Higher Learning

School may be out for summer, but opportunities in the education sector never slow down for distributors. That's not to say the selling experience is like one big party starring John Belushi. Remember those all-night study sessions? Yeah, that's more accurate.

The problem is, not all schools are created equal. What works for the small-town elementary school probably won't benefit the city's community college. You'll need a different approach to account for a client's individual needs, which means it's time to hit the books.

Not sure where to begin? Chip Brady, senior account executive for American Solutions for Business, Glenwood, Minn., has you covered. Here, Brady talks about an apparel job that earned him high marks with a large Midwestern university.

Print+Promo (P+P): Describe a promotion of yours that you consider one of American Solutions for Business's best.

Chip Brady (CB): University staff needed apparel to wear at various events (e.g., trade shows, fairs, etc.). We leveraged American's Just-in-Time Apparel program to help remote offices order logo wear simply and without minimum-order quantities. The Just-in-Time Apparel program is a Web-based tool that allows end-users to order branded apparel in quantities as few as one piece. It helps to eliminate obsolescence and the need to stock apparel internally.

P+P: What items were featured in this promotion?

CB: Polos, woven shirts, outerwear and T-shirts [were featured].

P+P: How was this a profitable promotion for your company? For your client?

CB: By automating the order process on the front end, university staff are able to log on, select the item, size and approved logo, and submit the order into their purchasing system. On the back-end, the automated process eliminates the time and potential for error associated with manual ordering. University staff is able to order in quantities as few as one piece, eliminating cumbersome group orders or minimum quantities that result in a shelf full of unused apparel.