Promotional products are keepers

Last week a client brought back one of my promotional advertising products that had an offer on it. I told him if he will give it to me then I will give you the discount offered on it.

His answer, “No, I want to keep it.”

Now that was music to my ears, and it should be to yours. A promotional product with an offer that the client refuses to give up. Promoting my business this way pays off.

Pens, Coins, Toys or calendars….

How do you choose? There are 2 main ways to use promotional items.

1. Trade shows
2. Daily give aways

Let’s take a look…..

TRADE SHOWS

At trade shows your expected to give away stuff. Since everyone will be giving stuff away, your item should be unique and have some utility. You have the right item if folks take it home and then use it regularly. I also suggest that an offer be printed right on the item without an expiration date. This way they won’t want to lose it. People still like coupons and free offers, so give it to them.

Buy a bunch as cheap as you can.

DAILY GIVE AWAYS

This is totally different from Trade Shows. With this method you should think repetition. Frequent visits of different items to a referral source that needs to remember you so they can refer their clients to you.

I like note pads, pens, mouse pads and calendars. However, there are many many other promo items and ideas. This method keeps your name in front of your referral partner.

There are some other ideas that can get your name in front of your clients. Promotional items are like long lasting business cards.

Go sell something

the sign guy

The sign guy owns Signs by rsg and has worked in the promotional products business for over 10 years. Located in Ramsey, MN for 6 years.

Own the desk

Pens, notepads and mouse pads

As a salesperson, I am always trying to figure out a way to have people hang onto my card which means they remember me. A client of mine contacted me and said he wanted to “own the desk” of the people he was looking to get referrals from. This was a great aha moment for me. To own the desk means to have all of your promotional products show up on your prospects desk. This could also be own the fridge, own the car dash board, or own the golf bag.

Your name can be very inexpensively placed on a miriad of products. Golf balls, key chains, magnets & even pens. Who would have thought it, your name on a pen! Pens are still the most used item around. I have never had anyone not take my pens.

As a salesperson who is not trying to sell to a particular person, but trying to get to their clients, this is a great way to get to the top of the mind of the referrer. Let’s look at an example; An insurance agent has tons of clients with broken windshields and they know when they get broken. You’re the windshield guy and you want to fix those windshields. The link is the agent, you must get your name in his mind to pass it along to his client. Own his desk and he can’t help it but to give out your name. His client comes in with a broken windshield, the agent rips off a page from the notepad you gave him with your name on it and hands it to his client. You get called.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. In my Ramsy office, we have an idea book to help us figure out how you can own your clients desk.

The most important thing is to have fun.

the sign guy

This sign guy is a sales professional in the sign trade.

Marketing for profit

What is marketing? Is it the yellow pages, not really. Yellow pages are advertising, and so are wall signs, pylon signs or any type of sign or ad.

Marketing is getting the right message to the right people through the right media.

We learn marketing from the people who sell advertising. You know it is true. Their job is to find out how much you spend on advertising and then get it.

Do you want to make money with your marketing? Then you must figure out how to get the right message to the right people through the right media. Otherwise, we are not ‘marketing’. We are ‘blowing money’ on ‘hit and miss’
advertising—which is exactly what 99% of ALL small businesses do!!!

One way is through a well planned sign plan. Either wall signs or pylon signs on your property.

Proper marketing is the only part of your business that creates income for your business. No customers, no work, no money. The more that customers know about you, the more work, the more money. It is that simple.

The hard part is figuring out what method works. Yellow pages? TV? Newspapers? Signs?

All are important parts of the marketing plan. If you have a building with a road in front of it, remember, the best way to get a client to come into your store is when they are right in front of it.

If you need clients from different parts of the Twin cities, then gear your marketing to those media that will reach them.

I like to test and measure before committing large sums of money on advertising. The other thing I like to do is to market in a variety of ways. I go to networking groups, community groups, vehicle lettering, road signs as well as other print media. My thinking is if you have customers coming in from multiple sources, then you won’t have any problems if one of them stops working.

I also like the web. I am beginning to think that this internet thing is not going away.

good signing

The Sign Guy is the owner of Signs by RSG located in Ramsey, Mn. He and his brother (The sign dude) are 4th generation sign makers and can be reached at 763.753.7571

Signs that promote

Promotional products are cheap signs.

Signs show up everywhere and you can control where they show up in a very inexpensive way. Your business should have its name on the move with signs printed on everything.

My company also provides a complete line of promotional products for my clients. One of those items is a custom coin. We use this coin as our business card. When asked for our “card” we hand over the coin and people will stare at it. They will hang onto it forever. One guy keeps my “card” in his pocket all the time.

I like to drop it on a clients desk when I cold call him. They always grab it and say something like “that’s cool!” People hang onto cool.

Other types of promotional products are of course pens, calendars and hats, but have you ever been given a solid metal coin? Probably not.

I like to call my coins “My Pocket Signs”.

You see, signs come in all shapes and sizes. If you can dream it, we can sign it.

This is a great and unique way to promote your business. Choose an item that reflects you and your business. Choose an advertising specialty that people will want to receive and hang on to. Most of all, have fun.

good signing

The Sign Guy is the owner of Signs by RSG located in Ramsey, Mn. He and his brother (The sign dude) are 4th generation sign makers and can be reached at 763.753.7571