.
You need to study retail marketing. You need to see the trend in creating “premium brands” and create your own “premium branding”. You need to look at event marketing. You need to cash in on Black Monday, Cyber Monday, Green, Orange, or whatever it is that makes sales.
I am the senior contributor to this site. As you know, this ain’t your father’s specialty business anymore. It is a far cry both in goods and services and competition than it was when I was first a distributor in 1968. Once again, I suggest you set aside one full day a month (or more) and spend it away from phones and desks and on marketing, planning your strategies, and putting your creativity behind your company, not worrying on that one day about clients.
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.