PPB July 2021

compiled by Danielle Renda Question: Should I Hire Someone To Do Market Research? It’s time-consuming and sometimes tedious, but can a freelancer provide the level of skill that I can—or better? Q A Distributor Asks: Has anyone paid for a freelancer to do market research for them, such as researching a client’s industry and ongoing trends, idea- generating, identifying what competitors are doing or finding the latest and most relevant products? If so, what sorts of information did the freelancer provide, and was it worthwhile? I help my clients with ideas all the time. It should be what suppliers are providing along with pricing, etc. It’s a creative industry and the fun part is the brainstorming. Our industry is great in that we share with one another. ANDREA HOLLAND FENNER Mid-Atlantic Sales Rep Chocolate Inn/Taylor & Grant/Lanco Hicksville, New York PPAI 111662, S7 I think it depends on the size of the project and the quality of the results. There’s not enoughmargin in $1,000 or $2,000 jobs to pay enough tomake it worth your while. Now, we’re talking about a $10,000 job, and I’d happily pay a couple hundred bucks if I got results as good as or better thanmine, and it freedme of the task so I could focus on the other revenue-generating tasks. As a businessmodel, I think the only way to do it is by subscription. Charge someone amonthly fee, perhaps with a discount for paying a year upfront, but that would be really hard to sell. You’d really have to knock it out of the park. KURT HOGE Owner Reno Type Reno, Nevada PPAI 561482, D3 I would consider it, but I would need to know that I’m not presenting the same core of item types to every/most clients. I choose products to present to my clients based on a variety of factors, including their branding, messaging, theme of an event, goals, call to action and more. Of course, budget and quantity are a part of that, but those are basic guidelines to help me choose the right product types. RAMA BEERFAS, MAS Owner Lev Promotions San Diego, California PPAI 218331, D1 UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock.com 10 | JULY 2021 | INNOVATE