Promotional Products Buying And Saving

As you know there are 1000\’s of resources where you can buy all the logo stuff you want. Unfortunately most people just call a sales rep or order online thinking that that \”standard coffee mug\” the boss demanded will be perfect for the next month\’s tradeshow…

But then what? The 288 ceramic mugs arrived in 12 boxes. The price for the mug was right but what about the inbound freight bill? And now you have to pay for more freight to ship half of them to the show. What about handing them out to prospects at the show? Think they\’ll enjoy trying to pack this bulky, breakable item in their suitcase when they return home? Wow, who could have known?

There is an answer, and actually more than just one. Good planning can help you right from the start. A trained professional can literally take the same budget you just spent on the example above and turn that into a highly successful campaign. All you have to do is open the book on your goals and objectives for that tradeshow and then turn them loose. Instead of a high pressure sales pitch with catalog photos and trinket samples the next thing you\’ll see is a benefit laden proposal.

A true promotional products professional might get back to you with something like this:

1. Pre-show: mail a little mystery item to your customers that they can see and touch but can\’t tell what it is. Challenge them to guess the use of this product and to come see you at the show with their guesses.

2. At-show: as contacts enter the booth, show them the mystery item again and ask if they know what it is. Give them hints, get them involved and laugh with them until they guess its use. This easy dialog now opens the door to your sales presentation.

3. Post-show: Mail the other half of this mystery item with a thank you letter and explain how to combine the two pieces to complete the set. Include any proposal information from your tradeshow meeting, then phone them to say hello and close the deal.

4. Results: lower budget, higher return.

Which example do you think would give you the most for your investment? Can you really expect this from a promotional products firm? Yes, and you should demand it. I\’ve seen this exact type of promotion produce amazing results. All you have to do is disclose what you want to achieve and let the pros pick the strategy and products for you. That\’s what I call promotional products on auto pilot, and it will get you where you want to go.

Greg Schneeweis is an award winning co-founder of SWAG Direct, a division of Blagency, located in Northern California. http://SWAGdirect.com/ is an automatic marketing program where small businesses can afford promotional products that are selected by the pros and shipped direct from the factory, Easy as 1, 2, 3.