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storefront showroom. When the space was ready, the next step was
figuring out how to organize the showroom and make it visually
appealing.
“We went with a less-is-more strategy and decided to segment the
showroom into four areas—image, brand, promote and recognize. We
have items displayed by color to inspire ideas, but most are hidden in
drawers for a retail-oriented feel,” says Lori. She finds that many of
their customers now prefer to come to the showroom and go through
the drawers for new ideas. Suppliers who come in are always happy to
provide samples for the showroom because they want their products
displayed.
The T-Shirt Machine
“Lori saw t-shirts displayed in PVC pipe somewhere and that
inspired her to come up with the idea to promote color by making it
look like it was pouring into empty paint cans. I do home improve-
ment projects and created a display piece that resembles a machine
spilling liquid color into paint cans.” Dan says his creation, called the
T-Shirt Machine, is “a great conversation starter.”
The eye-catching display will be featured on their customized
SanMar catalog cover this fall, providing even more marketing oppor-
tunity for the showroom.
The Showroom Effect
The Readings say the showroom has had a positive effect on busi-
ness and they now have a part-time employee specifically dedicated to
maintaining it. But once you’ve got a great showroom, how do you
convince customers to come to you?
“It’s a challenge,” Dan says. “We’ve had to find creative ways to
entice them to come in.” (See sidebar).
Often, however, the showroom helps turn drop-in visitors or curi-
ous tourists into new customers.
“A guy from a government agency came in to talk to us about new
commuter campaigns, but when he got here he was so blown away
that now he is a very good customer and he referred us to others,” Dan
says. “That’s the impact of being here.”
SEPTEMBER 2015 •
PPB
• 11
12
Go Ahead
And Sweat
EYE ON APPAREL
19
Sample
Savvy
QUESTION
26
The Next
Generation
Of Leaders
FEATURE STORY
RIGHT
The Readings held a formal ribbon cutting to celebrate the
showroom’s opening.
23
Simple
Solutions
PRODUCTIVITY
Six Ways To
GET CUSTOMERS TO
VISIT YOUR SHOWROOM
1. Ship a client’s order to your office occasionally, not
directly to the client.
Call the client and offer to bring
the products to them or invite them to come pick up the
item and check out the showroom.
2. Offer lunch.
“For larger clients, we invite them to come
during the lunch hour and we provide a small lunch, such
as sandwiches, as a convenience,” says Lori Reading.
3. Share your space.
By offering the use of their conference
room to nonprofits that don’t have any meeting space, the
Readings bring in new potential customers.
4. Offer prizes.
“To thank our clients for visiting, we ask
them if they’d like to spin for a prize on the spinning wheel
or take a turn on the Plinko board to choose an [In the Bag
Promotions logoed] prize. We give nice prizes and they
love it. It reinforces what promotional products are all
about,” Lori says.
5. Celebrate your customers.
The Readings have a large
chalkboard in their conference room where they recreate
the logo of visiting clients.
6. Host an annual event.
This year In the Bag Promotions is
hosting a VIP tailgating barbecue for their best cus-
tomers—with a showroom tour included, of course.