Every business uses promotional items. Whether it's pens or notepads for a bank or T-shirts and mouse pads for an amusement park, businesses and marketers must go through a promotional items business to get their goodies. Although there are screen printers that can print items directly for consumers, the majority of advertising specialty manufacturers adhere to exclusive partnership agreements with dealers to sell their products.
Instructions
1. Join the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI). You must have an ASI membership number to order imprinted specialty items from manufacturers and to receive the discounts they offer. Most ASI members receive a 50 percent cut of the retail cost of items. Manufacturers provide catalogs and price sheets that post the retail prices for dealers to use.
2. Get a business license from the secretary of state's office and a tax identification number from the Internal Revenue Service. Set up a line of credit with the bank that you can tap into for initial start-up costs such as software and office supplies and to pay for the first orders you place. After you have been in business for a year or so, most ad specialty manufacturers will extend credit to you so that you can pay them after you collect from your clients.
3. Create a business plan that includes a marketing plan. Most ad specialty companies can easily be operated from a home office. Clients rarely visit a showroom but shop from catalogs and rely on the promotional item salesperson to recommend giveaways. Collect samples so that you can allow the customers to hold the items and gauge their value.
4. Order speculative items for prospects. Most ad specialty manufacturers provide deep discounts to dealers who want to have one item made up with a client's business imprinted on the item. Give it to the prospect as a gift to earn an order for a larger number of the same items.
5. Obtain a list of trade shows that will be held in local arenas and convention halls, and call on the businesses planning to attend. Almost every presenter at a trade show hands out free items with his business name imprinted on it to leave a lasting memory with visitors.
Tags: specialty manufacturers, promotional items