PPB January 2020

3 Know Your Client. Research your client, not just the company. Prior to a meeting, check out your client’s social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. If he or she has a new baby, recently adopted a dog, went on a fabulous vacation or celebrated a win for their favorite sports team— these are great openers to a meeting. Acknowledging personal news goes a long way in letting your clients know that you are invested and interested in them as people—not just wanting their marketing dollars. 4 Be Prepared. Know what you are presenting prior to going into your meeting. What are the order minimums, pricing, production time, etc. on the products you are suggesting? More importantly, be prepared for possible snags or objections. It’s ok not to have all the answers, but you should have most of them without having to pore over a catalog or search a website with your client present. 5 Engage Your Client. When you arrive at a meeting, don’t just dump samples and catalogs on the client’s desk. As you are asking questions and presenting, if the client seems engaged in a product or idea, that’s the time to pull out a sample and talk about how it can be incorporated into a marketing solution. By being more purposeful in your presentations, you come across much more as a professional and less like a salesperson. 6 Limit The Choices. Don’t overwhelm your client with too many product choices or options. When choosing products to show clients in a meeting, limit them to no more than eight hardgoods and four apparel items. This allows you to guide your client in the direction you want them to go and for them to feel that you are coming in with true solutions, not just guessing at what products they will pick. A True Story Of The Power Of Promo Unlike other advertising media, promotional products are much more than simply a way to publicize a business or brand. Their physical presence and long- lasting usefulness increase recipients’ engagement with the item, reinforcing the logo or message through multiple impressions. But beyond promotion, promotional products can play a part in life-saving campaigns—such as the infant sleeper imprinted on the front with "This Side Up" that was used in a hospital program to remind new parents that the safest sleep position for babies is on their backs. Promotional products can also save the day for less critical but still important situations. Take the recent case of a lost purse. Renée Jones, MAS+, CEO of A Creative Touch, Inc. in Wilmington, North Carolina, received a voicemail from a man asking if she had lost her purse. She was about to delete the message until he mentioned her business’s name. Evidently, he had found a purse with a business card holder inside that had Jones’s phone number on it. As it turned out, the purse didn’t belong to Jones but to one of her clients. The business card holder was a self-promo item Jones had given to clients. Since the purse was found in Texas, Jones immediately called one of her Texas clients and asked, “Any chance you lost your purse?” The woman answered, “Yes! How did you know that?” Evidently, the client’s purse, along with several others, had been stolen the previous night. And although the wallet was missing, the imprinted business card holder was the clue that connected the purse with the owner. And that’s another reminder of the power of promotional products—and a story with a happy ending. Youwould be amazed at how greatly such a small detail matters to your client. It tells them that you respect their time and thus you respect them. | JANUARY 2020 | 77 GROW