I recently made a friend who also happens to run her own graphic design company. The eye-opening part of our first conversation was when I told her I work for a promotional products company and her response was, “Oh really? Are you guys any good? I’m always looking for a great promotional products company.” Turns out she does a lot of work for clients who expect her to not only do all their graphics, but manage their promotional product purchases as well.
What struck me as interesting during our conversation is the way she’s conducted her promotional products company research. She has made zero phone calls, asked none of her friends for advice (until me), and simply searched for information online. She wound up overwhelmed by search results and ditched her search to continue ordering from an online company that she is only moderately pleased with.
This turn of events made me realize that finding a great promotional products distributor might be more challenging than you think, but there are things you can do to make it easier on yourself. By answering one key question, finding the right promotional product partner is only a couple steps away.
What are your most important needs?
The most essential piece of advice we can offer is to figure out what your most important needs are and find someone who can give you that. Sounds easy, right? Well as long as you are aware of all the service options out there it really is pretty simple.
Fulfillment
Print jobs often involve distributing final products to various recipients in multiple locations, which can be a headache when there are tens to hundreds of final destinations. Why not work with someone who can take care of everything—including the custom product work and widespread distribution?
Extra-custom work
How custom is the work you need done? Is it all pretty simple—basic screen printing or embroidery on standard products like pens, hats, t-shirts, polos, mugs, etc.? Or are you someone who would really benefit from extra custom work like more unique packaging and custom creation of products and awards? Not every company has the capability to do this, but there are companies out there that would happily offer extra-custom work.
Shipping
Shipping seems like it is one of the least important factors in choosing a promotional products distributor, but not necessarily. Choosing a local distributor can definitely help save money on shipping and make things a little bit easier. Many local printers are happy to offer free customer pick-up and contact clientele to let them know their products are ready for pick-up immediately. Using a local printer also allows use of extra options like using an express courier service or even personal delivery for faster receipt than regular shipping services. There may not be one local printer that meets all your main needs, but choosing a distributor on your side of the country can still help cut down shipping time and fees.
Personal touch
Some customers prefer meeting someone face-to-face to talk through their projects and goals while other people know exactly what they want and would rather limit personal interactions. Purchasers that like a lot of personal interaction may find selecting a local distributor may be best for last-minute drop-ins for questions and input on their projects. Buyers that want to limit any social interaction may want to stick with an online company or at least find a printing company that allows a lot of flexibility for placing orders.
Production time
Turnaround times in the promotional product industry on average are getting faster. Decide how quickly you need your orders and find someone who can match that. If you’re okay with waiting seven to ten business days for your custom orders, you will probably find most printers can meet that. However, if you anticipate ever having to make last-minute decisions and need orders turned around within one to five days, make sure to find a printer who is capable of meeting those quick deadlines.
Long-term relationship
Printers often offer several benefits to long-time customers, so if you expect to need print jobs in the long-term, it is definitely worth developing a relationship with one distributor over time. They may give you better pricing, print your stuff faster, hold onto all past orders to make reordering easier and cheaper, and once they figure out your typical likes and needs they will probably give you better suggestions for products and printing ideas in the future.
Establishment in the business
The last few years have been very telling in the custom apparel and promotional product business. A lot of companies have been struggling and many have closed their doors for good. If you really want to find one printer for the long-haul who can be relied on for reorders year after year, find someone who has been in the business for a while. You may want to dig deeper and find out how many of their clientele does return to work for them job after job and even reach out to a few long-time customers to hear exactly why they keep coming back.
Art services
If you’re someone who always has quality artwork ready to go for printing, this point is probably not a big deal to you. However, if you’re someone who often has an idea for what they want or typically doesn’t have high quality graphics readily available, be prepared to select a printer who can offer extra help in their graphics department. They can probably help you improve your graphics and maybe even come up with a custom design if necessary. Sometimes these types of services are free and sometimes there is a charge depending on the job, so make sure to double check what the art service fees are like.
Decoration services
Some customers stick to basic print methods like screen printing and embroidery, but there are several more decoration options for custom apparel and promotional products. Other options might be direct-to-garment printing, heat transfer, sublimation transfer printing, foil printing, and even addition of rhinestones on apparel. If you know you need different printing methods or desire different visual effects for your work make sure to find someone who will help you achieve those desires and is willing to accommodate whatever printing method you need.
Order placement methods
Different printers prefer different ways of ordering. Due to the custom nature of each job, some very complicated jobs require extra interaction with a printer via email, phone, or in person to hammer out details. Simple jobs can often be placed immediately online through websites, email, or a quick phone call. You may or may not have a preference on whether to order everything in person or online, but it’s good to make sure you understand their order placement process options to know if there is a method that will work for you.
Quality printing and products
Quality products and printing can easily make or break your relationship with a print shop. One or two small product or printing mishaps might be acceptable, but after that it’s only a matter of time until clientele find someone more reliable to do their work. Finding a distributor who takes great pride in their products and their printing is essential if you really want someone to take your custom product projects seriously in the long-term.
Price point
Price is a factor that people almost always consider. Prices in the custom product work can vary greatly, so getting quotes from new vendors is essential when you don’t know what to expect. The lowest-cost printer may seem like the best choice, but not if they don’t give your products the extra attention they need in production. On the other hand, a printer who charges most does not necessarily mean they are the best printer around—there might be someone just as good with lower prices. Without experiencing the customer service and seeing a job all the way to the end, it may be hard to say if prices somewhere are great or not depending on the result and what it takes to get what you want.
The takeaway
The truth of the matter is, once you figure out what your top factors are in selecting a distributor, actually finding one is pretty straight forward. Through use of friends, google, yelp, the phone book, facebook, or many other methods you can easily come up with a list of possible vendors. Simply reach out to each possibility inquiring specifically about your most important needs and it will become clear which vendor might be the right partner for you.
The good news is once everything is said and done and you make a decision, if you still aren’t happy with your choice after a project or two, don’t be afraid to try one of the other vendors on your list. Finding the right custom-product provider may take a little trial and error, but when you find the right one consider yourself lucky and remember to share them with your friends!
My wife and I have been thinking about getting senior school shirts for our son, and I think that being bale to have an idea of the most important things to us would be helpful. I’m glad that you talked about being able to see if how much custom work you need done, and if its something as simple as screen printing or more detailed things. I think that it would be neat for their senior class to have some school shirts and maybe some other things! Thank you!
Senior class t-shirts are something that people tend to hold onto for a long time, so that is a great idea!