Growing with Promotional Products
Distributors increase their sales and penetrate accounts with promotional items.
Rockford Forms & Graphics, a 12-year-old distributorship in Loves Park, Ill., provided a technology company with 200 black leather portfolios, such as the one shown here. The portfolio was debossed with the client's logo, and the interior included a calculator and a note pad. Courtesy of Bullet Line Inc., Miami
When Robert Chanson left a senior account position at Moore Corporation Ltd. 12 years ago to start his own distributorship, he never thought he'd end up selling pens, watches and other promotional items. But Chanson, president of Rockford Forms & Graphics, Loves Park, Ill., isn't complaining--his distributorship sells approximately $700,000 in promotional products annually.
"In our shrinking market of print and especially forms, we need incremental volume to continue," Chanson says. "If you have a customer that you're selling $50,000 a year in print to, and every year they're reducing that volume by $5,000, you either have to increase your penetration within that account or find some additional customers."
Promotional products won't be replaced by computers, laser sheets, copy machines or the internet, Chanson says. "Promotional products are still things that people are going to buy and hand out," he says. "The market is expanding, and it can't be eroded by technology."
Rockford Forms & Graphics has succeeded in the promotional products arena thanks to its purchase of a local promotional products distributorship four years ago. "We gained immediate expertise," Chanson says. Employees at the promotional products distributorship understood pricing, sourcing, turnaround time and imprinting methods, he says. Since purchasing the firm, Rockford Forms & Graphics promotional product sales have increased 150 percent. Today, the distributorship offers leather portfolios, jackets, watches, desk clocks, golf shirts, mouse pads, calculators, coffee mugs and more.
When a technology company wanted to give business gifts to current and prospective customers, it turned to Rockford Forms & Graphics. The client manufactures and distributes computer workstations, including hardware and software valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars to several millions of dollars, to schools worldwide.
After analyzing the client's needs, Rockford Forms & Graphics provided the technology firm with 200 black leather portfolios debossed with the client's logo. The insides of the portfolios included calculators and note pads. The distributorship suggested black portfolios because they could be given to men or women. The technology firm paid nearly $10,000 for the portfolios. It gave them to decision-makers within school systems and local governments during the bid process.
--Kara S. Carpenter
Memo Boards, Decals, Auto Sun Shades, Mouse Pads
Gill Studios™ Inc., Shawnee Mission, Kan., offers its "Carnival of Specials" third-quarter discounts. Through Sept. 30, the company offers discounts of up to 48 percent on hard-surface mouse pads, business card magnets, presidential rulers and static-cling auto window stickers. Call (913) 888-4422 or (800) 392-4455 (fax). Visit www.gill-line.com.
Piggy Banks, Pencil Boxes, Bicycle License Plates, Sand Buckets
PPC/greatStuff!, Mansfield, Ohio, uses injection molding and blow molding to produce piggy banks, pencil boxes, bicycle license plates, sand buckets, combs, picture frames, pet dishes, ice scrapers, mini footballs, megaphones, food containers and more. Some items are produced with recycled materials. All items are imprinted with 1-color pad printing. Rush orders are available. Call (800) 327-9740, (419) 524-8422 or (800) 327-9741 (fax). Visit www.asisupplier.com/greatstuff.
