PPB September 2019

W e are halfway through 2019—have you met your sales goal yet? If you are looking for a boost in your sales, consider increasing your apparel offerings. You can generally make a larger profit margin on apparel, provide a more customized and unique solution and, by leveraging the tools that most apparel manufactures make available, you will look like a true apparel professional and most times can edge out your competition. As a former distributor, my portfolio was 65-percent apparel and 35-percent hardgoods. This allowed me to provide a more customized and tailored shopping experience for my clients. They appreciated the consultative approach and the personalized presentations rather than me just handing them a catalog. Keep in mind that most every company purchases branded apparel, and if they aren’t purchasing it from you, they are purchasing it from someone else. Don’t let those sales escape you. Employ these techniques and you too can reap the benefits of being a true apparel consultant. 1 Understand your client’s brand. When a client calls you to order apparel or hardgoods, make sure you know exactly what their expectations are for the product. Are they expecting ROI? Is this a product for good will purposes or exposure only? Who is the end user of the product? By finding out some basic information, you can provide a better solution. If you don’t already have the client’s branding guideline, ask for it. This is an important tool that far too many distributors overlook. A branding guideline is a document in which the client’s brand is explained in detail—how the logo is to be used, alternate colors, size restrictions, PMS colors, etc. Having this Someone is selling end buyers promo apparel; let it be you. by Michelle Sherwin, CAS 5 Ways to Sell More Apparel 54 | SEPTEMBER 2019 | GROW