PPB June 2021

what the brand is and why it’s good. They ship blind in our company’s name and the least worry I have is that their logo is on the box. LORI TRAFFORD CEO iPROMOTEu/Chesapeake Promotion Corporation Regina, Saskatchewan PPAI 642288, D2 We have shows with our suppliers all the time for our clients. I have no worries telling my clients who my favorite suppliers are. They stand by me and help me be successful. Hopefully, my customer service as a distributor will help me win the deal, especially if I am competing against another distributor, which is fine. It isn’t always about price. It’s a partnership with my supplier. I wish I could have my logo on the box with theirs. The ones I choose to work with are not selling direct, so I have no issue. Especially if something goes wrong with the order, I hope they will help me to resolve it. DONNA TYBURSKI Sales Representative New England Promotional Marketing Ludlow, Massachusetts Q A Service Company Asks: With the state of the economy and cash flow, we are toying with the idea of going strictly to requiring credit card payments when orders are placed. We are a contact screen printer. Distributors, how would this affect your business? If you buy a car, do you leave without the dealership getting paid? If you go to Walmart, do you leave without Walmart being paid? Forget the process. They get paid, why shouldn’t you? BETSY SMITHSON MEADS Owner Harbor Wholesale Promotions Elizabeth City, North Carolina PPAI 281035, D1 What about a prepay royalty program? Earn points or money back [that clients] could spend on decorating services or free setups, etc. BRAYDEN JESSEN Owner and President Zome Design Spokane Valley, Washington I am a distributor but have been a credit card-only upfront company for years. Hardly anyone has complained. I bill only a very few—a couple of government clients and a school that I have done business with over the years. About 80 percent of my suppliers want a credit card upfront anyway. The decorating suppliers I use all want a credit card upfront. Every year I look at my merchant account fees and flip out, but I get the payment immediately and don’t have to worry about chasing collections. I do not charge my client a processing fee. I just consider it a part of doing business. JOHN BAGWELL President Bagwell Marketing Dallas, Texas PPAI 336431, D2 Do You Have An Answer? A Distributor Asks: How do you advertise your business? I feel like most people aren’t familiar with the term “promotional products.” Do you find the term “marketing” more fitting? I’m just trying to get this part of my business a little more attention. What’s Your Answer? Email your response to the question to Question@ppai.org for the chance to be featured in a future issue of PPB . Danielle Renda is associate editor of PPB. | JUNE 2021 | 13 INNOVATE