Recently I received the email below from a distributor coaching client. This is what she said:
“I’ve recently encountered a bunch of order headaches because of factory mix-ups, miscommunications and delivery driver issues. One of the strengths that I am proud of is my attention to detail. This has won me much business over my 20-year career but with all of the recent factory troubles, this doesn’t seem to matter... I seem to always be 'fixing' mistakes or issues caused by other parties. As a distributor, I am only as good as the suppliers that I use and this is happening with some of the 'best.'"
Can you relate?
In the promotional products industry, where annual sales are more than $21 billion and growing, mistakes are bound to happen. What can you do to minimize those mistakes and keep your clients happy?
Here are eight best practices that can help.
1) Give the bulk of your business to a core group of top-rated suppliers. When suppliers know you and your company they are much more likely to “bend over backwards” to correct mistakes. Get to know your core supplier’s staff and their inside and outside sales reps. If your top suppliers have a multi-line rep, get to know him/her as well. When you have an ongoing relationship with a supplier problems tend to get resolved much more quickly.
2) Get a pre-production digital proof or physical proof on all first-time orders. When you have a signed proof, you have back-up to compare to the actual product. With proofs you can avoid mistakes before they happen.
3) Get price quotes and delivery date acknowledgements. This will give you a paper trail should there be a pricing or delivery dispute.
4) Follow up consistently. Follow up at least once a week to make sure your orders are being produced as promised. Keep your clients in the loop as well.
5) Get a post-production product sample sent to your office. If a supplier messes up, misprints or another mishap happens, you will be the first to know and can take care of the problem in a timely fashion.
6) Making delivery arrangements ahead of time. Some trucking companies will not do inside deliveries. Some larger orders require pallets and delivery docks. You can minimize delivery headaches when you check on delivery requirements ahead of time with both your supplier and client.
7) Apologize and tell the client what you can do. Even if you did everything right, and it’s not your fault, a mistake or mishap happened and you still need to apologize. You are the sales representative and the person your client is relying on. Sometimes you many need to offer a discount or re-do the order. When you work with a core group of reputable suppliers, most will work with you to resolve the problem to the satisfaction of all parties.
8) Reach out to your colleagues and suppliers for help. There are many social media promotional products industry forums that you can join where you can post a problem you’re facing and quickly get a response from a colleague or supplier who may be able to help. Here are two forums to start with: On Facebook, Promotional Products Professionals (www.facebook.com/groups/39089116834/); on LinkedIn: PPAI Industry Professionals Networking (www.linkedin.com/groups/62481).
Remember, mistakes are bound to happen. It’s not the mistakes that will be remembered as much as how you reacted to them and what you did to fix the problems. Here’s to your sales success!
Rosalie Marcus, The Promo Biz Coach, is a promotional products business expert, coach and speaker. Combining her skills and years of experience in promotional sales, she helps her clients sell more at higher profit margins and dramatically increase their incomes. Get a free special report: 10 Proven Ways to Thrive in Promotional Products Sales… in Any Economy at www.promobizcoach.com. Reach her at Rosalie@promobizcoach.com or (215) 572-6766.