PPB June 2016

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as they are today. That client is the end user
and we all need to speak their language and
provide them with value, or someone else
will. Suppliers, both directly and through
their multi-line reps and distributors, must
work together to build effective communica-
tions pieces that will help our buyers meet
their goals and achieve results.
Distributors: We are not competing sim-
ply against each other; we are competing
against other advertising media that perceive
us to be a waste of time and money. Let’s
show them they are wrong. Let’s be the solu-
tions providers who work with our clients to
get them better returns on their investments.
We, as an industry, need to write more
blogs and be further involved in social media.
I don’t mean this in terms of showing specific
products or advertising what is on special
today but by talking about industry trends,
case studies, best practices and why stories
matter. Be an expert and take the time to lis-
ten to others and teach.
Be mentors for those coming up in the
industry. Help people to learn the right way
to show value and solve problems. We, as an
industry, will all be better off because of it.
Suppliers: Create videos that talk about
value of your product to end users and how
what you offer can help distributors commu-
nicate more effectively to their audience.
Help them understand how your products
can be seen as effective tools to create a call
to action and create value for the brand it
represents.
I started off this piece by telling you that
the world has changed—so embrace it! You
can’t go backward and pine for the way things
were when everything was on an “A” and no
one knew our industry’s codes. Today, anyone
with a computer can find the true cost of the
products you sell faster than you can. Selling
at lower prices to try to hold on to business is
a losing proposition. The big, online compa-
nies own that space and will always do it bet-
ter and more cost efficiently than a traditional
distributor can. Deal with it. Instead, sell
value, and talk about communication needs
and how you can help solve problems. That is
where the future is for our industry. Either
embrace the change, or get ready to wake up
one morning and realize that someone has
already eaten your lunch.
Ben Baker is president of Richmond, British
Columbia-based distributor Your Brand
Marketing.
JUNE 2016 • PPB • 75
TAKE THE
NEXT STEP
LEARN MORE ABOUT ELEVATING
your approach to your business by
attending a free PPAI webinar.
You Don’t Sell
Promotional Products!
Speaker: Forrest Fairley, Director of
Image Products, Deluxe Corporation/
Safeguard Forms & Systems, Inc.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Webinar Overview: The more distrib-
utors begin to understand, adopt and
believe that promotional imprinted
products are no different than other
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more successful they are likely to be.
The distributor’s biggest competitor is
not another distributor, but the entire
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spends between $4,000 and $10,000
each year in marketing resources to
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tional products are the best and most
effective way to realize ROI.
Free to PPAI members, $10 for non-
members
Register at and click
on Education and E-Learning.
“You can’t go backward and pine for the way things were
when everything was on an ‘A’ and no one knew our
industry’s codes.”