Promotionally speaking

A detailed checklist guarantees savings and satisfaction.

By Marty Bear

As industry professionals, we should always strive to work smart and cut costs. In the current economic downturn, saving money without sacrificing quality is a major challenge for all of us. Promotional products — those bags, backpacks, folders, pens, journals, lanyards and speaker gifts — are often neglected when considering bottom line expenses, especially as staff is reduced or responsibilities changed. It is important to understand how to communicate with your supplier in order to save time and money. The more details and specifics you provide to your vendor, the more satisfied you will be with your options and the outcome.

There are simple steps to saving money on your next promotional products program. It all begins with having gathered all the details before making contact.

Here is the basic list:

• When and where is the event? Where will you need the goods shipped? Sometimes, you have several options, e.g., ship to your offices or ship directly to the hotel, convention center or holding company.
• Do you have your artwork ready in the correct format so the supplier can have a visual of what you are planning to print? Many times people don’t show the art until the end of the process and problems can arise like higher prices due to additional imprint colors not originally quoted.
• Do you know the approximate quantity of the items needed for the program? In the current economy, attendance numbers will vary. Let the supplier know how many you ordered last year as well as your guestimate for this time around.
• Do you know your budget per item? Be open and honest with your supplier in order to get the best quality product. If you spent $4 per backpack last year for your youth retreat, but this year you might have to spend less, then have the vendor show you options between $2.75 and $4. This way, as budgets are finalized and registration numbers come in, you will not have to start the process over if you need to lower your numbers. You will already have all the samples and pricing on hand.
• Additional product input is also vital. If the product must be orange, or recycled only, or must have an outside pocket for a water bottle, the supplier needs to understand your requirements before they do their research.
• Let your supplier know what item was used last year and what type of feedback you received from the attendees. Many times, the attendees will complain about some element of the item. They may feel the size, quality, material or color did not work well for them. This helps your supplier narrow down options.Once your item selection has been narrowed down, it is very important to get some approximate freight estimates to your final destination. Many times, new people in charge of ordering promotional items do not realize how heavy ceramic mugs, pads of paper, padfolios and computer bags are. They learn the hard way when the final invoice arrives. New buyers also sometimes forget that shipping to their company address and then resending the shipment out to the destination wastes dollars. (I have seen many programs ship products from a factory in California to their offices in Virginia and then back out to California without realizing that the supplier factory was actually 20 miles from the final destination.) There are times, though, when the bags need to be stuffed with the program collateral material. It does pay to do some research into fulfillment options at the event site and compare costs.

Marty Bear is president of PMSI-Professional Marketing Services, Inc., based in Stratford, Ct. He has been a leader and innovator in the promotional products industry for more than 25 years. callpmsi.com