| VIDEO |
 Dear Stitches
In this edition of “Dear Stitches,” Stitches editor Nicole Rollender receives an e-mail from a shop owner whose employees all have their own ideas about where they should sew logos on different garments. The Stitches Editorial Advisory Board weighs in on how the shop owner can create harmony among her staff with a placement guide that everyone will like. Click here to watch this video.
What did you think of this video? Send your feedback to nrollender@asicentral.com. |
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| BUSINESS VIEW: Craft a Creative Sales Approach |
On some level, most salespeople are the same. They call clients, pitch their products and services, cold-call prospects and, ultimately, try to close deals. Some do it better than others. And some simply live for the deal – doing everything they possibly can to get a client to agree to sign on the dotted line.
But what sets good salespeople apart from the rest? In a word, creativity. It’s the salesperson who calls with an original proposal, who offers a unique promotional idea, who creates an out-of-this-world brand for themselves that truly succeeds in the ad specialty and decorated apparel market.
Indeed, in today’s market, exceptional creativity may be the best way to do that. But does that mean you have to spend a fortune on outlandish exhibits or extravagant thank-you gifts for clients? Hardly. Here are two great case studies about companies that are using inexpensive, creative ways to grab client attention.
Superhero Sales
Call The P.O.P Shop (asi/202900), a Geiger-owned company in Alpharetta, GA, and you’ll be greeted with this message: “Hello! Your signal has been reached by the marketing superheroes at The P.O.P. Shop. Do not leave your marketing needs to mere mortals.”
A soothing, Southern-accented voice on the company’s phone system prompts callers to dial the appropriate extension for departments like superhero sales or superhero customer service.Visitors to The P.O.P. Shop’s Web site are greeted by the company’s superhero family – El Deflecto, Creative Inferno, Flythang and others. Each one has a bio detailing his or her superpowers – a lead pencil for a fingertip in the case of Creative Inferno, for example. The seamlessness of how The P.O.P. Shop is branded – from the phone system to its superhero-based sales presentations – is a crucial selling technique, says Brian Beam, one of the company’s marketing superheroes. “We believe in the fact that if you can’t brand yourself, then how is the client going to trust you with their brand?” Beam asks.
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Rather than a standard voicemail system, Beam and his wife Sonya, another company superhero, who work mostly out of their home, thought a voicemail system could seriously elevate the degree to which they engage clients and prospects. “It almost makes talking to voicemail fun,” says Beam, rather than simply passing a caller to an extension through routine voice prompts.
The Beams create regular promotions for their own firm, in part to give clients a sense of how creative they are. In February, for example, they launched the “What Do You Love?” sweepstakes in which clients were asked to type in what they love – about anything – on the company’s Web site. One winner received a $200 iTunes gift certificate.
Responses include, “I love a slice of pizza in the morning” and, “I love Starbucks.” The first two days of the promotion brought in 39 new registrants to the company’s Web site and 28 new P.O.P. Shop followers on Facebook, which is linked to the What Do You Love? promotion.
Consistency in branding is crucial to creativity and sales success, says Steve Carroll, CEO of Lee DuBois Technologies, a sales consultancy in Ft. Myers, FL. The P.O.P. Shop’s heroes are professionally illustrated throughout an organized Web site and clever phone system, as well as in communication pieces. It’s gimmicky, but it works. Other decorators, Carroll cautions, may want to make sure that any theme they incorporate so pervasively throughout their business model doesn’t confuse prospects. The key to this kind of creative branding and sales strategy is to stick with it – make it a part of everything you do, and clients will come to expect it.
The Ultimate Drop-By
When Mike Beckman cold-calls, he doesn’t bother to phone ahead. He simply drops by with his “warm-call intro.” That amounts to an unusual direct-mail piece that Beckman, marketing strategist for Proforma-BPM (asi/491193) in Cumming, GA, hand-delivers to a select group of prospects.
A recent attention-grabber was a small cage built by Beckman with change inside. “This was in a box that had a question on the outside asking if the recipient was ‘Afraid of Change?’ ” he says. Inside was a card letting the recipient know that Proforma-BPM could help them find a new distributor – namely, Proforma-BPM.
On another occasion, Beckman dropped off a decorated gift box with a small clock inside and a card explaining that his company was giving prospects the “gift of time,” since the prospects, Proforma-BPM promised, would “save time by working with us,” he says.
Taking direct mail one step further, Beckman says it’s crucial sometimes to deliver mail himself rather than waiting for the post office to do it. “If you mail something, you have no idea when they’ll open it,” he says. “If you drop it off, they get a phone call from the front desk and they have to open it.”
This is a tactic Beckman relies on monthly, usually delivering original pieces to somewhere between five and 10 prospects. “These are people I’ve never met before,” he says, but they’re ones he’s targeting based upon a demographic he’s interested in working with or a type of company he’d like to do more business with.
After dropping off the cages of change to five prospects, Beckman landed two meetings, as well as a request to call back the following month. Two others never responded. But a response rate of more than 50% isn’t bad, he says – much better than a massive direct-mail campaign that would be far costlier.
When doing a drop off a mailer, Carroll suggests that decorators think carefully about how the package will be received by the prospect – not just physically, but also psychologically. “How do you want them to feel when they open up the box?” he asks.
The beauty of such drop-offs, if done right, is that they “avoid the ‘breathing brochure’ syndrome,” Carroll says. If what a decorator presents through direct mail or in person is essentially the same information found in a company brochure, marketing materials or a catalog, the prospect or client is likely to think, “I can read the brochure and I don’t need you,” he says. “That’s a breathing brochure” – a problem that makes a decorator obsolete. “You’ve got to go beyond that and do something special.” |
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| MARKETS TO WATCH: Eco-Friendly Apparel |
Green is moving ahead in consumer appeal, but perhaps at a slower pace due to the recent recession. According to a 2009 report from Mintel Oxygen, demand held steady compared to 2008, as 36% of Americans said they either “almost always” or “regularly” will buy green products. Looking ahead toward 2013, the research firm forecasts 19% growth in green product choices, particularly in personal-care products and household cleaners.
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| Royal Apparel’s (asi/83731) men’s short-sleeve crewneck 100% cotton T-shirt is now available in organic cotton and made in Pakistan. The Pakistani version, style RA5051ORGP, is made of super-soft 4.4-oz. preshrunk 30/1 ringspun combed cotton that’s certified organic. |
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Which Ink for an Organic Tee?
Eco-concerned apparel buyers will likely wish to avoid plastisol inks, which use phthalates (basically liquid plasticizers) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), when imprinting their organic apparel. Luckily, proven alternatives do exist. Wilflex Oasis, for example, is a formaldehyde-free, water-based line of inks. Wilflex Epic uses non-phthalate ink technology that is designed to print and perform like standard plastisol inks. QuantumOne uses non-PVC resins and non-phthalate plasticizers, yet prints and cures much like plastisol.
Water-based inks are the safest choice for those seeking a green screen-printing option because there are no phthalates or PVC in them, nor are there metals, mercury or lead. The final imprint produced has a very soft hand and appeals to the senses, giving an impression of “green” to back up its actual attributes.
Are Naturally Dyed Garments Worth the Hunt?
Natural dyes – those found in nature – are made from substances that can be organic, are biodegradable and, typically, are nontoxic. Indigo is an example. These dyes can create beautiful colorings of textiles. However, it’s worth noting that for many natural dyes to adhere to fibers, there may be a toxic process involved (the use of a mordant, often a heavy metal ion).
Your best bet is to seek colors that come from the use of substantive dyes, which are typically made from edible materials (such as turmeric, which dyes fabric a shade of yellow), and transfer their colors via the simple act of steeping the material in the substance. While all this information isn’t necessary to you being able to sell eco-friendly garments, it is useful when talking with suppliers and manufacturers of apparel. Ask questions about the textiles and dyes used in the garment you plan for a program. |
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Nominate Your Company for The Best Places To Work Contest
For the third year in a row, Counselor magazine is setting out to identify the industry companies that employees simply love to work for. These are the distributors and suppliers that have a loyal work force and that provide a work environment which employees want to go to every morning.
Counselor will be unveiling its Best Places To Work issue in September, and it will undoubtedly include an elite list of industry companies. Do you want your company to be considered? Getting involved is easy – and it's completely free to participate. The only necessary qualification is that a company has to have at least 10 employees. To nominate your company, or any others in the market that you think deserve to be recognized, simply click here. Also, there's no risk to participating. Only the honorees – those companies with the best scores from the survey – will be published in Counselor.
So, don't delay. Click here to register your company to be considered for one of the most exclusive lists in the ad specialty market: Counselor's Best Places To Work. |
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| QUICK HIT: The Chop Shop |
Gentlemen and ladies, start your engines! Since opening up shop in 1999, The Chop Shop, in Independence, MO, has attracted motorcyclists internationally with its large inventory of uniquely tailored vest and seats. “Bikers want to be looked at as a team when they’re out joyriding,” says Big Jax Jackson, vice president of sales and marketing for The Chop Shop. “We make sure our designs make them feel united.”
Stitches: The Chop Shop is a unique name for an embroidery business. Who came up with the company name?
BJ: The owner, Heath Potter, was president of a local car club called Paradise Car Club, and he dreamed up the name from what he did in the custom car industry, which was embroidering mats, roofs and so on. People normally think of a chop shop as a place where you go to have a stolen car taken apart. We put our twist on it and let people know we take apart apparel and customize a design specific to your needs.
Stitches: What type of services do you offer clients?
BJ: Obviously embroidery is our number one area. We embroider everything from the smallest emblem on a hat to big back designs on bikers’ vests. We also do helmet stickers and decals for riders and patches with unique sayings to go on their vests, such as “Loud Pipes Save Lives.”
Stitches: Do you serve any other markets besides bikers?
BJ: Our primary customers right now are bikers, and we keep offering them new stuff. For example, we just launched our The Chop Shop Leather Essentials, so we’re manufacturing leather hoodies and T-shirts. However, we can also create signs and stickers for other businesses that are trying to get their names out there.
Stitches: What are some tips you’d give to fellow embroiders who’d like to dive into this market?
BJ: You have to find some creative ways to attract a broad audience. In this particular market, it is really about how you look. Bikers care about what they’re wearing while riding just as much as they care about their bike. You have to have an artistic eye and think of new designs that they will wear.
To find out more about The Chop Shop, visit www.chopshopkc.com. |
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Stitches Golden Needle Awards Call for Entries
Enter the 2010 Stitches Golden Needle Awards™ and show off your embroidery and digitizing skills and creativity! Finalists will be selected by a panel of veteran embroiderers and digitizers – and then we're opening the voting to Stitches readers. Winners will be featured in the November 2010 issue of Stitches and online. So, select the entry category that fits your skills, and show us your talent.
Click here to learn more. |
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| NEWS BRIEFS & PRODUCT RELEASES |
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Bito offers its brand-new E Caps attachment for the E Laser single-head. This attachment allows the laser to cut the curved shape of a hat bill in a field measuring approximately 2'' inches to 3'' in width and 4'' inches to 5'' in length; a user can produce appliqué on any style of headwear at production speeds. Finished cap cutting isn’t possible on the flatbed laser-bridge machine. |
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Dalco Athletic offers zebra and giraffe patterns in its newest heat-seal cutter material. New Dal-Fashion is a durable thin film that is ideal for decorating apparel made of cotton, polyester or cotton/poly blends. Dal-Fashion has a soft hand and features a glossy finish; it can be used on light and dark fabrics. It comes on a clear Mylar carrier sheet and is easy to weed, and it comes on rolls in two sizes: 19'' by 5 yards and 19'' by 27 yards. |
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| EnMart, in association with Sawgrass Technologies, offers ChromaBlast Ink for the Ricoh GX e3300N printer and created the EnMart ChromaBlast Package. This package is available for $419 on the EnMart Web site (www.myenmart.com). Along with the Ricoh GX e3300N printer, the package also includes one set (CMYK cartridges) of ChromaBlast Ink, one pack of 8½'' x 11'' ChromaBlast paper and one USB cable. |
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Penn Emblem Co. (asi/62485) has announced that Richard Hirsh joined the company as national sales account manager of the Extended Market Division. Hirsh has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing and selling licensed and promotional products end-buyers. He has been involved in licensing arrangements with Nickelodeon, DreamWorks and Hershey, as well as Target, Walmart and many other major retail organizations. |
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Pizzazz Performance Wear (asi/78230) has introduced its in-stock cheer uniform collection, which includes two uniform shells and two uniform skirts that can be mixed and matched. |
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| World Emblem International (asi/98264) offers heat-sealable designs called Trimax Transfers. |
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Did you know that you can get a new Tip of the Day every day on Stitches.com? Here’s just one of the business-building tips you’ll find online:
“Streetwear used to be a fad, but it never went away. It’s so strong that designers such as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein have gone into this business, and it’s here to stay. It’s what’s selling, and the brands are doing well. It’s a big sector of the market now.”
Morey Mayeri, president,
Royal Apparel (asi/83731) |
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Eco-Apparel Terminology
With new “crops” of eco-friendly textiles entering the apparel marketplace, brush up on some “green” options:
Organic fabrics use no pesticides, herbicides or insecticides during the growing cycle.
Soy silk uses liquefied proteins (a by-product of making tofu) forced into fibers that are then spun.
Ingeo corn fiber is created by extracting starch and then sugars from corn, and processing them into a form that can be spun into a yarn or woven into fabric.
Fortrel EcoSpun polyester is made out of recycled plastic bottles; it's frequently used for fleece.
Biodegradable fabric has the ability to naturally break down and return to raw material or to be absorbed by the earth. The Federal Trade Commission guidelines say only products that contain materials which “break down and decompose into elements found in nature within a reasonably short amount of time when they are exposed to air, moisture and bacteria or other organisms” should be labeled biodegradable.
Natural bleaching means that hydrogen peroxide was used to whiten fibers, rather than a chemical such as chlorine.
Bamboo fabric is made from the cellulose fibers of the plant. It’s naturally antibacterial and 100% biodegradable and sustainable. |
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EMBROIDERY TERMS |
Here are some decorating and technique terms you should know – and be offering to your clients:
Hand or manual engraving: Used for detailed work on materials ranging from metal to eggshells. Not practical for volume orders.
Heat-transfer printing (direct-transfer process): Imprinting method in which an image is screened onto a transfer substrate, which is then laid directly on the material to be imprinted. The image is transferred from the substrate to the material through heat and pressure.
Heat-transfer printing (sublimation): Process in which a design is transferred to a synthetic fabric by heat and pressure. The heat causes the inks to turn into a gas so that they penetrate the fabric and combine with it to form a permanent imprint.
Hologram: Combination of several layers of refractive material that gives the image a 3-D effect. |
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CALENDAR |
APRIL 2010
April 2-3, Knoxville, TN
Floriani Commercial Products Educational Workshop
(865) 719-0838; www.rnkdistributing.com
April 12-16, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Jose, Concord
Advantages Roadshow
(800) 546-3300; www.asishow.com
April 16-17, Charlotte, NC
The Embroidery & Direct to Garment Extravaganza
(877) 793-3278; www.embroideryextravaganza.com
April 18-21, Marlboro, MA
New England Apparel Club Show
(781) 326-9223; www.neacshow.com
April 19-23, Van Nuys, Ontario, Newport Beach, San Diego, Phoenix
Advantages Roadshow
(800) 546-3300; www.asishow.com
April 23-24, New York City
Vintage Clothing & Antique Textile Show and Sale
(518) 434-4312; www.manhattanvintage.com
MAY 2010
May 4-6, New York City
The ASI Show
(800) 546-3300; www.asishow.com
May 10-14, Boise, Salt Lake City, Denver, Albuquerque, Las Vegas
Advantages Roadshow
(800) 546-3300; www.asishow.com
May 12, Denver
Stitches Roadshow
(800) 546-3300; www.asishow.com
May 16-19, New York
National Stationery Show
(800) 272-7469; www.nationalstationeryshow.com
May 24-27, Milwaukee, Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit
Advantages Roadshow
(800) 546-3300; www.asishow.com |
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| ASK PHIL |
Hey Phil,
I’m looking for short-sleeve poplin shirts in tall sizes. I also need a variety of colors – I’ve found long-sleeve white shirts, but not in cool colors and short sleeves. Can you help? – Aaron
No problem! Try Blue Generation (asi/40652); (888) 336-4687; www.bluegeneration.com; product BG-7216S. This men’s short-sleeve poplin shirt is available in more than 20 colors and in tall sizes. Or, try Bishop The Garment Co. (asi/40586); (604) 255-5461; www.bishopwear.com; product 287. This ladies’ short-sleeve poplin shirt is available in five colors and in tall sizes. Finally, try Edwards Garment Co. (asi/51752); (800) 253-9885; www.edwardsgarment.com; product 1230. This men’s poplin short-sleeve shirt is available in more than 10 colors and in tall sizes.
Phil,
I think I have one that will stump you! I’m looking for a wholesale supplier of sport shirts with snaps instead of buttons. I need women’s styles. Do you have any suggestions for me? –Beverly
Beverly, I rarely ever get stumped! Try S & S Activewear (asi/84358); (800) 523-2155; www.ssactivewear.com; product 13Z0081. This ladies’ performance pique sport shirt features four snaps on a clean-finish placket; it’s available in 10 colors. Or, try SanMar (asi/84863); (800) 346-3369; www.sanmar.com; product L303. This ladies’ sport shirt features a three-snap placket with dyed-to-match snaps; it’s available in five colors. Finally, try Dark Star Printing & Embroidery (asi/48503); (800) 282-4764; www.companycasuals.com; product L642. This ladies’ two-snap sport shirt is available in six colors. Good luck!
Got a question for Phil? If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the Embroiderers Sourcing Guide, write to: Stitches, Attn: Phil Stitch, 4800 Street Road, Trevose, PA 19053. Or fax your question to: (215) 953-3107. For the quickest response, e-mail askphil@asicentral.com. For RN inquiries, visit www.stitches.com for the RN Database link. Although I try my best, I can’t always answer every request, so please continue your search on your own. Remember, if you call the companies that I mention, tell them you heard about them here!
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