Where Do You Find Opportunity?
Now that promotional products suppliers have discovered printed products distributors, they see each other everywhere. Tabletops, large distributor shows and even DMIA's annual show all feature a growing percentage of suppliers from the promotional products industry.
And why not? To the promotional products suppliers, our industry provides a wealth of existing customers who are already being serviced by distributors. To industry distributors, promotional products can provide lucrative add-on sales, which can help shore up deteriorating profit margins.
However, there has been so much emphasis placed on the move of printed products distributors into the promotional products arena, that it seems as if distributors may be tempted to turn in their club cards and jump completely into the promotional industry.
Does the sale of promotional products present a great opportunity for distributors? Of course it does. Is it the only opportunity? Hardly.
What sales of promotional products can do is put a distributor into contact with the same people who purchase promotional printing, direct mail and affixed products. The distributor can then leverage his or her printed products expertise and broad market access to create value for a customer who is resigned to prices charged by a local printer.
Sales of promotional products as add-ons can help your bottom line. But, using promotional products as an entry point to sales of value-added printed products can move your whole business to a higher level.
Bill Drennan
Editorial Director
bdrennan@napco.com