Niche Product Distributors: Stop Leaving Money on the Table [3 Steps]

As a distributor in the promotional products industry, you have access to a huge, constantly expanding catalog of branded products from thousands of suppliers. However, many of your longtime customers might not know that. Many distributors specialize in niche product categories like apparel, embroidery or print. And while that can lead to a level of expertise in a particular category, it can also lead to leaving money and orders on the table.

Let’s say you run a print business with stable revenue and a number of regular customers, but you’re looking to grow. A customer places an order for event signage. It stands to reason that they’ll probably also be in the market for event accessories, giveaways, etc., but do they even realize that you can supply them with anything other than print? Wouldn’t it be more convenient for them if you could be their one-stop shop rather than forcing them to hop around to different vendors for different needs?

Making your existing client base aware of your full capabilities as a distributor is an easy way to grow your business without doing much additional work. And it can be accomplished with three simple steps:

1. Have an online product catalog.

You don’t need a full e-commerce platform in order to broadcast the fact that you’re full-service. An online catalog that lets clients search products, find pricing and request more info is plenty. It can be integrated into your website or linked to with a “search products” button. Make sure to choose a catalog vendor that frequently updates its product data, or you risk customers seeing incorrect pricing or discontinued items.

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2. Work your email list.

There’s a delicate balance between informing and annoying your customers but when executed thoughtfully and regularly, an email marketing program will introduce existing customers to products and services they didn’t know you offered.

3. Tell your customers when they place an order.

This is the most obvious, but frequently overlooked, step. Somewhere in the order process, mention your other services, especially if your customer is ordering for an occasion or promotion for which branded products would be a natural fit. You can even put these services in your email signature along with a link to your product catalog.

Step 1 requires a partnership with a reliable technology company, and step 2 requires some time and know-how (plenty of resources here) and step 3 is easy and free, so there’s no reason not to do it!

Growing your business isn’t as hard as you might think. You already have access to the ever-growing world of promotional products, and you don’t have to take it all on at once. Start small. If you’re a print shop, start adding T-shirts and branded apparel. Start offering those services to your new customers who come in for print orders and let your existing database of customers know about your new capabilities. When you see how easy it is to increase the revenue of each project by bundling services, you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it sooner.