WEBVTT 00:00:02.329 --> 00:00:05.150 Welcome to the promo playbook, the podcast where 00:00:05.150 --> 00:00:07.650 suppliers come to win in the promotional products 00:00:07.650 --> 00:00:10.810 industry. We're your hosts, Lisa Faustic and 00:00:10.810 --> 00:00:13.910 Adrienne Barker, bringing you insider insights, 00:00:14.490 --> 00:00:17.170 expert strategies, and no fluff advice to help 00:00:17.170 --> 00:00:20.469 suppliers navigate the promo channel like pros. 00:00:21.269 --> 00:00:24.170 From marketing to distributors to mastering software 00:00:24.170 --> 00:00:27.370 onboarding, we cover it all. Whether you're new 00:00:27.370 --> 00:00:30.149 to the industry or ready to scale up, this is 00:00:30.149 --> 00:00:33.280 your playbook for success. Let's get started. 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:36.700 Hey everybody, welcome back to the promo playbook 00:00:36.700 --> 00:00:41.320 podcast. Last time we dived into finances, everybody's 00:00:41.320 --> 00:00:44.539 favorite topic. Today we're going to focus on 00:00:44.539 --> 00:00:48.820 samples and virtual mockups. So just to restate 00:00:48.820 --> 00:00:51.859 the intention of the promo playbook, our group 00:00:51.859 --> 00:00:56.079 is dedicated to helping boutique brands, retail 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:59.119 brands, and suppliers in the industry succeed 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:03.170 in the promotional product space. So it's a layered 00:01:03.170 --> 00:01:05.310 industry. There's lots of different things to 00:01:05.310 --> 00:01:08.969 know. So this is a small bite to dive into samples 00:01:08.969 --> 00:01:13.430 and virtuals. Samples are a bedrock of the industry. 00:01:14.590 --> 00:01:17.489 Distributors are your sales force. They are selling 00:01:17.489 --> 00:01:20.450 to end users who often want to see the product 00:01:20.450 --> 00:01:23.129 and your distributors often want to see the product 00:01:23.129 --> 00:01:25.650 so that they feel confident selling it to their 00:01:25.650 --> 00:01:29.310 end user client. So samples are an expense that 00:01:29.310 --> 00:01:32.969 you really want to have on your radar when you're 00:01:32.969 --> 00:01:35.409 launching and building your supplier business, 00:01:35.409 --> 00:01:41.609 because it is important. And virtuals are a great 00:01:41.609 --> 00:01:45.450 way to close sales. Virtuals really are, I think, 00:01:45.450 --> 00:01:49.689 the engine of the industry when it comes to terms 00:01:49.689 --> 00:01:53.750 of the most commonly requested sales tool for 00:01:53.750 --> 00:01:57.030 closing a sale. I consider that a virtual mockup. 00:01:58.049 --> 00:02:02.409 So I love this topic. I do want to mention that 00:02:02.409 --> 00:02:04.870 it's important to figure out how you're going 00:02:04.870 --> 00:02:07.950 to bill for shipping on these. We as a group 00:02:07.950 --> 00:02:11.110 recommend that you get a shipper number from 00:02:11.110 --> 00:02:15.069 the person requesting the sample. But Kim, I'm 00:02:15.069 --> 00:02:18.509 going to put you in the hot seat first on this 00:02:18.509 --> 00:02:22.949 topic. Share with us how your supplier that you 00:02:22.949 --> 00:02:27.050 work with deals with samples. Yeah, so I think 00:02:27.050 --> 00:02:28.909 when you talk about samples, they can almost 00:02:28.909 --> 00:02:31.509 be put into two buckets, right? Only because 00:02:31.509 --> 00:02:34.650 we define samples one way. Sometimes the end 00:02:34.650 --> 00:02:38.849 user defines samples another. So, you know, I 00:02:38.849 --> 00:02:42.610 think broadly a sample doesn't have to be necessarily 00:02:42.610 --> 00:02:45.370 decorated. It's just a sample of the product. 00:02:45.409 --> 00:02:47.050 They want to touch it. They want to feel it. 00:02:47.050 --> 00:02:49.689 They want to know if there's quality to it. And 00:02:49.689 --> 00:02:52.370 that's coming out of your general stock. I totally 00:02:52.370 --> 00:02:55.449 agree that you want to ask for a shipper number 00:02:55.449 --> 00:02:58.009 if you can, because you're already giving the 00:02:58.009 --> 00:03:00.919 product at no charge. And if we didn't say that, 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:04.599 no charge for the sample. Because you're hoping 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:07.500 to get in order. So you don't charge for the 00:03:07.500 --> 00:03:10.840 sample. So ideally, you don't want to charge 00:03:10.840 --> 00:03:12.680 for the shipping and the sample because you're 00:03:12.680 --> 00:03:16.800 giving the product for free. But you can use 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:19.919 your own judgment on that. Most distributors 00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:23.780 are happy to give a shipper number. But then 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:26.479 sometimes people ask for samples. with their 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:29.020 logo on it, which is really not a sample. It's 00:03:29.020 --> 00:03:31.960 more of a pre -pro sample. It's a pre -production. 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:35.080 And I think those, that's like a whole other 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:38.479 conversation, but that, I don't think those are 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:41.800 doled out as much as samples, right? I think 00:03:41.800 --> 00:03:44.620 you really keep sort of those pre -production, 00:03:45.060 --> 00:03:47.259 someone needs to touch and feel it with their 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:52.550 logo to those. A players, you know, a large order, 00:03:52.870 --> 00:03:56.189 somebody's ordering 700, a thousand units of 00:03:56.189 --> 00:03:58.090 something, but they really need to make sure 00:03:58.090 --> 00:04:00.569 the coloring is right. Well, you don't want to 00:04:00.569 --> 00:04:02.909 take the chance of running 700 to a thousand 00:04:02.909 --> 00:04:05.389 units of something to find out that the color 00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:09.129 was wrong. So gladly for that, we'll do a pre 00:04:09.129 --> 00:04:13.849 pro. But if you are ordering 24 or 50 of something. 00:04:15.310 --> 00:04:19.629 not necessarily time that we want to have our 00:04:19.629 --> 00:04:23.389 production team do. So those are two separate. 00:04:23.629 --> 00:04:25.990 I think sometimes the end user doesn't understand 00:04:25.990 --> 00:04:28.810 that. They ask for a sample and they expect the 00:04:28.810 --> 00:04:31.529 logo to be on it. But I would say 90 percent 00:04:31.529 --> 00:04:34.870 of the time a sample should just be the basic 00:04:34.870 --> 00:04:40.750 non -branded item going out at no charge, hopefully 00:04:40.750 --> 00:04:43.170 with a shipper number so you're not paying for 00:04:43.170 --> 00:04:45.920 the shipping. but there may be times that you 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:49.180 opt to send it anyway without that shipper number 00:04:49.180 --> 00:04:51.759 and you have that expense. You do have to think 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:55.579 about that in the cost of doing business. That's 00:04:55.579 --> 00:04:57.639 great. Before I turn it over to you, Adrienne, 00:04:57.720 --> 00:05:02.339 I just want to set the stage of the language 00:05:02.339 --> 00:05:05.040 because you got me thinking about that, Ken. 00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:08.790 There are blank samples. which is, you know, 00:05:08.889 --> 00:05:11.269 as it says, a blank sample that you might have 00:05:11.269 --> 00:05:14.750 in your warehouse earmarked for sampling. Then 00:05:14.750 --> 00:05:17.769 there are random samples where the distributor 00:05:17.769 --> 00:05:20.209 might want their client to be able to see the 00:05:20.209 --> 00:05:22.970 type of imprinting, whether that's laser, full 00:05:22.970 --> 00:05:25.730 color, one color. So you want to be thinking 00:05:25.730 --> 00:05:28.689 about having a stock of randomly printed samples 00:05:28.689 --> 00:05:32.149 that you can send out. And what Kim was referencing 00:05:32.149 --> 00:05:36.269 at the end of her comments are spec samples, 00:05:36.449 --> 00:05:40.430 which are actual printed samples with the logo 00:05:40.430 --> 00:05:44.269 on it. So three types of samples and two ways 00:05:44.269 --> 00:05:48.069 those can ship. Those can ship blind to the end 00:05:48.069 --> 00:05:51.750 user customer, meaning none of your information 00:05:51.750 --> 00:05:56.810 is shown on that packaging as a supplier or you're 00:05:56.810 --> 00:05:59.290 shipping to the distributor, in which case you 00:05:59.290 --> 00:06:02.709 want your information to be included. You might 00:06:02.709 --> 00:06:05.949 even want to print your ASI or your PP or your 00:06:05.949 --> 00:06:09.910 SAGE number on the sample so that the distributor 00:06:09.910 --> 00:06:13.170 might show it once and then put it in their sample 00:06:13.170 --> 00:06:15.689 room or put it in their sample bag and forget 00:06:15.689 --> 00:06:19.829 where it came from. So that gets a little complicated. 00:06:19.889 --> 00:06:22.290 We're not going to dive too deep into that today, 00:06:22.290 --> 00:06:25.050 but those are the types of samples you'll be 00:06:25.050 --> 00:06:28.439 sending out. Blanks, random specs, and then will 00:06:28.439 --> 00:06:30.879 you be shipping to the distributor or to the 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:34.379 end user customer? So Adrienne, I'm going to 00:06:34.379 --> 00:06:37.240 send this over to you now for more thoughts and 00:06:37.240 --> 00:06:42.459 comments. So suppliers, think of the sample the 00:06:42.459 --> 00:06:46.240 same as the order itself. Have the same mentality. 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:48.660 So when you are talking to the distributor, get 00:06:48.660 --> 00:06:51.240 all the information. How interested is the client? 00:06:52.139 --> 00:06:54.600 Are they ready to see a sample that has a mock 00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:56.980 -up in it? Are they like, where does that go? 00:06:57.139 --> 00:06:59.259 So make sure that you have in your SOP, which 00:06:59.259 --> 00:07:02.360 we'll be talking about, that you have that prepared. 00:07:02.620 --> 00:07:06.000 Also make sure that you have already worked with 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:08.699 the distributor and got their credit lined up. 00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:10.480 And we have an episode that you can listen to 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:13.420 on the credit so that you have that. Here's the 00:07:13.420 --> 00:07:16.899 thing. It is so important for suppliers to understand 00:07:16.899 --> 00:07:19.680 that. There's no playing around with samples 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:22.199 you are offering a product and you are having 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:24.779 sales people they are hundreds of different sales 00:07:24.779 --> 00:07:27.980 people out there that. May wanna sell your product 00:07:27.980 --> 00:07:30.139 and they all have different ways of doing business 00:07:30.139 --> 00:07:32.819 some are gonna be so organized summer gonna be 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:35.220 so sloppy. They're gonna send you the artwork 00:07:35.220 --> 00:07:37.779 in so many different ways you're gonna think 00:07:37.779 --> 00:07:40.459 yourself what they really literally just sent 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:43.500 me a picture that they took a logo and five colors 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:45.709 like just know that but. I want to go through 00:07:45.709 --> 00:07:47.290 some of the things that you want to think about. 00:07:48.149 --> 00:07:51.649 So nothing starts off without a paper proof. 00:07:52.449 --> 00:07:54.870 But suppliers, you're going to receive from the 00:07:54.870 --> 00:07:56.870 distributors, you're not probably not even get 00:07:56.870 --> 00:07:58.649 something from Canva because they're going to 00:07:58.649 --> 00:08:02.490 be using AI. Hey, ChatGBT, I want this picture 00:08:02.490 --> 00:08:04.990 of blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And you're going 00:08:04.990 --> 00:08:06.889 to get some like artwork. I can imagine right 00:08:06.889 --> 00:08:08.769 now that the suppliers are getting artwork in 00:08:08.769 --> 00:08:11.449 many different ways. That is why as a supplier. 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:13.959 I would ask the question if I'm working with 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:16.220 a distributor, who is interested in my products? 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:20.379 Do you have a graphic department? And they will 00:08:20.379 --> 00:08:23.439 tell you, no, I do it myself. No, I use like 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:27.500 whatever. But how you're going to receive the 00:08:27.500 --> 00:08:30.740 artwork is going to be just like an M &M bag 00:08:30.740 --> 00:08:33.220 of delicious M &M all different colors. You're 00:08:33.220 --> 00:08:35.679 going to get them all different ways. So and 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:38.200 you're going to get mockups where the distributors 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:40.919 using one of your items. And the mockup doesn't 00:08:40.919 --> 00:08:42.200 even make sense to you. You're like, that's not 00:08:42.200 --> 00:08:44.379 our area. That's not our bleed. We like blah, 00:08:44.500 --> 00:08:46.379 blah, blah, blah, blah. All that is crazy. So 00:08:46.379 --> 00:08:50.700 first you need to be able to provide at no cost 00:08:50.700 --> 00:08:53.919 a paper proof because that's kind of a sample 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:56.679 in itself. If you're not providing it and you're 00:08:56.679 --> 00:08:59.840 charging for a paper proof, can you please call 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:02.080 us because we wanna tell you that you're like 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:03.759 stopping the orders right there on the spot, 00:09:03.899 --> 00:09:06.379 right? You need to give the distributors something. 00:09:06.500 --> 00:09:10.799 They need a paper proof. And distributors may 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:12.919 take days to get back to you. You're gonna need 00:09:12.919 --> 00:09:15.559 someone to follow up on that paper proof because 00:09:15.559 --> 00:09:17.259 you can't just think I'm gonna send the paper 00:09:17.259 --> 00:09:19.720 proof out and it's a rush order. So honestly, 00:09:20.039 --> 00:09:22.159 you gotta find a way to make sure that your emails 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:24.519 are not landing in spam and you got the person 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:26.580 on the phone. To me, the best way is to say, 00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:30.940 hey, it's Lisa from, and I have your, a paper 00:09:30.940 --> 00:09:32.860 proof is in your hand, need you to approve that 00:09:32.860 --> 00:09:35.000 right away because they, a lot of times they 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:36.799 have to get their clients to approve it depending 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:39.879 on their relationship. And then from the paper 00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:42.899 proof, in my mind, you would go to the mockup 00:09:42.899 --> 00:09:46.799 on the virtual because they, and I agree with 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:49.990 Kim, like, Do a hundred percent of everyone needs 00:09:49.990 --> 00:09:53.970 to see it. Well, it's insurance So to me if it's 00:09:53.970 --> 00:09:56.570 an order valued at a thousand as a distributor 00:09:56.570 --> 00:09:58.190 I used to say if it's a thousand dollar order 00:09:58.190 --> 00:10:01.269 who wants to lose that you need to have To get 00:10:01.269 --> 00:10:03.870 to follow the steps, but things are always rushed 00:10:03.870 --> 00:10:07.269 and we know rushes are the enemy of all of us 00:10:07.269 --> 00:10:09.889 It really makes the most expensive expenses. 00:10:10.070 --> 00:10:12.830 So you're paper proof. You want to do a mock 00:10:12.830 --> 00:10:16.559 -up then you go to your spec sample. Now what 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:19.860 you can do as a supplier is use that to move 00:10:19.860 --> 00:10:21.340 it around. So I just want to, we'll get into 00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:23.759 this in another episode too, but if you're doing 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:26.139 these proofs, you want to push it, right? So 00:10:26.139 --> 00:10:28.059 like if you called me up, if Kim called me up 00:10:28.059 --> 00:10:30.279 and I'm a supplier and you let me know that you 00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:32.919 have an order for a thousand notebooks and you 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:34.720 want to print it, I may say, did you have the 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:37.440 artwork, Kim? Kim says, yes, I have the logo 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:40.539 all set. I got lucky. They sent to me an EPS 00:10:40.539 --> 00:10:42.730 vector file. If you don't know what that is, 00:10:42.789 --> 00:10:45.129 that's what the suppliers want. So you get the 00:10:45.129 --> 00:10:47.970 EPS vector file in and then Kim says, and then 00:10:47.970 --> 00:10:51.230 Kim says, and then I say to Kim, hey Kim, that 00:10:51.230 --> 00:10:54.049 is fantastic. Why don't you send it to me? I'll 00:10:54.049 --> 00:10:56.669 do a mock -up for you. Or boy, are you close 00:10:56.669 --> 00:10:59.230 to getting this order? Why don't you not just 00:10:59.230 --> 00:11:02.529 send it to me, but let's do a mock -up for you. 00:11:02.750 --> 00:11:04.909 So the reason why I'm saying this is a lot of 00:11:04.909 --> 00:11:07.580 times, As a supplier, you have to know if your 00:11:07.580 --> 00:11:09.820 artist, most suppliers don't let the artist talk 00:11:09.820 --> 00:11:12.600 to the clients, the distributors, because they 00:11:12.600 --> 00:11:14.960 don't know really the lingo. They're just doing 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:17.840 the artwork. So I think your sales has to start 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:19.720 with a sample. So I mentioned that in the beginning 00:11:19.720 --> 00:11:21.740 of when I started talking, but that also means 00:11:21.740 --> 00:11:24.460 with a conversation, too. So if you want to like 00:11:24.460 --> 00:11:27.559 get that business rolling off or something, do 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:29.779 the sales so that you can move it forward. Because 00:11:29.779 --> 00:11:32.360 once you send it. Those are the times that I 00:11:32.360 --> 00:11:35.159 wouldn't charge if I was a supplier, if I'm coming 00:11:35.159 --> 00:11:37.399 up with it and I recognize that this is a big 00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:39.820 enough order that I want to move forward. But 00:11:39.820 --> 00:11:42.120 other than that, I wouldn't charge for paper 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:44.299 proofs because that would be unfair, but you 00:11:44.299 --> 00:11:47.639 may want to consider charging, but have it clear. 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:51.879 A lot of suppliers will charge like 50 percent 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:54.519 less, 25 percent, they'll have something or half 00:11:54.519 --> 00:11:57.659 off EQP. Those are some of the deals that you 00:11:57.659 --> 00:12:00.440 want to have. I will also say to double -check, 00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:03.799 Here is right now used to be that you could order 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:06.000 samples in and they would they would you know 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.100 punch it right and they will put the little card 00:12:08.100 --> 00:12:11.039 in and they'd say sample for showroom Do you 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:14.240 guys remember that? Okay, and that was because 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:17.480 the sample so tariffs on commercial samples depend 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:20.639 on specific criteria as they are not uniformly 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:23.679 taxed what I'm thinking right now still works 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:26.320 But we have to keep an eye on everything is if 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:30.960 that sample has been some way reduced to just 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:33.919 that you can't wear it. So it's not for wearing, 00:12:34.179 --> 00:12:36.360 it's for a sample. And I'm talking about that 00:12:36.360 --> 00:12:39.120 for larger items that may have large tariffs 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:41.299 in it, or if you're talking to the supplier, 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:45.019 you want to know as a supplier exactly what's 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:46.899 taking place. And you want to look at everything 00:12:46.899 --> 00:12:49.460 in the eyes of a distributor and a supplier when 00:12:49.460 --> 00:12:52.139 it comes to samples, because I think that is 00:12:52.139 --> 00:12:55.679 what would make a supplier successful. And that 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:58.460 may mean bringing in like the promo playbook. 00:12:58.600 --> 00:13:03.059 Oh, cut it out. The producer said cut it off, 00:13:03.220 --> 00:13:07.700 H. You shared so much amazing information. I 00:13:07.700 --> 00:13:12.500 want to restate it so our listeners can follow. 00:13:12.779 --> 00:13:15.519 You have such an amazing, brilliant mind, Adrienne, 00:13:15.659 --> 00:13:19.539 that sees all the aspects of things. So I thought 00:13:19.539 --> 00:13:25.950 maybe we should just bring it into a way for 00:13:25.950 --> 00:13:32.029 folks to take it in. So, paper proofs and virtuals. 00:13:32.909 --> 00:13:35.690 Paper proof, in my mind, has become synonymous 00:13:35.690 --> 00:13:42.309 with the idea of a virtual mock -up. I think 00:13:42.309 --> 00:13:44.830 we're dating ourselves, Adrienne, when we say 00:13:44.830 --> 00:13:47.509 paper proof. And I totally get that because I 00:13:47.509 --> 00:13:50.549 think of it still that way. But they're really 00:13:50.549 --> 00:13:53.149 virtual mockups now. And that's often the first 00:13:53.149 --> 00:13:57.110 in the process. Then you might go to random sample. 00:13:57.450 --> 00:14:00.850 Then you might go to spec sample. And what I 00:14:00.850 --> 00:14:03.230 love about what Adrienne brought up is the cost 00:14:03.230 --> 00:14:05.730 of the samples. Because when you have tariffs 00:14:05.730 --> 00:14:09.620 involved or it's a more expensive item, Then 00:14:09.620 --> 00:14:12.940 the price tag goes up for the supplier and you 00:14:12.940 --> 00:14:16.940 may end up having to pay $20 for a $50 sample 00:14:16.940 --> 00:14:20.799 and so on. So I just wanted to sort of weave 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:24.539 those pieces together, Adrian, for the audience 00:14:24.539 --> 00:14:29.659 and support your comment of an SOP for order 00:14:29.659 --> 00:14:33.440 sample processing. So you need a virtual mock 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:36.429 -up slash paper proof. How are you going to shepherd 00:14:36.429 --> 00:14:39.429 that through your system? You have an order for 00:14:39.429 --> 00:14:41.850 a random sample. How are you going to shepherd 00:14:41.850 --> 00:14:44.169 that through your system and provide a tracking 00:14:44.169 --> 00:14:46.929 number? A spec sample should go through your 00:14:46.929 --> 00:14:50.570 production facility, just like a regular order. 00:14:51.090 --> 00:14:55.649 So those are all great insights. And I think 00:14:55.649 --> 00:14:59.750 that's a lot for our audience to take in. Blank 00:14:59.750 --> 00:15:02.870 samples, random samples, spec samples, and virtual 00:15:02.870 --> 00:15:06.889 mockups. all things to keep in mind. So I'm just 00:15:06.889 --> 00:15:11.090 going to offer some closing comments to Kim and 00:15:11.090 --> 00:15:15.070 Adrienne, and I'll turn it over to you, Kim. 00:15:16.350 --> 00:15:19.210 Yeah, Adrienne, I think you did nail a really 00:15:19.210 --> 00:15:24.149 important point. As a supplier, be helpful to 00:15:24.149 --> 00:15:27.889 your distributor. You're right. It takes very 00:15:27.889 --> 00:15:32.149 little time to create a mock -up. And so if you 00:15:32.149 --> 00:15:34.169 are working back and forth to the distributor 00:15:34.169 --> 00:15:37.990 who has a customer who's like they don't know 00:15:37.990 --> 00:15:42.330 if they want a blue item or a pink item, if they 00:15:42.330 --> 00:15:46.549 want the large water bottle or a stemless wine 00:15:46.549 --> 00:15:51.350 glass, right? Mock all of those up because when 00:15:51.350 --> 00:15:55.090 the customer can see it, they can make a decision. 00:15:55.789 --> 00:15:59.990 And so don't wait until you have a firm order 00:15:59.990 --> 00:16:04.600 because that firm order may or may not come because 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:08.580 the customer can't visualize it. So it's easy 00:16:08.580 --> 00:16:12.840 to have your team for a pretty short time, do 00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:17.480 that mockup of multiple ideas so that the customer 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:20.279 can actually say, the distributor can take to 00:16:20.279 --> 00:16:22.919 the customer and be like, here are your options. 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:27.299 And they can go, oh, I like that one. And now 00:16:27.299 --> 00:16:30.250 you have a firm order. you already know what 00:16:30.250 --> 00:16:32.769 item, you already know where the placement of 00:16:32.769 --> 00:16:34.970 the logo is going to be, you already know if 00:16:34.970 --> 00:16:37.870 they want it in color or laser, because all that 00:16:37.870 --> 00:16:41.830 little prep up front dictated and got a really 00:16:41.830 --> 00:16:46.210 solid order. So I think I can't stress enough 00:16:46.210 --> 00:16:49.870 the importance of those mockups, but really being 00:16:49.870 --> 00:16:55.029 a partner in that pre -sale process with your 00:16:55.029 --> 00:16:57.990 distributor. Yeah, and asking all the right questions, 00:16:58.009 --> 00:17:01.929 like Adrian brought up. Make sure you know who's 00:17:01.929 --> 00:17:04.630 the customer. What are they using it for? Is 00:17:04.630 --> 00:17:08.130 there a theme? When is the ultimate in hand state? 00:17:08.569 --> 00:17:11.710 We could go under layers of do you need to check 00:17:11.710 --> 00:17:14.430 inventory to make sure that that thing you're 00:17:14.430 --> 00:17:16.630 doing the mock -up on is actually going to be 00:17:16.630 --> 00:17:22.009 available. Exactly. There are layers to it. Adrian 00:17:22.009 --> 00:17:24.390 and Kim, you illustrated that so beautifully. 00:17:25.089 --> 00:17:28.509 Adrian. Oh, Adrian is one more, but not the one. 00:17:28.609 --> 00:17:29.690 It's my time. I didn't want to interrupt you. 00:17:29.690 --> 00:17:32.470 You go, you go girl. Okay. Okay. So two things. 00:17:32.670 --> 00:17:35.589 One is we're going to have another episode on 00:17:35.589 --> 00:17:39.029 why your customer service should actually be 00:17:39.029 --> 00:17:42.829 slash sales. Okay. And not just strictly. They 00:17:42.829 --> 00:17:45.549 all should be true. And here's the big thing. 00:17:46.250 --> 00:17:51.480 Invoice your sample, no matter what. It doesn't 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:53.819 matter even if you're gonna narrow it down zip 00:17:53.819 --> 00:17:56.799 it out and it's gonna be zero so give the supply 00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:00.440 give the distributor and invoice. Clearly with 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:03.259 the product clearly with the item number clearly 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:07.460 with whatever it was blue whatever that is with 00:18:07.460 --> 00:18:10.940 you can give like just the general cost of it 00:18:10.940 --> 00:18:13.400 this the distributors cost like whatever that 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:16.250 looks like and then you could say. because you 00:18:16.250 --> 00:18:18.390 could also do memo billing, which we didn't really 00:18:18.390 --> 00:18:20.630 talk about either, where you could say you could 00:18:20.630 --> 00:18:23.589 have this sample for 30 days, but I'm going to 00:18:23.589 --> 00:18:25.650 want it back. Otherwise, you're going to be paying 00:18:25.650 --> 00:18:29.250 for it. So that's an option that works. But invoice 00:18:29.250 --> 00:18:32.250 your supplier no matter what it is gives you 00:18:32.250 --> 00:18:35.369 the paper trail you need. And it adds value to 00:18:35.369 --> 00:18:37.809 the sample. I don't really care if it's a luggage 00:18:37.809 --> 00:18:41.509 tag or a little pencil. You don't do it. It's 00:18:41.509 --> 00:18:44.160 going to bite you in your butt. So trust me. 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:47.460 I love that insight, Adrienne, because if you 00:18:47.460 --> 00:18:51.680 don't have a CRM system, customer relationship 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:55.279 management system, invoicing those samples is 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:57.940 the way that you're going to tickle your team 00:18:57.940 --> 00:19:00.900 or yourself to follow up and see what happened 00:19:00.900 --> 00:19:05.319 with that sample. So another piece of this, suppliers, 00:19:06.019 --> 00:19:09.059 is how are you set up to follow up? I mean, I 00:19:09.059 --> 00:19:12.599 know with some of my supplier clients, We're 00:19:12.599 --> 00:19:15.920 a super small team. We're not set up properly. 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:18.400 We don't have the organization. We don't have 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:22.319 a CRM. So, you know, using Excel spreadsheets 00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:25.539 and going back through your invoices might be 00:19:25.539 --> 00:19:29.119 your only tools for follow -up. So great, great 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:31.920 point, Adrienne. Give value to the sample even 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:34.859 if you're sending it free. Have a way to follow 00:19:34.859 --> 00:19:39.319 up. And that tracking is so super important for 00:19:39.319 --> 00:19:43.180 distributors. after you send the sample. You 00:19:43.180 --> 00:19:46.140 need to be able to track that sample yourself 00:19:46.140 --> 00:19:49.220 to be able to follow up or send it to the distributor. 00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:51.960 So they're not stressed about, did my client 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:55.259 get that? Eliminate that extra phone call, that 00:19:55.259 --> 00:19:58.039 extra email. Make sure you're able to provide 00:19:58.039 --> 00:20:03.140 the tracking. So I think that's a lot for a nice 00:20:03.140 --> 00:20:06.500 segment to end this segment on, the importance 00:20:06.500 --> 00:20:10.500 of samples. Onward wishing all of our supplier 00:20:10.500 --> 00:20:12.980 listeners success and our distributor partners 00:20:12.980 --> 00:20:15.759 success. We'll look forward to our next segment. 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:20.799 Thanks for tuning into the promo playbook. If 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:23.880 you found value in today's episode, be sure to 00:20:23.880 --> 00:20:27.000 subscribe and leave us a review. Got a topic 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:29.619 you'd love us to cover? Connect with us on LinkedIn. 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:33.529 We want to hear from you. Until next time, stay 00:20:33.529 --> 00:20:36.589 smart, stay strategic, and keep growing your 00:20:36.589 --> 00:20:37.549 supplier success.