PPB February 2018

by Terry Ramsay Building Your Base Q A DISTRIBUTOR ASKS: Where do other distributors find new clients? Are there any particular groups or websites that have been especially helpful in getting more exposure for your company and attracting new business? Are you doing any marketing or advertising to attract these new clients? If so, please share some details. A When I was a distributor and distributor sales manager, we targeted key vertical markets such as transportation, business aviation, fisheries and the tradeshow industry. We would join their industry associations, actively participate in events and become go-to teams for their industries. We produced dedicated materials and safety catalogs featuring case studies specifically focused to their industries. Now that I’ve been on the supplier side for nearly 20 years, the successful distributors I’ve seen have been engaged in online communities and associations for vertical markets and have become experts and bloggers for these groups. There are also a number of great distributor teams that have been successful by becoming deeply involved with LinkedIn community groups. MARK SHINN, MAS President Incentives West PPAI 224617 I joined a Business Network International (BNI) networking group. The members themselves give me [thousands of dollars] of business every year, but their referrals are exponential. JESSICA IBSEN Director of Customer Delight Fully Promoted/Mandeville PPAI 658923 While most of my clients come to me by referral, I do actively market with weekly email newsletters, monthly or quarterly (depending on the year) lumpy mailings and high-level networking groups. In addition, I take advantage of my previous experience as an event manager and trade show booth exhibit manager by consulting for these services. I attend industry conferences and trade shows to learn, consult and network with buyers for my products and services. RAMA BEERFAS, MAS Owner Lev Promotions PPAI 218331 12 | FEBRUARY 2018 | INNOVATE