WEBVTT 00:00:07.660 --> 00:00:10.779 Hey everybody, welcome to this episode of the 00:00:10.779 --> 00:00:13.839 promo plague playbook. Today's going to be a 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:18.940 bite size segment around outreach by suppliers 00:00:18.940 --> 00:00:22.260 to distributors. And we're going to focus mostly 00:00:22.260 --> 00:00:25.239 on boutique suppliers because that's what we 00:00:25.239 --> 00:00:28.500 feel our audience is most engaged in. And what 00:00:28.500 --> 00:00:32.240 are some of the ways you can reach out to distributors 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:35.549 and distributor reps? to bubble up your brand 00:00:35.549 --> 00:00:38.770 to stay top of mind with the folks who are your 00:00:38.770 --> 00:00:42.369 sales force boots on the ground presenting your 00:00:42.369 --> 00:00:46.009 product to end users. So I'm going to kick it 00:00:46.009 --> 00:00:48.810 off. I'm going to send this over to Adrienne. 00:00:48.869 --> 00:00:51.049 We're going to start off by talking a little 00:00:51.049 --> 00:00:56.490 bit about regional shows and why they are important 00:00:56.490 --> 00:00:59.350 and why they might be something for you to look 00:00:59.350 --> 00:01:02.960 at in terms of your outreach. Adrienne. Thank 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:05.920 you, Lisa. Good morning, Kim. You know, it's 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:07.659 so funny because you almost make it sound like 00:01:07.659 --> 00:01:09.579 such an easy, like, oh, you know, we're just 00:01:09.579 --> 00:01:11.879 going to talk about reaching out to distributors. 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:15.540 Let's just preface it by we know and we understand 00:01:15.540 --> 00:01:18.620 that it's not the easiest thing. And we know 00:01:18.620 --> 00:01:23.079 we understand that distributors are busy. But 00:01:23.079 --> 00:01:24.980 distributors, if you're not picking up the phone, 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:27.480 if you're not learning about a new line, you're 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:29.840 not hurting yourself. You're also hurting your 00:01:29.900 --> 00:01:32.019 client too. So you have to think about that. 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:34.180 So you have to, you have to keep room in your 00:01:34.180 --> 00:01:37.260 brain for new products because even though you 00:01:37.260 --> 00:01:39.400 may say, well, nobody's ever asked me about this 00:01:39.400 --> 00:01:41.879 particular item. Guess what? The minute you say 00:01:41.879 --> 00:01:43.260 it, the next day they're going to be calling 00:01:43.260 --> 00:01:46.200 and asking you. So I believe as a former distributor, 00:01:46.739 --> 00:01:48.900 the importance of learning and understanding 00:01:48.900 --> 00:01:53.079 and taking calls. But many of you are not answering 00:01:53.079 --> 00:01:57.500 the phone for the suppliers and you are not necessarily 00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:00.560 making it easy. And so we do want to hear from 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:02.980 you. So make sure you comment and share your 00:02:02.980 --> 00:02:06.400 thoughts on this book. Lisa, I think that the 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:09.659 regional shows are important. And let me tell 00:02:09.659 --> 00:02:13.719 you why. Because right now, inflation is high, 00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:17.219 cost of gas is high, flights are expensive, and 00:02:17.219 --> 00:02:19.520 people are planning to go to Las Vegas. And there's 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:22.580 still inexpensive, but very nice hotels that 00:02:22.580 --> 00:02:25.479 you could stay in, you know, and maybe at $100 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:28.199 a night. You're gonna have food that you're gonna 00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:30.520 be spending and PBI That's probably gonna eat 00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:32.680 up most of your budget and you may not be able 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:36.259 to send all 12 of your reps So those local regionals 00:02:36.259 --> 00:02:38.740 are so important. That's where you they could 00:02:38.740 --> 00:02:41.719 go for a day, you know And hopefully it's not 00:02:41.719 --> 00:02:44.139 that long of a drive. I think oh, you know going 00:02:44.139 --> 00:02:47.460 three maybe even four hours Let them have a night, 00:02:47.460 --> 00:02:49.719 you know overnight, but this is where they're 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:54.340 meeting their local rep. I love ASI and PPAI, 00:02:54.340 --> 00:02:57.159 but you are often meeting reps that are not even 00:02:57.159 --> 00:03:00.060 your market. The glory of meeting someone, a 00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:02.560 rep in your market, getting their cell phone 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:05.900 number, becoming friends with them, that's going 00:03:05.900 --> 00:03:09.740 to make a huge difference. So absolutely, first 00:03:09.740 --> 00:03:13.419 of all, joining your regional, it's not even 00:03:13.419 --> 00:03:16.479 expensive. If I could say maybe the most expensive 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:21.319 one is 200 and the average is about 150 and then 00:03:21.469 --> 00:03:27.509 They're putting a lot together to create a showroom 00:03:27.509 --> 00:03:29.629 right there on this floor that is being done 00:03:29.629 --> 00:03:32.349 regional. So suppliers, you should absolutely 00:03:32.349 --> 00:03:35.210 say yes, even if you're attending the two large 00:03:35.210 --> 00:03:38.050 trade shows, because a lot of distributors are 00:03:38.050 --> 00:03:40.349 not heading to these big shows. They look forward 00:03:40.349 --> 00:03:42.960 to and they need to go to the regionals. So hopefully 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:45.280 I answer the question regarding that. Awesome. 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:47.520 No, that was great input. And I think I want 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:50.620 to pull out of that, Adrienne, for small teams, 00:03:51.020 --> 00:03:54.060 regional shows are doable. If you're one person 00:03:54.060 --> 00:03:57.659 show, a two person show, a three person organization, 00:03:58.360 --> 00:04:01.699 if you can spend one day at a show meeting your 00:04:01.699 --> 00:04:06.460 local reps and building trust and letting them 00:04:06.460 --> 00:04:09.400 get to know you, there's a lot of value in that. 00:04:09.419 --> 00:04:13.599 So I also want to mention if you do go to PPAI, 00:04:13.819 --> 00:04:18.620 there usually is a regional coffee meeting where 00:04:18.620 --> 00:04:21.540 you can go for free and you can meet all of the 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:24.579 regional organizations. They're also listed on 00:04:24.579 --> 00:04:28.600 the PPAI website. So that's a great way to get 00:04:28.600 --> 00:04:32.220 started launching your brand in promo and establishing 00:04:32.220 --> 00:04:35.240 your brand in promo. Kim, anything you want to 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:39.240 tag on to that in terms of the shows? No, I mean 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:41.740 I agree with Adrian, you know, if you can get 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:44.720 there quickly keep the cost down It's also an 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:47.160 opportunity to really talk more one -on -one 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:51.100 with distributors to PPA I is ginormous people 00:04:51.100 --> 00:04:53.339 are coming and going, you know, you're lucky 00:04:53.339 --> 00:04:57.540 if you get that seven minutes be dating At the 00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:00.740 booth I do think you get more time and more meaningful 00:05:00.740 --> 00:05:04.699 conversations at those regional shows It also 00:05:04.699 --> 00:05:07.430 quite frankly makes follow -up way more easier 00:05:07.430 --> 00:05:11.290 and targeted. So if you're meeting people one 00:05:11.290 --> 00:05:13.850 -on -one, you do have a smaller audience, it 00:05:13.850 --> 00:05:17.250 makes it so much more manageable to go back to 00:05:17.250 --> 00:05:20.490 the office, do the follow -up, reaching out to 00:05:20.490 --> 00:05:22.470 your distributor, sending your samples, then 00:05:22.470 --> 00:05:26.189 coming home with a stack of 300 business cards, 00:05:26.870 --> 00:05:29.889 or looking at your spreadsheet that you put together 00:05:29.889 --> 00:05:32.689 every night. So I think that there's some great 00:05:32.689 --> 00:05:35.420 benefits to that. Awesome. Thank you for that. 00:05:35.939 --> 00:05:38.259 So you kind of give me a good segue into the 00:05:38.259 --> 00:05:42.040 next part, which is email marketing. So when 00:05:42.040 --> 00:05:45.100 you go to the regional shows, make sure you take 00:05:45.100 --> 00:05:47.519 that list. That's going to be your seed list. 00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:49.959 This is going to become part of your marketing 00:05:49.959 --> 00:05:53.920 plan in the future. So that's like gold when 00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:57.089 you get the attendee list from the show. And 00:05:57.089 --> 00:05:59.970 I also do want to mention a lot of multi -line 00:05:59.970 --> 00:06:03.829 reps also have smaller local shows. So you want 00:06:03.829 --> 00:06:06.370 to be dialing into that. And when you're at a 00:06:06.370 --> 00:06:09.149 regional show, introduce yourself to the multi 00:06:09.149 --> 00:06:12.029 -line reps that are exhibiting and build your 00:06:12.029 --> 00:06:14.930 relationships with the other suppliers as well. 00:06:15.370 --> 00:06:18.129 So you want to start a good email list. I think 00:06:18.129 --> 00:06:21.769 one of the most common and doable ways to stay 00:06:21.769 --> 00:06:24.709 in touch is email marketing. Now there's pros 00:06:24.709 --> 00:06:27.540 and cons to that. You can sign up for an email 00:06:27.540 --> 00:06:31.540 marketing service like MailChimp or Constant 00:06:31.540 --> 00:06:35.120 Contact, or you can do it manually. You still 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:38.439 have to create a compelling message and you still 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:41.300 have to set a cadence for yourself so that you 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:45.420 are staying in touch on what I call a non -intrusive 00:06:45.420 --> 00:06:49.040 basis because your reps are getting hundreds, 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:52.579 potentially hundreds of email marketing messages 00:06:52.579 --> 00:06:56.639 from suppliers. daily. So, Adrienne, what are 00:06:56.639 --> 00:06:59.139 your thoughts on the email marketing side of 00:06:59.139 --> 00:07:02.360 it? Okay, so I'm going to be realistic right 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:06.160 now. First of all, constant contact in Mailchimp 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:08.699 is, in my mind, kind of old. You need a really 00:07:08.699 --> 00:07:12.019 good CRM program. You need to keep up with it. 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:15.540 You need to actually have someone in your office 00:07:15.540 --> 00:07:19.860 really handle emails because there's millions 00:07:19.860 --> 00:07:22.819 of reasons why an email will not be delivered 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:25.220 correctly, right? You've got to remove those 00:07:25.220 --> 00:07:28.120 unsubscriber. You've got to make sure that you're 00:07:28.120 --> 00:07:30.360 keeping it clean. And then we're not talking 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:32.720 right now the marketing and the actual email 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:37.220 itself. If you are a supplier and you don't have 00:07:37.220 --> 00:07:40.879 a CRM, I'm gonna say it. I don't think you have 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:44.800 a business. So no, do not do it without, do not 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:47.660 do it on your own. First of all, you really can't 00:07:47.660 --> 00:07:51.389 send any more. I could maybe send 20 emails here 00:07:51.389 --> 00:07:54.350 and there, but if I start to send too many, Outlook's 00:07:54.350 --> 00:07:56.990 going to ding me and now all of a sudden all 00:07:56.990 --> 00:07:59.509 my emails are going to junk mail. And Lisa and 00:07:59.509 --> 00:08:02.050 Kim, I really say this, every email that we send 00:08:02.050 --> 00:08:04.470 out, whether it's through a program or not, it's 00:08:04.470 --> 00:08:06.850 almost an assumption that it was not received. 00:08:07.730 --> 00:08:10.189 Because it's gonna get lost, it's gonna go in 00:08:10.189 --> 00:08:15.040 the junk mail. So I... I think that if you are 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:18.779 going to do email you find someone who's an expert 00:08:18.779 --> 00:08:22.120 that understands that can give you the right 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:24.500 CRM program that's going to make sense for you 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:26.600 that they're going to clean it up after every 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:28.579 single time that they send it they're going to 00:08:28.579 --> 00:08:30.680 validate whatever needs to be validated because 00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:34.929 I don't know enough but I do know that and be 00:08:34.929 --> 00:08:37.429 thoughtful of your time sending an email the 00:08:37.429 --> 00:08:40.370 week of Thanksgiving. Well, you know, that may 00:08:40.370 --> 00:08:42.789 not be the best time, not because it's just an 00:08:42.789 --> 00:08:44.950 awful time because Black Friday, but that's because 00:08:44.950 --> 00:08:47.129 it's Black Friday and everyone else is sending 00:08:47.129 --> 00:08:49.529 emails. You got to know the times that are best 00:08:49.529 --> 00:08:51.509 and you're going to do a lot of testing to make 00:08:51.509 --> 00:08:54.789 sure you're doing it right. So that's my thoughts 00:08:54.789 --> 00:09:00.029 on email marketing. Kim. And, you know, to follow 00:09:00.029 --> 00:09:02.370 up on that, you have to get over your own disdain. 00:09:02.460 --> 00:09:07.419 for your own email box, right? So, all of us 00:09:07.419 --> 00:09:09.320 wake up in the morning and we're like, more email, 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:12.080 more email, more email. But you know what? You 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:14.759 can name all those emails and all those companies 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:17.519 today, if I asked you, because they're hitting 00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:21.240 you on the head. It's the same concept when you're 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:24.379 reaching out to your distributors. If they don't 00:09:24.379 --> 00:09:28.629 see you, they're not going to call you. So even 00:09:28.629 --> 00:09:31.429 though you may be like, oh, I don't want to be 00:09:31.429 --> 00:09:33.889 one of those people. I don't want to be one of 00:09:33.889 --> 00:09:36.990 those emails. If you are not one of those emails, 00:09:37.330 --> 00:09:41.769 you will not get that phone call. It takes repetitiveness 00:09:41.769 --> 00:09:45.889 over and over again for people to just think, 00:09:46.710 --> 00:09:50.789 oh, yes, I do have a project that needs a t -shirt 00:09:50.789 --> 00:09:54.080 and look. Organic tea stars right here right 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:58.639 here, right? So There is there, you know, I get 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:00.799 the trepidation that you don't want to be one 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:04.259 of them But you want to be one of them because 00:10:04.259 --> 00:10:07.100 everybody else all your competitors are one of 00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:10.720 them And if you're not that's worse Awesome. 00:10:10.779 --> 00:10:14.860 Thank you so much. So box on I love that so just 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:18.120 a couple of follow -up notes on that on all of 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:20.850 this great compelling knowledge that that Kim 00:10:20.850 --> 00:10:24.889 and Adrian are sharing. Don't be, well, one thing 00:10:24.889 --> 00:10:27.549 is if you're not using a CRM and you're not using 00:10:27.549 --> 00:10:29.909 an email marketing service and you're doing them 00:10:29.909 --> 00:10:33.649 on your own, you won't have open rates. If you 00:10:33.649 --> 00:10:36.769 do use a service, you will have open rates. But 00:10:36.769 --> 00:10:39.850 what I want to say to support Kim's comment is 00:10:39.850 --> 00:10:43.450 get it out there. Even if it's not opened, the 00:10:43.450 --> 00:10:47.419 distributor has seen, oh, You know, this this 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:50.820 supplier is consistently emailing me. Maybe I 00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:53.539 want to start paying attention to them. So even 00:10:53.539 --> 00:10:55.799 though they don't open it, they see your subject 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:58.220 line and they see that it's coming from you. 00:10:58.379 --> 00:11:01.620 So that's important. There is equity in doing 00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:05.700 that, even if the email hasn't been opened. So 00:11:05.700 --> 00:11:10.980 really, really good Intel here. And for me, when 00:11:10.980 --> 00:11:13.980 I work on email marketing, I try to keep it short. 00:11:15.100 --> 00:11:18.019 compelling and hopefully have some type of offer 00:11:18.019 --> 00:11:21.259 or reason in that email for somebody to reach 00:11:21.259 --> 00:11:24.240 back out to me. Now, as a small supplier, you 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:28.620 might not have the luxury of offering a special 00:11:28.620 --> 00:11:32.899 deal or something like that, but at least have 00:11:32.899 --> 00:11:35.570 a link in there to book a meeting with you. So 00:11:35.570 --> 00:11:38.250 if they do open the email and they do want to 00:11:38.250 --> 00:11:41.370 reach out easily on their own terms, they can 00:11:41.370 --> 00:11:44.250 click your Calendly link and set up a meeting 00:11:44.250 --> 00:11:48.330 with you. So that's sort of a way that you can 00:11:48.330 --> 00:11:50.889 elevate your email marketing and not cost you 00:11:50.889 --> 00:11:54.289 anything. So what we're looking for for our boutique 00:11:54.289 --> 00:11:58.309 suppliers is approachable, manageable ways of 00:11:58.309 --> 00:12:02.279 marketing to your distributor network. So we're 00:12:02.279 --> 00:12:05.779 going to move on a little bit to social media. 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:11.340 And Adrian is a social media maven, super well 00:12:11.340 --> 00:12:15.000 versed in LinkedIn marketing, you know, has a 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:18.100 consulting business that helps many, many suppliers 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:21.879 and distributors in the industry. elevate their 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:25.360 LinkedIn and get clients through LinkedIn. But 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:28.539 there's also other social media outlets like 00:12:28.539 --> 00:12:31.500 Facebook pages and things like that, where as 00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:34.840 a supplier, you can show up. Adrienne, talk to 00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:39.100 us about LinkedIn. Okay, so for LinkedIn, that 00:12:39.100 --> 00:12:41.919 is really known as the business one. So let's 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:44.720 just kind of dispel the myths. First myth, the 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:48.190 supplier will say, no distributor wants to you 00:12:48.190 --> 00:12:51.070 know follow me or or you know they're not going 00:12:51.070 --> 00:12:52.970 to if i do a reach out they're not not going 00:12:52.970 --> 00:12:55.429 to connect with me the answer is you're wrong 00:12:55.429 --> 00:13:00.929 they will the second one is yeah but i i can't 00:13:00.929 --> 00:13:04.269 really be promoting my product because i'm not 00:13:04.269 --> 00:13:06.370 i don't sell to everyone i only sell in the industry 00:13:06.700 --> 00:13:08.720 oh that's okay you can actually that's how you 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:11.799 can help other distributors suppliers just put 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:14.460 a little asterisk and on the bottom say sold 00:13:14.460 --> 00:13:17.679 exclusively via promotional products professionals 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:20.980 you know reach out to yours that makes a lot 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:24.100 of sense now you're helping distributor that's 00:13:24.100 --> 00:13:25.840 what we want you want the distributor to say 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:28.620 hey to actually take it and be able to share 00:13:28.620 --> 00:13:32.980 it my advice for suppliers first of all have 00:13:32.980 --> 00:13:38.460 your own profile The old adage of the cobbler's 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:41.399 daughter has no shoes. That's what's taking place. 00:13:41.559 --> 00:13:44.139 You are in the marketing and branding industry. 00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:46.779 Why are you not marketing and branding yourself 00:13:46.779 --> 00:13:50.000 and your own expertise? I'm not even understanding 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:52.360 why, and I've seen so many. And distributors, 00:13:52.519 --> 00:13:55.559 I'm talking to you too. My gosh, make sure that 00:13:55.559 --> 00:13:57.940 you're LinkedIn. You're proud of where you work. 00:13:58.220 --> 00:14:01.570 Make sure the company page. is explains carefully 00:14:01.570 --> 00:14:05.070 what you do say sold exclusively through that 00:14:05.070 --> 00:14:07.549 just adding more value and makes a distributor 00:14:07.549 --> 00:14:10.690 think wow they really understand what i need 00:14:10.690 --> 00:14:13.470 and they will connect with you and and can you 00:14:13.470 --> 00:14:16.529 do me a favor suppliers don't reach out with 00:14:16.529 --> 00:14:19.529 a with a message like asking for information 00:14:19.529 --> 00:14:22.509 how how sales for you how's everything going 00:14:23.199 --> 00:14:25.419 don't make someone have to answer you. First, 00:14:25.559 --> 00:14:28.200 just have a nice connection request of who you 00:14:28.200 --> 00:14:30.820 are. And then your next one could be adding value. 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:34.220 Your biggest, the biggest thing you need to do 00:14:34.220 --> 00:14:38.919 on LinkedIn is add value. Okay. Do I think that 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:41.820 suppliers should be on Facebook or Instagram? 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:44.820 You know, I think it makes sense to have a company 00:14:44.820 --> 00:14:47.960 page, have a, you know, look nice, have some 00:14:47.960 --> 00:14:52.009 information carefully, but To me it's not like 00:14:52.009 --> 00:14:55.330 a place of selling like LinkedIn is so I think 00:14:55.330 --> 00:14:57.789 that with LinkedIn with a great connection Yes, 00:14:57.789 --> 00:15:02.009 I will Lisa. I'm happy to you have a very nominal 00:15:02.009 --> 00:15:04.830 fee to show you how to do it and and this way 00:15:04.830 --> 00:15:07.730 You have someone in your own office that understands 00:15:07.730 --> 00:15:10.710 the industry that will reach out to distributors 00:15:10.710 --> 00:15:13.070 Imagine that I'm working with two suppliers right 00:15:13.070 --> 00:15:16.210 now four years and we still have thousands of 00:15:16.210 --> 00:15:19.029 thousands of distributors to hit so you're gonna 00:15:19.179 --> 00:15:22.620 So I'm happy to train someone to go into your 00:15:22.620 --> 00:15:24.720 LinkedIn and how to do that. That's really that 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:27.879 that is very successful. It does work. It does 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:31.000 set up appointments. We had Alyssa Turner from 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:33.899 Splash Brands on an episode or two. So you can 00:15:33.899 --> 00:15:37.179 go back and listen to that one. And Alyssa and 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:39.620 Mike in the office and Kayla have been, you know, 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:42.870 using the outreach. And distributors that are 00:15:42.870 --> 00:15:44.429 smart are like you know what I'd like to learn 00:15:44.429 --> 00:15:46.929 a little bit more about what you offer because 00:15:46.929 --> 00:15:49.830 as a distributor again you want to make sure 00:15:49.830 --> 00:15:51.730 you have enough headspace that you can learn 00:15:51.730 --> 00:15:55.549 so but don't put all your energy into linkedin 00:15:55.549 --> 00:15:57.690 either like you know be very careful the only 00:15:57.690 --> 00:15:59.129 thing I have to say with linkedin though is when 00:15:59.129 --> 00:16:02.529 you send your your messages, or if you do a newsletter, 00:16:02.610 --> 00:16:04.330 I'm happy to show anyone how to do a newsletter, 00:16:04.789 --> 00:16:07.210 you are actually reaching right into their focus 00:16:07.210 --> 00:16:10.250 inbox. Whereas when you're sending emails, and 00:16:10.250 --> 00:16:12.830 even through like a MailChimp, sometimes you're 00:16:12.830 --> 00:16:16.549 in that unfocused mailbox, depending on how someone 00:16:16.549 --> 00:16:19.509 set it up. But LinkedIn, you really 100 % know. 00:16:19.529 --> 00:16:22.570 So I think all boutique suppliers should absolutely 00:16:22.570 --> 00:16:25.250 have a newsletter where you're providing high 00:16:25.250 --> 00:16:27.669 value and information, even if you're just doing 00:16:27.669 --> 00:16:31.450 it once a month. great way to get into the eyes 00:16:31.450 --> 00:16:35.110 of your distributors. Thank you, Lisa. And use 00:16:35.110 --> 00:16:39.509 AI for that, guys. Find a way to do small bites 00:16:39.509 --> 00:16:42.529 with AI. For the promo playbook, we've chosen 00:16:42.529 --> 00:16:45.909 the podcast as our way to keep consistently posting 00:16:45.909 --> 00:16:49.190 on LinkedIn so that every week or every week 00:16:49.190 --> 00:16:51.669 and a half, we're posting compelling content 00:16:51.669 --> 00:16:55.250 for our audience. So consistency is important. 00:16:55.769 --> 00:16:59.250 And again, we know as small teams, all of this 00:16:59.250 --> 00:17:04.269 can feel really overwhelming. you know, try to 00:17:04.269 --> 00:17:08.430 choose your path and stick to a path and focus 00:17:08.430 --> 00:17:11.250 on that until you can bring on a team member 00:17:11.250 --> 00:17:14.250 to help out. And we will be having a segment 00:17:14.250 --> 00:17:17.250 on offshore support, which is another way you 00:17:17.250 --> 00:17:21.170 can start to grow your business. So we don't 00:17:21.170 --> 00:17:23.589 want to overwhelm everybody with all the ways 00:17:23.589 --> 00:17:26.309 you can reach out to distributors. And we are 00:17:26.309 --> 00:17:29.150 really just scratching the surface in this. We're 00:17:29.150 --> 00:17:32.910 kind of giving you the grassroots guerrilla marketing 00:17:32.910 --> 00:17:37.549 ways for you to handle getting in front of distributors. 00:17:38.789 --> 00:17:40.930 And Adrian, I don't know if you mentioned this 00:17:40.930 --> 00:17:43.910 in this podcast, but you can target, whether 00:17:43.910 --> 00:17:46.970 you target regionally, which I am a big fan of, 00:17:47.390 --> 00:17:49.910 because distributors like to work with local 00:17:49.910 --> 00:17:55.740 companies. There is also What Adrian calls lumpy 00:17:55.740 --> 00:17:59.319 mail actual mail? Where you're sending something 00:17:59.319 --> 00:18:02.380 really cool and fun through the mail and maybe 00:18:02.380 --> 00:18:05.079 hopefully it's your own product if it's if it's 00:18:05.079 --> 00:18:08.640 mailable And we also want to touch on phone calls, 00:18:08.660 --> 00:18:11.640 but before I move on and Kim I'm sorry I'm tossing 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:13.579 these to you at the end which might not leave 00:18:13.579 --> 00:18:17.680 you a lot, you know to Say in but what do you 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:20.819 what do you think about social media? No, I I 00:18:20.819 --> 00:18:24.859 mean I do think LinkedIn is probably or is the 00:18:24.859 --> 00:18:29.940 best route for this particular market. There 00:18:29.940 --> 00:18:33.460 are a couple distributors and suppliers that 00:18:33.460 --> 00:18:36.819 have Instagram. I think that is growing a little 00:18:36.819 --> 00:18:40.299 bit, but not everyone is using that usually when 00:18:40.299 --> 00:18:42.940 you're scrolling TikTok and you're not in a business 00:18:42.940 --> 00:18:47.220 mindset. So I wouldn't necessarily waste the 00:18:47.220 --> 00:18:51.390 energy. On Facebook, You know, it is interesting 00:18:51.390 --> 00:18:55.990 because there are lots of groups, but that's 00:18:55.990 --> 00:18:58.250 just not necessary for a marketing perspective. 00:18:58.450 --> 00:19:01.150 And I know we'll probably talk a different session 00:19:01.150 --> 00:19:04.890 on that one, but it is a good one to hear what 00:19:04.890 --> 00:19:07.829 distributors are looking for and asking. So it 00:19:07.829 --> 00:19:12.089 is a great way to trigger potential content or 00:19:12.089 --> 00:19:16.819 ways for you to take that knowledge. of being 00:19:16.819 --> 00:19:19.700 able to learn more how that distributor world 00:19:19.700 --> 00:19:23.680 is working and then apply it to your communications, 00:19:24.059 --> 00:19:26.599 your outbound communications. So that's where 00:19:26.599 --> 00:19:29.039 I think the social media on the Facebook side 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:32.440 could be helpful in helping provide some insight, 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:35.839 some content, some guide rails into what you're 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:37.680 actually pushing out, whether that's through 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:41.140 LinkedIn or a phone call or email. Yep, yep. 00:19:41.700 --> 00:19:45.130 So just on the social media front, There are 00:19:45.130 --> 00:19:48.690 some awesome Facebook pages that are very active 00:19:48.690 --> 00:19:51.789 in promo, like the promotional products professionals 00:19:51.789 --> 00:19:55.170 Facebook page is one. And many of the nationals 00:19:55.170 --> 00:19:58.970 have Facebook groups. So as you grow your brand, 00:19:58.970 --> 00:20:02.190 these are opportunities to post information about 00:20:02.190 --> 00:20:05.049 your company into these groups, again, in a non 00:20:05.049 --> 00:20:08.990 intrusive, respectful way. And often in those 00:20:08.990 --> 00:20:12.829 groups, people are sourcing products. So if you 00:20:12.829 --> 00:20:16.269 can. Squeeze that into everything else that you're 00:20:16.269 --> 00:20:19.630 doing. Looking at those Facebook pages and responding 00:20:19.630 --> 00:20:24.190 to, hey, I'm looking for a t -shirt in the $20 00:20:24.190 --> 00:20:26.970 range that's non -commodity based. Who do you 00:20:26.970 --> 00:20:29.910 recommend? Or I'm looking for a really cool drinkware 00:20:29.910 --> 00:20:32.829 piece. Who do you recommend in the $25 range? 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:35.980 those types of things give you opportunities 00:20:35.980 --> 00:20:39.579 to promote your brands. I do think TikTok can 00:20:39.579 --> 00:20:42.480 be important if you are a retail brand trying 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:46.319 to break into promo. There's also the idea of 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:50.109 end user marketing. How do you drive people to 00:20:50.109 --> 00:20:52.549 your brand and promo with end user marketing. 00:20:52.670 --> 00:20:55.230 And that could be a whole nother, you know, topic 00:20:55.230 --> 00:20:57.890 for another day. And I do want to give a shout 00:20:57.890 --> 00:21:01.829 out to promo corner as well. They do email marketing 00:21:01.829 --> 00:21:05.789 and content generation for suppliers. So if you're 00:21:05.789 --> 00:21:09.369 a boutique supplier, they're a great resource 00:21:09.369 --> 00:21:12.190 to kind of jumpstart if you don't have your own 00:21:12.190 --> 00:21:17.750 team. Let's see. Suppliers can also join podcasts 00:21:17.750 --> 00:21:20.710 to share their brands. And we do want to have 00:21:20.710 --> 00:21:24.150 some more supplier guests on our podcast. So 00:21:24.150 --> 00:21:26.730 if you're a boutique supplier listening or any 00:21:26.730 --> 00:21:29.869 size supplier and you'd like to be a guest on 00:21:29.869 --> 00:21:32.849 the show, please reach out to us. You can reach 00:21:32.849 --> 00:21:37.349 out to us on LinkedIn or Lisa or Kim at thepromoplaybook 00:21:37.349 --> 00:21:41.970 .com. And we'd be happy to schedule you on as 00:21:41.970 --> 00:21:45.029 a guest, because we really want to hear how people 00:21:45.029 --> 00:21:49.549 are functioning right now. So the last bit, we 00:21:49.549 --> 00:21:52.190 talked lump email, which I think is super valuable 00:21:52.190 --> 00:21:54.910 and sort of an unsung hero in marketing these 00:21:54.910 --> 00:21:59.309 days, and also phone calls. So Kim, I'll start 00:21:59.309 --> 00:22:01.809 with you this time. What do you think about reaching 00:22:01.809 --> 00:22:05.190 out with a phone call to a distributor rep? The 00:22:05.190 --> 00:22:08.789 long -lost art of the phone call, right? It's 00:22:08.789 --> 00:22:12.690 so easy to just hide behind our screen and shoot 00:22:12.690 --> 00:22:16.390 off an email But you lose that connection that 00:22:16.390 --> 00:22:19.049 personal connection and this business is all 00:22:19.049 --> 00:22:22.329 about relationships So if someone is looking 00:22:22.329 --> 00:22:25.950 for a t -shirt or a drink where there are multiple 00:22:25.950 --> 00:22:30.039 suppliers that have it how you know how are you 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:32.759 going to get that sale? Well, if they know you 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:35.299 and not just know you from seeing you in the 00:22:35.299 --> 00:22:37.660 inbox, but you actually took the time to pick 00:22:37.660 --> 00:22:41.880 up the phone and call them, right? So I think 00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:46.700 it is a lost art. I think, you know, we're all 00:22:46.700 --> 00:22:51.359 busy, but picking up the phone means you took 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:53.539 the time. It's like getting that thank you letter 00:22:53.539 --> 00:22:56.599 in the mail. right, instead of just the email 00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:59.400 or the invitation to the party and not an invite, 00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:04.140 right? It's special. It shows you went a little 00:23:04.140 --> 00:23:07.279 bit further. Like you mattered to me. You picked 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:11.019 up the phone and called me. And maybe I can't 00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:13.519 call you back right away, but I'm going to remember 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:17.339 that. So the next time I see your email, I'm 00:23:17.339 --> 00:23:20.019 going to link it to that phone call or because 00:23:20.019 --> 00:23:22.470 of those emails and I got your phone call. And 00:23:22.470 --> 00:23:26.009 now we have a relationship established. And at 00:23:26.009 --> 00:23:28.589 the end of the day, that's what this whole business 00:23:28.589 --> 00:23:33.029 is about. Great, great insight, Kim. I love that. 00:23:33.029 --> 00:23:35.029 And I do want to highlight what you said about 00:23:35.029 --> 00:23:38.849 the thank you note. That's another way of keeping 00:23:38.849 --> 00:23:42.799 in touch. in an old school way that is super 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:46.140 meaningful. So have some thank you cards. If 00:23:46.140 --> 00:23:48.740 you can dash one off every now and then to a 00:23:48.740 --> 00:23:51.519 distributor that took a meeting or actually sent 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:54.880 you an order, build the relationship that way 00:23:54.880 --> 00:24:00.359 too. So that's our sound. Adrian, don't worry. 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:03.940 I'll toss it back over to you. Adrian, what are 00:24:03.940 --> 00:24:08.210 you thinking? Okay. Don't use AI agents, please, 00:24:08.369 --> 00:24:11.509 please. Don't think like, oh, we got to make 00:24:11.509 --> 00:24:15.269 phone calls, so I'll hire someone from the outside 00:24:15.269 --> 00:24:17.190 that has no understanding of the knowledge just 00:24:17.190 --> 00:24:21.329 to say, hi, Kim, this is Sally with so -and -so 00:24:21.329 --> 00:24:23.990 badge, just wanted to tell you we have a special 00:24:23.990 --> 00:24:28.970 going on now. No, no. So no AI agents. Have it 00:24:28.970 --> 00:24:32.670 be someone that, and reps, I'm sorry, but if 00:24:32.670 --> 00:24:36.410 you're a supplier and you have, Sally going to 00:24:36.410 --> 00:24:39.250 the trade show. Maybe she could be the one to 00:24:39.250 --> 00:24:41.549 call, you know, figure out how many times it 00:24:41.549 --> 00:24:43.829 really not going to take that long. And we were 00:24:43.829 --> 00:24:46.289 saying it's okay to leave a message. That's even 00:24:46.289 --> 00:24:49.769 just as good too. So script it out for yourself. 00:24:50.009 --> 00:24:53.829 Have it be short, clear, concise. If you want 00:24:53.829 --> 00:24:56.089 to get people to your booth, your booth number 00:24:56.089 --> 00:24:59.480 and and leave a nice, you know, like you don't 00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:01.619 have to call me back. If there's a call to action, 00:25:01.980 --> 00:25:04.400 let them know. But I think that that's really 00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:08.220 important because if another AI agent calls me, 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:10.880 I'm going to throw the phone at them. I don't 00:25:10.880 --> 00:25:13.140 know what I can do. I ask them silly questions 00:25:13.140 --> 00:25:15.200 and they can't answer it. And then I know they 00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:18.380 are not real. Don't be fooled, you guys. Oh, 00:25:18.440 --> 00:25:21.460 thank you. I had not even thought of that, Adrienne. 00:25:21.519 --> 00:25:26.549 Thank you for sharing that insight. Kim, wrapping 00:25:26.549 --> 00:25:30.890 up, any last thoughts on how a boutique supplier 00:25:30.890 --> 00:25:34.529 can stay in touch with distributors? Yeah, I 00:25:34.529 --> 00:25:37.789 mean, and we talk about this on, I think, every 00:25:37.789 --> 00:25:41.769 podcast. It's like a recurring theme. The whole 00:25:41.769 --> 00:25:45.289 idea of this reaching out to the distributor 00:25:45.289 --> 00:25:48.950 is to make their job easier and to close a sale, 00:25:49.230 --> 00:25:53.450 right? So communication is the key, and that 00:25:53.450 --> 00:25:57.880 happens in all types of forms, multiple types. 00:25:58.019 --> 00:26:01.180 So if you're only doing one, you're not communicating 00:26:01.180 --> 00:26:03.980 enough. Like if you're not doing any, you're 00:26:03.980 --> 00:26:06.180 not communicating enough. And if you're not communicating, 00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:08.740 a supplier doesn't know you, a distributor doesn't 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:11.880 know you, they're going to have to hunt to find 00:26:11.880 --> 00:26:15.519 you. That means their job is harder and nobody 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:19.339 wants things to be harder. So make it easy, get 00:26:19.339 --> 00:26:23.480 your stuff in line, share the goodness. and the 00:26:23.480 --> 00:26:26.480 excitement you have around your brand. And that's 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:28.539 how you're going to get those orders coming in 00:26:28.539 --> 00:26:32.019 by establishing those relationships, pushing 00:26:32.019 --> 00:26:36.960 information out, being seen, being known. Great, 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:39.099 great advice. And I would even say you could 00:26:39.099 --> 00:26:41.519 leave your message. Hey, don't worry about calling 00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:44.759 me back. Just want to stay on your radar thinking 00:26:44.759 --> 00:26:48.900 of you today. That's it. Short, sweet. And a 00:26:48.900 --> 00:26:51.220 lot of people don't even listen to their voicemails 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:54.859 anymore. They read them on their phone. So even 00:26:54.859 --> 00:26:57.059 though they're reading it on their phone, they 00:26:57.059 --> 00:27:00.460 see your name and your company. So Adrienne, 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:02.799 you're bringing up visiting a distributor if 00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:05.380 you're in the area and you can make an appointment 00:27:05.380 --> 00:27:08.339 with them. I don't recommend just dropping in 00:27:08.339 --> 00:27:10.940 personally, but you play that however you think 00:27:10.940 --> 00:27:14.539 is best for you. you know bring them coffee bring 00:27:14.539 --> 00:27:17.119 them a sample if you're in the area and you're 00:27:17.119 --> 00:27:20.299 spending some days out on the road again we know 00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:23.319 you have a small team you might be a team of 00:27:23.319 --> 00:27:27.640 one so pick and choose of this menu of ways to 00:27:27.640 --> 00:27:30.460 stay in touch that works for you that you can 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:33.940 execute so a quick review we talked about regional 00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:37.240 shows getting to know your mlr's and the folks 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:40.940 at the regionals Use social media, potentially 00:27:40.940 --> 00:27:44.680 linked in, join some of the promo Facebook groups, 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:48.140 send something through the mail, think about 00:27:48.140 --> 00:27:52.559 handwritten thank you cards, email marketing, 00:27:54.059 --> 00:27:57.359 using a service like Promo Corner. There are 00:27:57.359 --> 00:28:01.200 lots of ways, and again, we're just scratching 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:03.819 the surface, but don't wanna overwhelm the audience 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:06.019 with all the different ways you can market and 00:28:06.019 --> 00:28:08.670 promo. Those are the main ones that we think 00:28:08.670 --> 00:28:12.309 are doable for a boutique supplier. So thank 00:28:12.309 --> 00:28:14.789 you for listening today. We wish you continued 00:28:14.789 --> 00:28:17.950 success and we'll see you next time.