PPB April 2021

unusual and difficult times. Collectively, as a community, we have achieved hundreds of Paycheck Protection Program loans received, millions of personal protective equipment (PPE) items sold and thousands of promo friends helping one another. On January 20, 2021, we kicked off the year with a look at this year’s economy and what the future holds for promo businesses with our guest, nationally-known economist and futurist Roger Arnold. With a new president and congressional leadership in place, changes are coming. What will those changes be and how will they affect our economy, our industry and our sales? What we learned from Arnold is that the economic outlook, while promising, is something our industry should be paying very close attention to as workers go back to offices, the economy re-opens (after vaccinations) and the “new normal” changes what it will look like to serve corporate America. And here’s the not-so-little secret: PPE is here to stay in our industry for a long time. So if you have gotten on the PPE sales bandwagon, keep riding it. If you have not yet sold PPE, it’s definitely not too late. Now, more than ever, it’s about seeing what’s coming around the corner and getting ahead of the curve. The days of being an order-taker are over. If you want to crush your sales in 2021 and beyond, it’s time to be proactive with your sales strategies and efforts, and to seize the golden opportunities that are in front of you as a promo distributor. Here are three key takeaways from our January webinar to help you jumpstart sales this year: 1 PPE is here to stay (beyond 2021): The “permanent new normal” includes businesses, governments and communities using PPE for at least 20 years. So learn to sell PPE. It’s not too late and the opportunities are only going to increase for you and your promo business. 2 Target geographies: Target businesses and buyers by geography, as U.S. consumers, businesses and buyers will continue to move away from less-friendly business states—California, for example—to more friendly ones such as Florida and Arizona. As for the ripest industries to target now, focus on health care, work- from-home, technology and businesses, and services that accommodate an aging society (specifically, Baby Boomers). 3 It will always be alright: Carry this confidence and mentality into your client relationships. Fear is rampant in our society and positioning yourself as an expert resource who can help your client manage through that fear, with products and services that help them, will help you separate yourself from the competition and build loyal client relationships. Where do you start? Don’t worry, just do it. Here are three steps you can take now to accelerate out of your post-pandemic slump and get things rolling on the sales front: 1 Sell PPE: Our industry suppliers have pivoted to this category of products and so should you if you haven’t already. There are countless product options available from U.S.-based suppliers to help your clients outfit their employees and offices to reopen safely. And they will definitely be ordering, In a January webinar, nationally known economist Roger Arnold (far right) discusses the economy with Josh Frey (bottom) and his business partner Michael Mahoney. | APRIL 2021 | 57 GROW