PPB March 2020

More than 2,000 industry professionals have signed up for the masterclass, and one by one, FAM does indeed seem to be changing the face of an ever-evolving industry. “I felt like I was in a graduate-level class in marketing, sales and innovation,” says Donna Bender, owner of Plano, TX-based Donna Bender Co. “I’m always looking to be different, stand out and bring value to my clients to help them grow their businesses. I’m confident that anyone who goes through this free program will feel the same way.” With FAM’s launch, BELLA+CANVAS’s goal was to educate its apparel-selling customers at a much deeper level about selling apparel in the current, and always evolving, marketplace. This free six-hour online educational series includes 12 interactive video lessons and various downloadable resources to help distributors and decorators of all experience levels turn into apparel-selling machines. FAM HELPS BUSINESS GROW IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS Getting FAM Certified through BELLA+CANVAS’s Fashion Apparel Masterclass helped Sarah Conley grow her company’s sales by $15,000 in just a few short months. “FAM has really helped our business,” says Conley, customer service and inside sales rep at Austin, TX-based Brand Builders/East End Ink. “Customers keep coming back for reorders, and that’s where we make the most money, from repeat customers.” As part of her on-the-job training in spring 2019, Conley enrolled in BELLA+CANVAS’s online Fashion Apparel Masterclass (FAM). After completing FAM, she was confident and excited to share her newfound apparel knowledge with her clients. “I was immediately able to use the cost per impression tool from FAM to demonstrate the value that premium styles offer,” Conley says. “You might pay more upfront, but when you break that price point down into cost per impression, it’s so much more bang for your marketing buck.” FULL SPEED AHEAD Brand Builders/East End Ink decided to make it mandatory for its whole team to become FAM- certified, because of the extreme ROI the shop has seen so far. “FAM gives you such a leg up in terms of apparel knowledge,” Conley says. “The whole program interface is very user-friendly, and I loved the sense of community I felt with other participants. Even if you think you know everything about apparel, you’ll learn new stuff or gain a fresh perspective on what you already know.” Thousands of Apparel Sellers Grow Their Businesses With FAM powered by of FAM certified members reported an increase in apparel sales 75% 80% say FAM has helped them upgrade customers to a premium garment