Distributor Checklist:
Ask the Right Questions at the Right Time for Proactive Promo Sales
Don’t sit around and wait for sales to come to you. Instead, be proactive and ask your clients these prompting questions to uncover opportunities to help.
Question 1:
What events or projects do you have on the calendar?
Your clients might come to you for immediate promotional needs, but they likely have even more events planned further out that they simply haven’t started coordinating yet. Asking about future events lets you get your foot in the door first to secure that future order, as well as provides ample time to research and prepare the ideal promos and full-color printing products for their upcoming project. Don’t forget about supply chain delays and inventory shortages either. The earlier you place your order, the less likely products will arrive late.
Proactive Project Example
It quite literally pays to plan ahead, especially when ordering full-color print products. Consider not only printing and shipping timelines but available paper supply if you’re deciding when to place your order. For common project requests like labels, banners, calendars, programs, maps and other large print runs, the sooner you submit your order details, the better.
Question 2:
What challenges have you had reaching specific audiences?
Different products and marketing materials will appeal to different audiences and demographics. However, your clients may not have the time or expertise to know which approach is best for their business or their target market. This is where you come in with proactive solutions that help them reach new potential customers. By providing tailored strategies to reach specific markets, your clients will come to see you as way more than a promo provider; you’ll be an indispensable advertising expert too.
Proactive Project Example
Let’s say your client runs a small business and wants to raise awareness in the local community. You can recommend they take advantage of EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) products from DFS. By being able to segment recipients by zip code or other elements like age or income, you can help clients get marketing materials like postcards, brochures, die-cut cards, banners or magnets in front of the people most likely to engage with them, resulting in a greater ROI.
Question 3:
Which products or services of yours do you wish got more buzz?
If some of your client’s business offerings aren’t getting noticed, it likely means their current marketing strategy isn’t working … or they don’t have one in place at all. Help refocus your client’s marketing efforts with a fresh approach. To pinpoint the right strategy, ask clients what they’re doing now and how each element has performed. You can then use those learnings to course correct using your promo product expertise along with print and marketing support from DFS.
Proactive Project Example
Your specific recommendations should be based on your client’s current marketing results, so talk to them first to see how you can help. For instance, maybe your clients are launching a new product, but their outreach hasn’t generated the excitement they expected. This could be caused by consumers not understanding the new product or simply not knowing it exists. Full-color printed materials like brochures and pamphlets can explain product details and educate on its uses while larger-than-life banners and posters can let passersby know that the new product is now available and for how much.
Question 4:
What advertising methods are you currently taking advantage of?
Even if your clients’ current marketing methods are getting some traction, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to add complementary strategies that can multiply those results even more! Educate clients on how a multipronged approach to branding can expand their reach and increase their customer engagement, as different tactics will work for different products, audiences, times of day and more.
Proactive Project Example
While clients might come to you for traditional promo items like mugs or pens, they may not be taking advantage of advertising methods like full-color printing. These product lines won’t cannibalize each other’s efforts. In fact, they’ll do the opposite! Pairing traditional promo and full-color printing together is a savvy strategy to make each promotion more impactful. Suggest a creative use such as adding business cards or postcards inside branded mugs complete with a coupon code to encourage future business. While each item might work on its own, you’ll deliver clients the best results possible by pairing them together.
Question 5:
Do you need help designing your marketing materials?
Most of your clients aren’t going to be design experts themselves. In fact, many of them – particularly small businesses or local organizations – may not even have a designer on staff. While your clients might desperately need help with artwork, they may mistakenly assume that isn’t a service you can help them with. After all, you’re a distributor, not a designer … right? Little do they know, you can leverage your supplier partners’ design services as an extension of your own offerings. All you have to do is ask if that’s something they need!
Proactive Project Example
The FC Select team from DFS is ready and waiting to help you help your clients with any full-color artwork request under the sun. Let your clients know that they’re not on their own to come up with creative, impactful artwork. Instead, you can facilitate that for them by tapping into this special offering from DFS. This allows you to add yet another service to your wheelhouse of what you can provide clients: not only promotional materials, but design expertise as well – all because you worked with the right supplier.
Step Inside DFS’ Virtual Showroom
Find inspiration and learn even more ways to excite and delight your clients over at DFS’ groundbreaking virtual showroom! This unique experience allows you to hear from industry experts on how to sell on value vs. price, browse all of this supplier's must-see services and access sales tools on trending topics to help your distributorship succeed – all without leaving your home.
Remember: The end of the year is quickly approaching. Now’s the perfect time to reach out to clients and encourage them to order items like Thanksgiving cards, holiday sales materials and more so they’re set up for success now and next year.
