Marketing and Sales

You always want the best for your clients. It’s hard to tell them that a product they had their hearts set on is out of stock, but things happen — especially right now when inventory and lead times can be real bears. That doesn’t mean the campaign is beyond repair. There are so many options to choose from as long as you have the know-how and initiative to call upon other suppliers. Keith Hamilton...

How is it that the people who sell the most work the least? That sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? You would think someone selling millions of dollars of print or signage would have no family, few friends, a 25 handicap, an un-mowed lawn, and bags under their eyes from lining up back-to-back-to-back 14-hour workday...

Amid the many opportunities digital printing can bring to commercial printing operations, and among the investments companies have made in technology, one weak link in the chain of success exists in sales. Simply put, digital printing sales is different – especially for print sales professionals who “came up” selling traditional printing. Who better to talk…

In our latest Executive Perspectives, Print+Promo Marketing interviewed Andy Ogren, CEO of Blanks/USA, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Here, he details his career path, discusses the impact of major economic trends, and expands on company developments...

“Brands need to be authentic and real; they also need to keep in mind that two-thirds of consumer online shopping decisions come down to the photos they see,” shares Liz Giorgi. As co-founder and CEO of Soona, Giorgi found a way for companies to create fast and affordable professional content online. Listen to her story and valuable advice here...

Some clients will steal your heart; others will steal your product. Just ask Gerry Barker, president of Barker Specialty Company, a distributor based in Cheshire, Connecticut. This was the situation he found himself in when his company partnered with a client that ordered a substantial amount of product, including golf balls...

Change is always a good thing, but it’s also a really hard thing. Making the decision to leave my role as chief development officer at industry top 10 supplier HPG was one of the hardest business decisions, if not the hardest one, I’ve ever had to make. But it was time. I’ve spent one third of my life dedicated to the promotional products industry...

Break-your-ankle platform boots are walking their way back to hearts, Avril Lavigne has a new album out, and, perhaps, most puzzling of all, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are engaged … to each other. Sweet. 2002 is back, baby!...

Do anything long enough, and you’ll inevitably stop thinking about what you do so much as just doing it out of muscle memory. That’s true of NFL quarterbacks (the Tom Bradys, anyway). And it’s true of promo distributors. In general, it’s a good thing, a sign of competence...

As part of Print+Promo Marketing’s ongoing feature, Executive Perspectives, we get to know leading professionals in the print and promotional industry. This month, we interviewed Michael Brugger, president of Fully Promoted, West Palm Beach, Florida. Here, he lays out why he’s betting on diversification, addresses the supply and demand imbalance, and shares what playing Chuck E. Cheese taught him about promotional products...