D & R is Not Just About Challenge Coins
Of course we are best known for our military coins. No doubt about it. At the risk of being bold, we are really good at making them.
Shortly after we founded the company nearly 18 years ago, our customers began to ask us about other presentation items. Clearly there was a demand. So we, almost immediately joined the two largest Promotional Products organizations, PPAI and ASI so that we could satisfy this need.
Promotional Products are More Than Just Give-Aways
Although we don’t often notice it we are literally surrounded by Promotional Products. The category includes virtually everything that presents a logo or advertising message. Even Challenge Coins can be promotional products. They often are. So what do you, as a customer, need to know about promotional products?
Logo items should be carefully thought out
All to often, a company will decide to do something nice for their customers. The idea is that if we give them something of value they feel more inclined to do business with us. So the owner starts looking for an affordable, nice to have presentation item. Also, all to often the owner picks something he/she likes themselves without considering the item as part of their general marketing plan. So the logic goes like this….Pens are nice and affordable. Everyone uses one and we can put our logo on them. So let’s get some and give them to good customers. There is noting wrong with that approach. People will like them. But there is a more enlightened way. Let me demonstrate.
ENLIGHTENED PRESENTATION ITEMS
Suppose you own a furniture store in Green Valley Arizona. It is a nice retirement town and your customers have lots of choices of where to shop near Tucson. So you ask yourself….What do I want these promotional items to do for me? Well clearly the idea is to get people to come back and buy furniture. It is not to award someone for buying today. They have already done that. Right? It is to get them to come back again.
You remember asking your top salesman, Rick, “what happened with the couple that was just in here?” He replied, “They went home to measure”. This is not the first time you have heard this. In fact it is a common ruse to get out of the store without making a decision. You see customers do not like to spend money on expensive things. They are naturally reluctant. Much time is spent on this in sales training. So you ask yourself, “How can I get this couple to feel obligated, even if only slightly, to come back and buy the furniture they are stalling on?” Here is where the enlightened promotional product user shines.
This is a real situation that we faced. Our solution was to recommend that the furniture store buy measuring tapes with their logo and phone number on them. When the customer used that excuse, the salesman quickly gave them a measuring tape for them to take home and use. The salesman was taught to say, “Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Folks. Here is a good tape to use. When you have measured just drop me a call, (the number is on the tape) and we can get the item on order for you.” This is not pushy, very soft-sell, perfectly natural and far better than what was happening before…. The salesman saying, “Well OK, let me know.” So what would have been the rationale for giving the pen?
Promotional Products are More Than Give Aways
So you can see that with a little thought there can be a far greater impact from the money you spend on these items.
Let me tell you how sophisticated this process is and why you should consult us. Suppose you are living near us in Southern Arizona. Just about everyone here uses sun shades to protect their car interiors and keep the car cooler. What could be better than giving these to your valued customer? They can be relatively inexpensive and have a high perceived value. Moreover they put your company’s logo out there for everyone to see. So one of my best customers decided to do just that. He went to our site and picked some out. We asked him to consider another brand instead of the one he chose. This other brand was a few cents more expensive each. Why? Because on one side was the customer’s logo and on the other, “CALL POLICE”. The customer said that he did not need the “CALL POLICE” because everyone had a cell phone these days. Then we explained to him, the secret of the imprint. The “CALL POLICE” was not there for the unlikely event that someone would need help on the highway, though it would certainly do that. The “CALL POLICE” was there so that the user always kept the company logo facing out where it can do its job. So how cool is that? And these kinds of insights are the ones a true promotional products professional brings to the table.
WELL THOUGHT OUT PROMOTIONAL PRODUCT PROGRAM
Awards Are Another Large Facet of the Promo Business
As our coins are an integral part of a company, military or government awards program, so too should be other items. These programs should make sense. They should present a thoughtful and integrated approach. And in doing so save your precious budget. On several of my blog posts you will hear us speak of “perceived value”. It is a recurring theme in the promotional products and awards business. Are there ways to reward people with items of high perceived value without spending a lot of money? Absolutely. Challenge coins and military coins are two good examples. There are many more. Let us help you figure out how to do this. We have a wealth of experience.
Promotional Products in Sahuarita Arizona
We would be remiss if we did not give a shout-out to our home folks. Though we do the vast majority of our business nationally and internationally we live in Green Valley and Sahuarita and want to be an integral part of the community. We take special care of our neighbors. If you need sports uniforms, hats, shirts, coffee mugs, or the tape measures we mentioned earlier please call us. We have hundreds of thousands of items available.
Check out Our Promotional Product Search
We have a dynamite search for presentation items. You can search by category and even specify “Made in America? items. Here is the LINK.
Thanks for reading my post. I hope I have been able to give you a couple of insights into the business and motivated you to give us a call. Even if only to chat about your program for now.
Rick