Your buyers are no different than the average consumer. They get their perception of quality and value from what they see in retail stores and direct mail retail catalogs, and they are familiar with the prices.

What they don’t realize (and you have to point out to them) is that retail brands are not always the best choice for them when it comes to promotional apparel. Garments made for this industry have certain advantages over retail brands – and the advantages are something you should know how to effectively communicate to your customers.

The Retail Equivalence Test
Not all garments are created equal. You can earn points with buyers by showing them how garments made for the promotional products industry will meet their needs better than some retail brands. This works best when the garments are shown side by side.

To do this, start by collecting color photographs of garments from well-known direct mail catalogs with the prices included. From your list of promotional apparel suppliers, find good quality, stylish garments that compare favorably with the retail examples, and show these to your customer. This is especially compelling if you can show them actual samples of the promotional garments.

Be sure to point out the extra services you provide that retailers do not, such as:

1. Packaging
Promotional products suppliers design packaging so that the decorator can easily see the size and easily get into the package for embroidery. In addition, pins, clips, and other implements found commonly in retail packaging can create additional work for the decorator, resulting in higher cost.

2. Decoration Services
Most retailers do not embroider the garments. This means that you have to consign the garments to a separate decoration source. This may result in additional costs and an extra shipping event.

3. Collating Other Items
If you are set up to do so, you can insert promotional messages and additional promotional product items that relate to the event, or even a bounce-back promotional flyer to help support the program.

4. Drop Ship Services
Often, retailers do not have the ability to ship individual packages to multiple locations. This service can add tremendous value if your customer requires it.

5. Marketing
Support the program or promotion with web services, direct mail flyers, e-mail messages, telemarketing, etc. and you become more important to your customer.

6. Customer Service
At times, there is no substitute for communicating directly with your end-user’s various offices or employees to get feedback on products or services, or even to elicit suggestions for upcoming programs.

7. Product Research and Selection
The more you control the product choices, the better your chances of selling success. Product research may be the chief reason that your customer buys from you.

Finally, compare prices. Once you’ve shown that your garments equal the retail brands in terms of quality, show them the cost savings they’ll generate by buying from you.

Such fact-based comparisons of product, service and price will provide your buyers with food for thought, and even more so, several solid reasons for placing an order from your company. Your goal should be to become more important to your customers through the services and added value that you bring to the relationship. After all, that is why our industry exists: to bring added value to products that could otherwise be purchased outside of the promotional products industry.