When you’re stuck at home, it becomes really tempting to relax and let yourself go a bit. But now more than ever, we need to make sure we stay active. According to Healthline.com, regular exercise can:
Improve your mood, decreasing feelings of depression, anxiety and stress.
Improve brain function, protecting memory and thinking skills.
Help you relax and get better sleep.
Those are all things we’ll definitely need to help us all get creative and figure out how to manage our businesses during this time. So don’t give into the temptation of becoming too relaxed during your work-from-home days. Try some of these easy exercises to keep yourself active and working in peak performance.
While we all try to weather this storm that’s spread all across the globe, many businesses are trying to adapt to a new way of operating. For some employees and employers, this change has been extremely challenging, and this is where you come in. Although business has slowed for many distributors, and many companies have begun cutting back on their normal expenses to compensate for recent losses, there are still opportunities out there to generate some sales. But of all things, why would they buy any apparel from you, during a time like this?
Care Packages for Employees
Some of your regular clients might appreciate some ideas to help lift their employees spirits and make them feel more comfortable, as the workplace has started transitioning from the office to the home. Suggest that they send them some decorated loungewear, as a way to say thank you for keeping their heads up during these trying times. And, let’s be honest. Who doesn’t love a comfortable new set of jammies?
To help you get started with marketing some pieces, we’ve included a flyer for you to download below. Send this out to some of your clients to get the conversations started.
Some of these clients might not be able to spend the extra money to give their employees this kind of gift. However, a lot of people right now are trying to find ways of supporting local business too. If you’re able, try meeting them halfway and offer them a discount on their order. This will not only show them that you’re invested in their business, but also offer them a way they can help you stay afloat too, during this tough economic time.
Businesses miss a huge
marketing opportunity when they don’t use video, experts say. “People like
bite-sized nuggets,” says Sam Sprague, founder and CEO of Portland,
OR-based Sprague Media LLC. “Video and social are all about gaining access and
attention.” If a picture tells a thousand words, imagine just how many you can
express with a short 30- or 60-second video. In fact, videos elicit a more
visceral, immediate response from your viewers than reading a blog.
Fall is nearly here, which means the holidays are right around the corner! Get ready for decked halls, celebratory countdowns and of course, gifting. When it comes to the merry season, your clients aren’t just looking to gift to friends and family, but also customers or employees. In fact, a recent study by Knack shows the corporate gifting market is worth a staggering $125 billion. A thriving market to tap into, now’s the time to channel your inner Santa and become your clients’ business gifting guru.
Before giving you the inside scoop to steer them in the right direction, let’s go over some important guidelines.
Business Gifting Guidelines
Businesses can use corporate gifting to show appreciation and loyalty, build goodwill and express the value of their relationships. However, before you start shopping, think about these three things:
The Relationship: Think about the recipient of the gift to determine an appropriate type of present, regarding the relationship at hand.
The Budget: Check company gifting policies for any budget limits that may be in place. According to the same study above, the sweet spot for many businesses is between $50 to $150.
When Howard Potter, CEO of Utica, NY-based A&P Master Images, first started his decorated-apparel business, he operated from a 15-foot-by-15-foot room in his house. “In the beginning, I sold apparel mostly from catalogs and ordered samples to show customers only when I needed them,” he says.
As his business grew, he increased his showroom space—from 8 feet on a wall, to an 8-by-10 area, and then to a large 20-by-20 showroom. “We created a better layout and experience for our customers to view products,” Potter says. “But when we didn’t have tons of space to show actual garments, we didn’t let that become a block to stop us from selling.”
Potter focused on a couple of things: showing clients the most popular and effective mid-level and up styles in a variety of colors, plus recommending apparel and decoration unique to each client’s needs. “We want them to know that we aren’t trying to make them look like everyone else,” Potter says.
Many distributors and decorators, who’d like to sell more apparel, need to overcome their fears about selling it (even more so than overcoming their customers’ objections). Luckily, we’re here to help you get past the four most common challenges we’ve heard about.
A t-shirt is the most basic and powerful clothing item women can own. There’s something intrinsically satisfying about a blank canvas that pulls together an outfit with such simplicity. A good tee, when you find it, is the epitome of the “no-makeup” makeup look.
For decades, women have had to scour men’s closets to find a quality tee thanks to the “shrink it and pink it” marketing era. So, when it comes to t-shirts what exactly are women looking for?…
In February 2019, we’re CHANGING THE GAME with our brand new 800K square foot warehouse in Reno, NV. The new facility will have a SKU profile unlike anything our industry has ever seen, carrying 30% more SKU’s, 3x more inventory, and 1-day shipping to the entire west coast. We’ve been growing since 1989, with expansions to California, New Jersey, Kansas, Texas and Georgia, and this is by far our biggest yet.
Throughout our growth, we’ve always been innovators at heart, trying to find new creative ways of moving the needle forward. But for now, let’s take a look backward and pay homage to some of the pioneers, who’ve helped our industry evolve over the years. Ever hear of Jasper Meek, Lawrence Herbert, or Michael Vasilantone? If you love promotional products, have to color match everyday, and screen print tons of orders, then these should be household names for you.
Wearing a cape can give you superpowers, but upselling with them can give you SUPER PROFITS! Imagine a client from a local school approaches you to print a bunch of tees for an upcoming event, and you have a Rabbit Skins Cape handy to show them. But, this is no ordinary cape. Its got a printed design on it using glow-in-the-dark ink! They see it glowing and instantly think, “WOW, this would be perfect to give our graduating kindergartners!” Now, you’ve turned that ONE job into TWO jobs from the same client.
When the right opportunity presents itself, these capes are the perfect way to increase your sales, and people will remember that you’re the one to go to, when they’re looking for cool ideas.
Check out the demonstration below to see Geno, from Learnhowtoscreenprint.com, show you how to use glow-in-the-dark ink on the Rabbit Skins 100% polyester cape (Style #1111).
Three stripes, a simple signature, has grown to become as ubiquitous in global fashion as the crossed C’s of Chanel or the Nike swoosh. Without even mentioning the brand’s name, you probably already know who we’re talking about—that’s the power of Adidas. What started as a small dream in a laundry room has manifested into a cultural empire. But how did they become such an iconic brand? Continue reading “Adidas: The Rise and Evolution of an Icon”→
If your a decorator, you should talk to Erich Campbell. Why? Because he’s had a passion for embroidery and digitizing since the age of 13 and has tons of knowledge to share. Not only has he written extensively for places like Printwear Magazine, Mrxstitch.com, DecoNetwork, MakeZine.com, and Impressions Magazine, but he’s also done tons of interviews, worked lots of shows, and has even done embroidery work for film productions like “Better Call Saul.” An all around great guy, whose genuinely interested in helping people, Erich knows the business inside and out, and we we’re grateful to have had a chance at interviewing him. Watch the video above and find out what you can do to increase your business and improve your relationships with clients.
FOLLOW Erich on his adventures and learn all of his tricks on TWITTER, INSTAGRAM or on his WEBSITE.
