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T’S EASY TO BE PULLED in by the glitz and glamour of
high-end, custom promotional items. We all want the
newest, shiniest, most advanced versions of our favorite
products—but sometimes our eyes are bigger than our
budgets. Fortunately, the industry offers plenty of high-
quality options at lower price points that still leave lasting
impressions with end users.
Bob Herzog, president and COO of Bullet Line in Hialeah,
Florida (UPIC: BULLET), says his company—one in a family of
firms led by Polyconcept North America and a member of the
Quality Certification Alliance (QCA)—
takes several steps to ensure lower-cost
items from Bullet reflect the supplier’s
commitment to quality and safety.
“We have the same high-quality
standards for our lowest-priced prod-
uct as we do for our highest-priced
product,” says Herzog. “When we do
our testing and QC inspections, the
price of the product is irrelevant.”
Kim Collins, director of marketing
for supplier Crown Products (UPIC:
CROWNPRO) in Mobile, Alabama,
agrees. “When we establish pricing on
an item, it doesn’t matter if it is 99
cents or $29.99—our criteria is
[designed] to bring in all items to be
safe and of high quality, and to pass
on the best value to our customer,”
she says. Crown, also a member of
QCA, inspects its products before
they ship from an overseas factory and
again when they arrive stateside.
To determine which products Bullet will sell at lower prices,
Herzog says the supplier deploys its team in China to search
for new, lower-priced manufacturers. “If we find a lower-cost
manufacturer in China, we will either shift our business to that
manufacturer or negotiate a lower price from our current manu-
facturer,” he says. “Obtaining a lower price gives us the oppor-
tunity to lower the selling price to distributors.”
Additionally, Herzog says, the supplier seeks ways to
decrease decorating expenses. “We are always working to
improve our decorating process as well as purchasing newer
automated equipment. When we reduce our decorating cost, it
also gives us the opportunity to reduce the selling price to the
distributor.”
When selecting budget-minded products, Herzog says, dis-
tributors should have frank conversations with their suppliers
about product safety. “The first question any distributor should
ask a supplier is whether they are QCA-certified. Once you
know you are dealing with a certified supplier, you should really
understand the end user and their needs,” he said. “Once you
understand the end user, you can decide on an appropriate
product category … within each category will be many lower-
priced items.”
Additionally, Collins says, suppliers should ask distribu-
tors who their end users are, how the item will be used and
what the budget is for the project. “Some good questions
distributors can ask of suppliers include, ‘Do you have proper
product testing information?’ and ‘Is the product intended
for children?’”
I
GOT A CLIENT ON A BUDGET? HIGH-QUALITY PROMOTION IDEAS ARE WITHIN REACH.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Dollar Daze
50 •
PPB
• JANUARY 2015
By Jen Alexander
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