Welcome to the promo playbook, the podcast where
suppliers come to win in the promotional products
industry. We're your hosts, Lisa Faustik and
Adrienne Barker, bringing you insider insights,
expert strategies, and no fluff advice to help
suppliers navigate the promo channel like pros.
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Hey everybody, welcome to this episode of the
promo playbook. I'm so excited to be here today
with my co -hosts, Kim Ballerine and Adrienne
Barker. Today we're going to dive into the interesting
topic of why should distributors take a look
at boutique suppliers and retail brands. There
are two different ends of the spectrum, and we're
going to unpack the differences between boutique
suppliers and retail brands and what they mean
to distributors. This is a distributor -facing
episode, definitely geared to benefiting suppliers
as well. But some of the feedback I've had working
with boutique suppliers and brands from distributors
is, hey, Do they know how to function in our
industry? Do they know what a virtual proof is?
How fast will they get back to me? So all of
these questions are top of mind for distributors
because what we know as distributors, all of
us working with distributors is this is your
livelihood. You want to trust and depend on your
suppliers to deliver a quality product on time
at a good price. So to set the stage, new boutique
suppliers to the industry, they might not know
all that yet. They might not know the order management
process. They might not understand how important
inventory is and how to serve the distributor
correctly. And then for retail brands, it's a
little bit of a different focus because they're
a big company, a big brand already. How do they
add in a new sales channel? So I think what I'll
start with is, why should a distributor take
a chance on a new boutique supplier? Adrienne,
what are your thoughts on that? Okay, so I think
if you are a new distributor, is that what we
said? Or just a distributor? Any distributor
can take a chance on a boutique supplier that's
new to the industry. And there's a lot of great
boutique suppliers that are new to the industry
that usually are doing one or two items and they're
doing it really well and there's something that's
interesting. I mean my philosophy anyway as a
distributor is that if you're not giving part
of your your day whether it's 30 minutes a day
to learning something new That's not good. You
really have to learn something new new products
a lot of times and let's take if it's okay to
mention Brian from the tour to spice. What a
great line. What a unique line I was proud to
attend ASI show and show his line and what I
found was I was surprised what a distributor
walked by I don't sell spice and I'm thinking
wait a second It's not about selling spice and
then it was all behind it. But I said to myself
Kim and Lisa, you know what? If you're not willing
to learn that it's probably not the line for
you. So my first answer would be because you
want to take care of your client and you want
to have up with ideas. And so how do you do that?
So why are you selling everything else the same?
And then you may possibly complain that everyone's
selling a mug, everyone's selling a, you know,
Like the book line, which I love the book company,
very unique. Not everyone's selling a book. Everyone's
selling a pen. Everyone's selling an imprinted
notebook. So my thought is you'd want to learn
a new line and develop a relationship because
they're going to really pay attention to you.
You're not going to be lost. I love that before
we're talking, Kim and mentioned a minnow and
a pond. I'm wondering, sometimes you may be a
Amoeba. You may not even like you may just be
the little, the little Amoeba that's swimming
out there. the boutique suppliers will take a
look at you. They'll talk to you. You can have
those conversations. When you see them at the
show, they're not gonna have a hundred distributors
around them. So it's important to understand
new lines, even as a distributor. And I've always
wanted to say this out loud. Even if you don't
have a client that is interested in spices or
teas. That doesn't necessarily mean that you
can't sell it. It actually means that you should
sell it and you should take it and have it really
be something that you can now promote. Because
guess what? Other distributors, they have the
attitude. They're ones that all walk by. They
didn't give themselves something really cool
to show off. That's it. I'm going to get off
that wheel. Great. Really, really good comments.
Kim, before I sort of reiterate Adrienne's points,
anything to add? Yeah. I love the fact that,
I love your analogy of everyone sells the mug,
everyone sells the pen, because it's true. And
distributors are always looking for something
new. Your customer, the end user wants something
new. They don't want cookie cutter all the time.
And all you need is that one thing that's like
that aha moment. And even if they don't buy it,
the fact that they're like, oh, Adrienne must
really know. have access to all these products.
She's got spices, she's got this, she has that.
She's good, like she knows, right? She's not
just going to like the tried and trues, the boring,
any of that. So I think that being able to connect
with those butique suppliers gives you as a distributor
an edge. Awesome, awesome. So great, great point.
So why take a chance? Why look at a special supplier
or a boutique supplier? So just to kind of review
some of those notes, the number one question
when I was a distributor that I was asked was,
Lisa, what do you have that's new? Well, I'm
suggesting don't wait for your customer to ask.
Be proactive. Find those things that are going
to set yourself apart. Find creative products
and solutions, fresh ideas. Create new relationships
with suppliers who might be more nimble at helping
you solve problems and deliver unique bespoke
items. Set yourself apart. I mean, that's really
what it's all about. Step out of the commodity
sales model and find the creative edge that's
going to get your customer's attention. Find
that aha moment with yourself and your end user
customer that even if they don't buy the item
right then, that Kim mentioned, you've really
established yourself as a creative partner in
the mind of the customer. And that's so important
now more than ever. Yes, the industry is moving
to transactional sales. Yes, you want to participate
in the transactional sale revolution, as I think
of it, but you also want to be able to set yourself
apart with a creative mindset. So thank you guys.
All great points there. So I'm going to flip
that over to the retail side. Kim, talk to us
a little bit about why would a supplier, I'm
sorry, why would a distributor want to look at
a retail brand? We've all heard the horror stories
of Yeti and Stanley not having inventory, things
going wrong, great brands, by the way, wonderful,
wonderful brands, but they couldn't really quite
nail it in promo. So. Why take a chance on a
retail brand? Yeah, you know, you made a great
point. Not every retail brand can survive, right,
in promo. But those that do, first, you have
quality, right? You can't be everything to everyone.
So finding that supplier, whether it's a big
retail brand, you know, like a Yeti, a Quirksicle,
a Hydropique, any of those guys, versus someone
who might have a real niche in a market, it doesn't
matter, but that quality is there, right? So
even if it's like, oh, I haven't heard of that
brand. Well, no, but they've been around for
15 years making these amazing leather, maybe
they're leather -bound journals, and they're
made in the USA, and it's a family company, and
it's tried and true. Why not take that chance
on them? You go from that little minnow to a
bigger fish with that smaller supplier, so you
are also going to get the attention that you
might not get at a traditional supplier that
has multi -line. You'll likely have a better
customer service. There's great opportunity there
to be able to unearth little nuggets. that you
didn't, that aren't at your traditional one.
So a great product, you've got that quality that
is tried and true. And even if they're just a
one, two, three, four, you know, product, um,
boutique supplier, like that's all you need,
right? The name of the game is to be different
and find value. And, you know, to your point
where we're moving so transactional and where
online platforms, you know, the end user is just
going on and buying. It's really important for
distributors to really show, improve their value
because why bother if I can do it on my own?
So if you're not out there giving creative ideas,
understanding your customer, finding those jewels
that you can't just find in a quick Google search,
then why should I make that phone call to you
when I could just go online and plug it all in?
So I think as we evolve, having that creativity
and being able to bring more things to the table
just proves your worth. Awesome, awesome. So
retail brands, quality, equity in the name, right?
You get your client's attention with the equity
in the name. By the way, you can buy blank sometimes
from your retail brands. your retail brand partners
and get them decorated elsewhere or there is
a trend in the industry for blank merchandise
to be delivered especially retail brands so price
value quality retail brand equity and setting
yourself apart by offering new fresh conversations.
hitting the trend in promo that retail brands
are gaining more and more traction. So all great
reasons to look at your retail brands. So we're
going to slip this topic a little bit to what
do you want to be aware of? And what do you want
to pay attention to when you're working with
a boutique supplier? And what we mean by boutique
supplier, that is somebody who has unique special
products. or has products where they're in the
retail space and they want to enter the promo
channel. It's something new and different entering
the promo industry on one hand, but it also could
be a product that's in the industry already,
but this boutique supplier has a new fresh take
on it. And I'll use Hydropeak as that example
because they take drinkware and elevate it with
their decoration techniques and turn products
into collectibles and keepsakes. So that's a
different way to be thinking about how you present
and sell promotional products that are commodity
based. So all good stuff. So now I want to move
to what do you have to be aware of? Some of the
things that I found in this process is Sometimes
a boutique supplier doesn't understand how the
industry works. They're not sure how to structure
their pricing. Maybe they don't know how to give
you the discount that you need. Maybe they can't
take an order in the way that you're used to
placing orders through your supplier partners
that are in the industry. Inventory is a big
part of it. Making sure they have inventory.
or if they make on demand that they can make
it for you in your time frame. Order management
process, what does that look like? So Adrienne,
I'm going to put that over to you, order management
process. Tell me what that has looked like with
some of your customers, some of your consulting
suppliers. So first of all, I do want to say
that what's lovely about a boutique supplier
Is if you could call them or if you get their
cell phone number you could have direct access
access to them very difficult with the larger
suppliers. I mean I always say when you're going
to a show my goal when I go to show is to get
all the cell phone numbers of the suppliers and
I will tell you boutique suppliers are wonderful
they wanna share and I also just wanna share
this Lisa before I say any more about order management
is that I found as a distributor. This really
incredible pleasure. to be able to support a
boutique supplier in their journey and to be
able to, you know, it kind of reminds you a little
bit of artwork. You fall in love with the artists.
Same thing. You know, I fall in love with the
entrepreneur and the owner and the work that
they're doing. And once everything that Lisa
just said aligns, I want to sell that line. I
want to be their partner. That that's like the
beauty of it. That's the beauty of the whole
entire industry supporting each other. Order
management. Yes, it is very confusing. If you
put on your supplier hat, it is kind of different
to say, I have how many access to how many salespeople
that can sell my line? How many distributors
are there? Thousands and thousands that you can
get, like in your mind, you could say, I get
into all these distributors and they're all going
to be out there tomorrow. They're all going to
be meeting with their end users and they're going
to be like, this is the product. Okay, that probably
won't work. So you got to bring it down. So your
order. So I'm saying this, because we see this
is what happens. People feel like, oh, my gosh,
I've got something and I love the passion and
you have something. Yes, your order management
is so important. And first of all, if you are
doing a show, you have to understand that you're
a small boutique supplier, you're not going to
have the larger ones. Hopefully you'll have carpet
on the floor though that's kind of need and you
may only have a few items you have to make sure
you're plenty of samples and you don't go back
and listen to the podcast where we talk about.
Virtual proofs and actual spec samples but Lisa
there's not a process that's going to make sure
that you're going from a to z and that order
for the distributor. is produced and printed
and you've called and you've got feedback on
how wonderful it is because boutique suppliers
can do things like. Hey, Kim, saw your client
just got the order. We're really excited. The
minute you hear from your client, let us know.
We'd love your feedback. I never saw enough feedback,
but the boutique suppliers should be doing that.
They should find out exactly everything so that
they understand. But order management, I don't
know how you can run a business without making
sure your SOPs, your standard order processing,
all your procedures, your office procedures are
correct. So at the end of the day, Lisa, suppliers,
I think they need to go in with the same SOP
and essence of a big supplier. They can't like,
like to come into the industry as a boutique
supplier and have, let's just take Brian again,
for example, with, you know, now Brian had his
products. Now if you're smart and you you can
you know got to know brian you'll see all my
god he's adding new products all the time and
he's adding them on a timely basis his own artwork
is amazing if you get to know the owner brian
you're gonna understand that he has over forty
years in the industry and he's in architecture
like he will really work with you to find out
what your clients work i can't think of the word
brian i apologize but. So now you've got a boutique
supplier that's really a partner, someone that's,
and there's a lot of these boutique suppliers
like that, that you could call and say, hey,
I'm making a sales call Tuesday, 7 p .m. on Zoom.
Will you join me? And he will join you. I could
go on and on. I'm going to stop because boutique
suppliers have always made me happy. They're
the ones I go to see and talk to and get to learn
more about their business. Sorry. Thanks, Adrienne.
Thank you so much. Kim, anything to add before
I sort of start? Yes. I think you just sort of
nailed something, too, when you were just talking
about Brian and his ability to deliver product.
One thing, too, to set you apart, when you're
working with a boutique supplier, you can come
up with those creative ideas. So you can look
at bundling packages that maybe you'd you don't
offer to anybody else, but it works for this
customer. Lisa, we're working with a supplier
now and having them work with a boutique brand,
working with a supplier who came up with brand
new promotional only products that they're offering.
So they're retail and they have a whole retail
external to the consumer site. but they're able
to take their product and tweak it into packages
and bundles that are really specific for this
industry. And you raise a great point. When you're
with a really big supplier, even if you use your
big suppliers in the market, like your PCNAs,
your gem lines, your hits, you're limited, right?
They're not thinking, oh, I could take brand
A and bundle or brand B and take brand C and
we've got this great package. They're often very
focused in their lanes. And with the boutique
supplier, you might be like, oh, let's take this.
Or the supplier might be like, take our mug.
And do you have your favorite local coffee shop?
Like, why don't you grab that, package it together,
and now you've got this great experience you
can share. Or, hey, here's a stemless wine glass.
Why don't you bring a mobile ice cream truck
this summer? Bring everything. Put it in your
ice cream in your mobile in your summer swine
glass. And now you've created this great onsite
experience with something that your employees
take away. Like we brainstorm about that stuff
all the time. Your large suppliers don't always
do that. So I do think that there is an opportunity
to have that personal connection. And sometimes
you can get something really great and personalized
for yourself that you didn't even think of. Awesome.
Awesome. Great point. So bespoke products. created
just for the industry and specifically for your
project distributors and what that does not only
elevate you creativity creativity wise. um gives
your client something unique but also takes it
out of the price comparison realm where you know
your client has nothing to compare that pricing
to so that means that you maybe can make a little
more margin or you show up and get more value
from what you're presenting so so many great
reasons to look at boutique suppliers i love
adrian's comment of supporting new businesses
people new in the industry um giving us all an
expanded viewpoint of products that are available
in the world. Sometimes our industry feels very
stagnant and tight because it's so hard for small
suppliers to gain a foothold or to enter into
the market. So it's hard for a new supplier to
get noticed. And if you are a champion for them,
you get all the perks that Adrienne and Kim mentioned,
direct access, get their cell number at a show.
The supplier can join you on a sales call and
really support you as part of your sales team.
I do want to mention, I think for logistics wise,
it's important for the distributor to understand
and give the new supplier grace that they might
not know the system. They might not know exactly
how to work with a promotional product distributor.
So I'm just going to invite distributors to see
themselves as a guide. to be able to help those
suppliers learn the industry. I believe it's
up to you to manage your order with that type
of supplier if you're taking a chance with a
new supplier. And I know how busy everybody is.
I know how hard it is, especially for a midsize
distributor to add to their plate. But when you
do take a chance on a new supplier, make it your
business to help them be successful for you.
I think those are really important things. Adrian,
we have another point. Sorry. I was just thinking
you probably should check the credit of the new
supplier and make sure because you don't want
to be in a situation where you're working with
a supplier that may be in a in a tough financial
situation or actually on bankruptcy. We've seen
that happen. So just a thought. Sorry. And so,
you know, I think the point there is that that
your new supplier, you know, make sure that they're
legit. that they can deliver what you're asking
them for. So over to the retail market, Kim,
some of these things are the same. But what have
you seen in terms of things distributors should
be aware of when working with a retail brand
that they need to sort of look out for? Yeah,
I mean, it's not necessarily bad stuff, right?
But it is a different, right. It's definitely
a different expectation. So sometimes you may
be used to a three day turnaround. And when you're
working with a brand who's playing both sides
of the fence, it might be a longer turnaround,
right? So building in that time, the same capabilities
of kidding and adding notes and some of that
personalization might not always be there. It's
not always needed on half the orders anyway.
So it shouldn't be a deterrent. But I think you
just need to understand that there may be some
limitations on what that boutique brand can do
versus what you may be used to in working with
some of the larger, all -encompassing suppliers.
Great, great point. And that's really partnership
right there, working through and within the parameters
of the retail brand, like understanding that
they're like the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship
and they can't turn as quickly. They might want
to, and they do want to show up for you and be
the best partners they can be, but sometimes
they can't do what we as distributors want them
to do, because we're always pushed in the envelope,
right? Distributors are always like, I just need
this one more creative thing, you know, and sometimes
a supplier has to say, hey, we don't do that.
And then you go on your merry way finding a solution.
Maybe it's another third party or you find a
way to make it all work. What I found with retail
brands is they're amazing to work with. I do
like to pay attention to inventory conversations,
because as Kim mentioned, with a retail brand,
there might be multiple sales channels drawing
on the same inventory. It could be Amazon, it
could be consumer, it could be promotional products,
it could be decorators. I think being aware that
inventory has to be checked right up until the
minute you send the order really helps you be
successful as a distributor delivering retail
product. So lots of great stuff here. I think
we've covered the basics. Why work with a boutique
supplier? Creativity, man, that's the number
one thing for me. Set yourself apart by being
creative. and do your due diligence and be a
good partner to that supplier. Retail brands,
they're ready. They're willing to work with you.
Again, be a good partner. Help them be successful
for you. So I think I'm going to wrap up my comments
there. Any last comments, Kim and Adrienne? No,
I think it's worth the chance. I mean, that is
going to be the differentiator for you as a distributor.
to set yourself apart is to really be that partner,
not only with your end user, but that partner
with your suppliers as well. So don't shy away
from someone or be scared of, oh, but they only
sell spices. Yeah, but those spices could be
bundled with so many awesome things to make a
great presentation and something very different.
And to your point, Lisa, something that's not
traditionally on the market. you can really set
the bar there in terms of pricing and value and
everything else. So I think a boutique supplier
should be embraced. Awesome. Thanks, Kim. Adrienne,
distributors, you're getting ready to go to all
the shows. This is the season right now. Don't
rock by the small supplier that's there, the
boutique supplier. at these shows just because
they don't have a line of people, they may not
be handing something out. Take the time to learn.
At the minimum, grab a flyer or grab a picture
of the booth or their catalog. At the maximum,
take time to learn, exchange cell phone numbers,
and develop a relationship right there at the
show. That's why the show is there. Thank you,
Lisa. What great information. And Kim, you're
amazing. I really appreciate it today. So thank
you guys for your comments. I think I want to
Say these things that you are a guide to the
supplier. Help them on their journey. Keep our
industry vibrant, unique, special. Help these
new suppliers join the industry by being a great
partner to them. It's a win -win. So thanks everybody
for joining today and we'll see you next time.
Stay successful. Thanks for tuning into the promo
playbook. If you found value in today's episode,
be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. Got
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next time, stay smart, stay strategic, and keep
growing your supplier's success.