PPB June 2016

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JUNE 2016 • PPB • 23
QUESTION
distributors in your market. Ask
them to come in and make a
presentation to you and your
sales reps (even if it’s just you!).
A few other key points:
• Attend any regional shows
that suppliers and multi-line
reps attend in your market.
The more they see you, the
more they will work with you.
• Treat your suppliers and
multi-line reps as partners.
Many distributors do not see
the value of these relation-
ships, but they are just as
important as your relationships
with customers. Suppliers will
gravitate to distributors that
work with them and treat
them with respect.
• Always accept a meeting when
they come into your market.
• Don’t abuse their sample, vir-
tual sample and spec sample
policies. Order what you need
and what you think you can
get business with.
• Order a distributor self-promo
item from them. This will
show them that you are serious
about them and their prod-
ucts.
This strategy has worked
very well for us and many times
we get first pick of meeting
times when someone visits the
market. We also have a true and
honest value for our suppliers.
Once a year when they come in
for the Boise Rep Show, we
invite them to our showroom the
day before (usually their travel
day) for a little supplier open
house where they can come in,
grab a snack and maybe even an
adult beverage. They are very
appreciative and it has helped us
establish some great relationships
and even friendships.
Dan Reading
Owner
In The Bag Promotions
UPIC: inthebag
THE BEST WAY TO FIND qualified
suppliers is to look at PPAI
Supplier Star winners and
awards of merit recipients. It
makes sense to check out these
companies because they have
been thoroughly tested for prod-
uct quality and customer service
excellence by industry distribu-
tors in the day-to-day operations
of their businesses. It’s a no
brainer.
Teresa Moisant, MAS
President
Moisant Promotional
Products
UPIC: MOISANT1
[Editor’s Note: Find the list of
PPAI Supplier Stars at
Click on Inside
PPAI and Award Recipients.]
FINDING GOOD SUPPLIERS IS
simple: use the common-cour-
tesy and good-for-all rule. One
of the first questions we were
asked when we joined the
industry was, “Do you sell
direct?” Does your supplier have
an in-house distributorship or
do they sell their products
direct, through a spouse-as-
distributor type of arrangement?
We do not.
Being in the industry for 30
years, I have seen the top [indus-
try] commandments broken and
also unenforced. Will your sup-
plier call you (the distributor)
with an end-user lead? We do.
This is a touchy subject that’s
usually not enforced but I think
it’s a vital part of a trusting rela-
tionship between a supplier and
a distributor.
Francesco Curto
Vice President of Sales
Curto Toy Mfg. Co., Ltd.
UPIC: CURT8595
DO YOU HAVE AN ANSWER?
A DISTRIBUTOR ASKS:
I had a meeting with a newer contact at an established client.
This person was new to the role of business line marketing
manager, so we were discussing additional opportunities to
work together. I knew that her department gave out Lucite
awards and that there could be an opportunity for our compa-
ny since we have been providing Lucite for other departments
as well as for other clients. The client was open to it but said it
would have to be down the road as they had just signed a con-
tract with a supplier for the year. The supplier’s name was one
that rang a bell for me. When I returned to the office, I looked
up the name and confirmed that it was a promotional products
supplier that we have used. I contacted them and received the
explanation that the supplier did not sell direct to the end
user, but they did have a division that did. Is that different?
Should that matter to me as a distributor? In some years we
did $100,000 in business with this supplier and now they are
my competitor. What would you do?
WHAT’S YOUR ANSWER? Email answers along with your
name, title and company name to
by June 24 for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue
of PPB magazine.