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If your promotional products business isn’t quite where you’d like it to be, and you’re wondering what you can do to increase your sales, I’d like to share my story with you…

Many years ago, when I first started my promotional products business, industry education, training and mentors were in short supply. Everything I learned was the hard way, and frequently I had to fly by the seat of my pants. I made so little money the first year, I was ready to quit and go back to my low-paying teaching job. But eventually, through many mistakes and missteps, my business took off. In fact, it was doing so well that within a few years it made the list of the 100 Fastest Growing Companies in my region.

What made the difference? Here are three things that turned my business around and tripled my sales…

1. Focusing on Profitable Niche Markets. People like to do business with experts. Become an expert in a growing and profitable niche market that you’re attracted to or have a natural affinity with. For me, it was health care and education. I had been a health and human development major in college and there were loads of opportunities in my geographic region. Plus, before going into promo sales, I had been a teacher. Once I started to focus on health care and education and began to understand their challenges and provide solutions, my business really took off and I enjoyed my work more. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can’t sell outside your niche markets. You can; your niche is just where you’ll concentrate most of your marketing efforts. If you missed my sales-boosting webinar on Double Your Sales With a Rich Niche you can preview it here.

2.  Having a Preferred Group of Suppliers. This is a business with thousands of suppliers and products and it’s impossible to learn them all. I’m a big believer in having a core group of  suppliers that you give the bulk of your business to. You’ll be more familiar with their product lines, you’ll frequently qualify for better pricing and you’ll build a relationship, which is so important in those times when you need a special favor. One of the things I share in my FAST TRACK to Making Money in Promotional Products Sales program is my personal preferred supplier list,plus exclusive discounts and EQP from those suppliers. One thing to keep in mind, though: having a preferred supplier list does not mean you won’t deal with other suppliers. There are always new and exciting suppliers entering our market, this is just where you’ll concentrate the bulk of your business.

3. Creating Systems. I worked alone for the first year, but was so worn out I knew I needed to get help. My first assistant was a part time college student, she was so good, I asked her to stay on and become full time. Working together we created systems, forms, sales letters and checklists to make my business run smoothly, even when I was out of the office. Creating systems for office procedures enabled me to save a ton of time and frustration and make a lot more money. Creating systems, letters and forms can be time consuming. If you’re ready to shortcut the process, my newly updated FAST TRACK (http://www.promobizfast.com) program has the very same forms, checklists and sales letters and more valuable sales-building information that I used to grow my own promotional products business from zero to record breaking profits. Why reinvent the wheel, I’ve done the work for you.

I’d like to hear from you. What has made the difference for you in increasing your promotional products sales?  Have you tried any of these strategies? What would you add to the list? Please leave a comment below.  

© 2017 Rosalie Marcus

Want expert help growing your promotional products business?  Not sure which program or product is right for you? Thinking of making a change in your business set up? Contact me for a brief, no obligation, personal consultation. Reach me at Rosalie@promobizcoach.com