In this episode of The Joe Show, Counselor Managing Editor Joe Haley shows off some of the newest executive gifts to hit the ad specialty market. Subscribe now to our YouTube videos.

Best Foot Forward
Experts say first impressions are made in the first 20 seconds. Make a bad one, though, and you’re up the proverbial creek. It’ll be a long time coming before you can reverse it.

With that in mind, selling today requires your strongest, smartest efforts in person to get noticed among the crowd and earn the opportunity to interact with buyers on a transactional level. Read on to learn how longtime sales pros think and act so that they make a standout first impression.

“In fundraising, I realized the one thing I absolutely had to demonstrate in the first meeting was that I was a good listener,” Lampton says. “It takes discipline to keep asking questions and making notes rather than jumping in and talking, so you have to practice it. But doing that makes other people so comfortable that they think, ‘If I go with this person, they’ll listen to my problems and challenges.’ You’ll be remembered even if they don’t have any immediate needs.”

For Deb Johnson, co-owner of On Target Promotions (asi/287578), the approach goes like this: She demonstrates a bit of knowledge about the prospect’s company and their industry, and then she frames her job in terms of the benefit it brings to clients. “I say that we use promotional products to keep their name and brand image in front of clients, to increase the effectiveness of direct mail and to motivate,” she says. Then, she asks questions about overall business objectives, who the targets of their programs are and what they’ve done in the past. Only after all this does she ask about immediate needs for which she could offer ideas.

Valerie Atkin, president of dkspecialties (asi/181469), points out that there’s a difference between showing confidence and showing arrogance. “Don’t go in and say, ‘I’ve done a lot of research and I know all about your business, and I know exactly what you need,’” she says.

Johnson adds, “Your initial knowledge shows respect, but your questions show humility in recognizing that you must learn more in order to do your best for them.”

An example: Sharon Schamehorn, co-owner of Elite Sportswear & Promotional Products (asi/186738), recently spoke on the phone with the head of a safety products company who wanted items for his trade-show booth. She began by asking him about pressing topics in that industry, as well as the present state of his business in particular. “He just lit up and went on and on – he actually wanted to spend more time talking to me than we had. At the end, I got three orders instead of one.”

With several generations coexisting in the business world these days, there might be a temptation for a rep to try to adapt his or her personality to match that of the prospect in order to make a connection. Big mistake. “Reps are taught to mirror the mannerisms and pacing of a prospect, but you still have to be yourself,” Lampton says. “Anything more is you trying to manipulate the situation. If the prospect senses that, you’re done.”

Atkin strives to finds common ground if the prospect is noticeably younger. For example, “I’ll try to find out which recent movies we might have both seen. I just want them to feel like, ‘This is a real person who I have something in common with, not just a salesperson interested in my money.’ Come at it as two people simply having a conversation about whatever is going on in the world, and then shift over to business.”

Advantages Editor Kathy Huston explains why it’s important to refer to yourself as a promotional counselor rather than product seller in this week’s sales tip. Subscribe now to our YouTube videos

Blogging for Business
A well-constructed and maintained blog can be a great tool for driving sales. Many salespeople today are turning to blogs and Twitter in an effort to expand their traditional sales and marketing efforts.

One of the keys to driving sales is developing and keeping a robust network of readers, according to the bloggers we spoke to. And they agree that there is a fine line between keeping and overwhelming readers.

The strategies for selling through a blog are more indirect than in cold-calling. Our bloggers told us that they often blog about topics that will entice their clients, thereby quietly closing the deal. Their number-one piece of advice: Provide your clients with information. By being the expert and dispensing knowledge, you’re giving clients a sense of security that you’re the right choice for their needs.

Whether you’re thinking of starting a blog or looking to revamp yours, this hot blogger will show you how to get the most out of your experience.

Behind the Scenes
What started as an exercise in curiosity has developed into a successful Web strategy, and the birth of “Kenny Blog.” Ken Block, director of business development with MCM Productions (asi/257932), started blogging a little over a year ago. He had been studying website development and social media and decided to give it a try.

Block entered into blogging from the technical world, focusing on analytics and search engine optimization (SEO). “Traditional Web pages are not that flexible,” he says. “We have more day-to-day relevant content that we wanted to share with our clients. What better way to do it than jump on this new blogging phenomenon?” So he introduced the blog with a promotion to his client base by giving away a pen to visitors who signed up to read the blog. After about six weeks, the blog was starting to get more hits than the website.

Block has been able to turn his blog into a sales force by showing what he knows. “We believe that if you are open with knowledge and the knowledge is greater than your competition, it’s a slam dunk,” he says. The blog helps book orders on a weekly basis. Block looks at which search phrases drive traffic, like his blog post about recycled PVC banner bags.

On the sales front, Block put out an optimized post about dishwasher-safe water bottles which quickly produced business. He also produced a series of blogs about new items he is seeing. “It shows clients that we’re out there researching new products for them,” he says.

Block says that what sets his blog apart is the focus on SEO. “We get more activity as we write the optimized blog posts, along with the lightness of our content,” he says. The language of the blog is very important. “We have to be cognizant and respectful of the demographics of all the different buyers of promotional products. If you write in a language that is specific to just Gen X, you lose the baby boomer,” he says.

Wrinkle-Resistant Apparel
Q: Is wrinkle-resistant apparel rising in popularity? What kinds of fabrics are inherently wrinkle-resistant? Are there certain performance features that tend to accompany wrinkle-resistant fabric? What kinds of wrinkle-resistant apparel are popular? Which industries consume the most wrinkle-resistant apparel?

While wrinkle-resistant clothing has skyrocketed in popularity within the last few years, the concept has been around for a long time, according to Henry Bernstein, North American director of SEIT laser for Hirsch International. “It was referred to as permanent press or perma-press, as well as other marketing names, when it first came out way back in the ’60s,” he says.

“It was revolutionary at the time and created a huge market demand. It was a curing process in treating the fabric in a way that maintained the fibers from relaxing,” Bernstein says. “In today’s world, they’ve come a long way in applying this technology on more comfortable materials with almost no recognizable feel.”

There are several other reasons for the rise of wrinkle resistance, says Shelley Renning, general merchandise manager for SanMar (asi/84863), including the inherent properties of most wrinkle-resistant fabrics, the ease of care and the increased desire among end-users for a professional look.

Gina Barecca, marketing director for Vantage Apparel (asi/93390), has also seen an upward swing in wrinkle-resistant apparel requests. “Our sales in this category have been strong for the past three years,” she says. “Recently, we’re seeing more attention and increased volume in higher-end, no-iron wovens.”

Wrinkle-Resistant Fabrics
Vantage divides its wrinkle-resistant fabrics into two categories: polyester or blended fabrics (where the polyester gives wrinkle-resistant properties) and treated cottons.

Renning says the easiest way to create a wrinkle-resistant garment is with synthetic fiber. “The fibers retain their shape, and they’re flexible.” SanMar also includes bamboo in its wrinkle-resistant line. “Once the bamboo is converted into a fiber that is usable in apparel, it actually falls into a category that includes rayon and polyester, and the inherent properties of polyester as a synthetic lend itself to wrinkle resistance,” Renning says. (However, she notes that rayon is not an effective wrinkle-resistant fabric.)

Tri-Mountain (asi/92125) uses a great deal of cotton/poly blends to create fabrics that are wrinkle-resistant but also soft. “We’re using a lot of 60% cotton/40% poly blends in our polos,” says Glenn Oyoung, vice president of marketing.

Versatility Among Apparel
Renning says that both casual and professional wear can be wrinkle-resistant, and when it comes to SanMar’s wrinkle-resistant apparel, its Easy Care line, which includes dress shirts and wovens, is its most popular. “Our Easy Care program is made from a blended fabric, and you get the best of both worlds in cotton and poly for ladies’ and men’s apparel,” she says.

While polos and sports shirts are the most requested wrinkle-resistant items, Renning says T-shirts can also be wrinkle-free. “When you get into the T-shirt zone, most people aren’t necessarily touting that they’re wrinkle-resistant, but we do offer a T-shirt that resists wrinkles with lots of performance features,” she says. “They travel great and also perform.”

Vantage’s most popular wrinkle-resistant garments are higher-end, no-iron cotton wovens with fully taped seams. “These shirts tend to be a little more expensive, but customers are willing to pay for the extra value and the easy-care properties,” Barecca says.

Oyoung says polos, dress shirts and woven uniform shirts are the most widely requested wrinkle-free garments at Tri-Mountain. “I know people don’t generally categorize polos as wrinkle-resistant, but the truth is most cotton/poly polos do hold up very well against wrinkles,” he says.

Additional Features
Tri-Mountain has added a number of 100% polyester polos with a patented moisture-wicking feature to its 2010 line. “That combination has done well,” Oyoung says, “and I think we’re showing people that polyester doesn’t have to equal a flammable baby blue tux with a ruffled shirt anymore.”

Since most moisture-management garments are made from 100% polyester or poly blends, they naturally contain wrinkle-resistant characteristics, as well, according to Barecca. “You’ll also find most are easy-care machine-wash and dry, with good color retention due to the polyester in the fabric,” she says.

Color retention and stain protection are other properties that tend to come with wrinkle-resistant apparel. For example, Tri-Mountain offers Teflon and Scotchgard fabric protection.

A Wealth of Markets
From a sales perspective, Oyoung says that one of the great things about wrinkle-resistant garments is that they have nearly universal market appeal. “Definitely restaurants, corporate, hotels, resorts – you name it, everyone wants to save time and money and look good,” he says.

Specifically, Bernstein says that companies with uniformed employees are among the industries that demand wrinkle-resistant garments the most, and that both men and women desire such uniforms. “The professional appearance of a clean and crisp look has a hugely positive presentation vs. the opposite,” he says. “However, in regular street fashions, it seems that men have more interest than do women.”

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