| WearableStyle
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Volume 131 / September 13, 2010 |
| Click here to read this and past issues online. | |
| PODCAST On Tuesday’s ASI Internet Radio Show, the hosts interviewed Phil Immordino, president of the Golf Tournament Association of America, to find out how distributors can improve their sales to golf tournaments. Wondering what products work best for events on the links? Looking to expand your business from golf tournaments? Listen to this clip from the show. Click here to listen to the golf tournament interview from Tuesday’s show. |
| Trend Alert: It Bags |
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Devotees of the tabloids, runways and celebrity gawking know about the "It Bag" – a designer handbag that is deemed the must-have item of the moment as a result of star usage, clever marketing techniques, superior quality and its ability to represent the mood of the season. Generally produced as limited editions, these bags have unique qualities about them and can be spotted from across the avenue, thanks to designer logos being plastered all over them.
This season, the staple designers of the It Bag epidemic – Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent and more – are focusing on updating their simple, classic styles. They're using darker colors with silver or gold hardware to match the autumn scenery and add sophistication to any ensemble. Industry suppliers are capitalizing on these trends and providing bags that imitate the high-end totes seen on television and in magazines. "Our Carina line bags are our best-selling items right now," says Kirsten Logan, vice president of sales and marketing at Clava American (asi/45335). "They are made of coated canvas, which creates a fresh, sophisticated look, and they have contrasting zippers with beautiful heavyweight hardware." While most paparazzi pictures show celebrities carrying their thousand-dollar bags with the famous elbow hold, everyday users require fashion and function – not only with how these bags hold up but also how they are held. "The straps are made so that they can be carried by hand, on the shoulder or in the elbow crease," Logan says. As for the hot colors: Like any trend, the darker hues come out in the fall and winter. Stone, white and other lights are out, and black, browns, blues and dark greens are in.
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| Fall Color Palette |
| Want to be on the cutting edge of color? Check out these predictions on the hottest color trends for the rest of 2010. Jewel tones. Often popular during the fall and winter months, jewel-tone-inspired colors will trend in 2010. "Vantage has added orange, deep maroon and purple to our Soft Blend Pique and Omega Tech Polos for fall/winter," says Gina Barreca, marketing director for Vantage Apparel (asi/93390). "Deep jewel tones are hot colors for this upcoming winter and spring," says Jessica Levine, marketing associate for Boxercraft (asi/41325). "Dark purple and turquoise especially are growing in popularity." Autumn favorites. "Look stunning in hues of red, orange, pink, yellow and blue," says Michelle Swayze, marketing director for In Your Face Apparel (asi/62494). Red, orange and yellow mimic the colors of the changing leaves in late fall, and red especially will carry over into the holiday season, along with black as a more formal neutral. A few seasonal colors from summer, like American Apparel's (asi/35297) summer peach, will continue into fall, as well Earthy neutrals."People can stay warm in our favorite colors over the winter – brown, black and beige," says Swayze. Michael Schreiber of Latico Leathers (asi/66575) says,"Of course, black and brown are always very popular cold-weather colors" for bag and accessory options for winter. Pairing these earthy neutrals with bright late-autumn colors is a great way to create a sophisticated look. Latico is also offering its neutral bags in "three metallic shades that are selling briskly from our fall/winter collection: metallic brown, metallic olive and metallic copper," says Schreiber. Tech. "Tech-inspired grey colors are trending for fall and winter," says Barreca. "This is especially true in fleece and outerwear." Grey is a great neutral that can easily be combined with your client's corporate colors for a sophisticated look that doesn't distract from their brand messaging. |
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| Emotional Satisfaction Is Key to Sales |
It sounds like a concept best suited for the psychiatrist's chair, but Walt Zeglinski says that emotional satisfaction is the key differentiator for winning salespeople. "Many clients start transactionally, and the smart salespeople migrate them to become more emotionally satisfied clients over time," says Zeglinski, the CEO and chief client advocate for Integrity Solutions, a consulting company for sales organizations. What is emotional satisfaction? For clients, it's a feeling that they are being cared for and that their interests are continually served. Zeglinski cites the example of buying a car; most people would buy the same car again, but often not from the same salesperson. "Nine out of 10 people are satisfied functionally with what they get," he says. "Products are pretty good products today. Companies get that. However, only about four in 10 customers will be loyal – which means they continue to buy from that salesperson." Emotional satisfaction, then, means transcending pure product satisfaction to create a deeper bond with your client. How to accomplish that? Zeglinski has three suggestions: demonstrating product expertise (picking the right product); being a resource deployer (did you make sure the shipment arrived on time?); and solving your client's business problems. When an obstacle presents itself, short-sighted salespeople will only consider how they can overcome it to make the sale. "Value-creating salespeople are interested in how that obstacle is getting in the way of maximizing their relationships," Zeglinski says. As a result, clients will be willing to pay more for your services, especially when you've cultivated an ethical reputation (one element of emotional satisfaction). Also, customers won't cast you to the wind if a competitor comes around offering a cheaper deal. "If you develop an emotionally satisfied customer," Zeglinski says, "that customer will reach out to you if a competitor should come in with an alternative." |
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Our Favorite Wearables |
Ask An Expert |
Q: I have a group of cheerleaders that is looking for sweatshirt blankets in purple. I can find them in basic colors but not purple. I would appreciate any help that you can give me. Thank you in advance. |
| News Briefs |
Acclaim Screen Printing (asi/30477) has joined ASI as a new supplier decorator. |
| Wearables Terms |
Knowing these terms will make distributors who just started sound like they’ve been in the business for years. |
| Show List | ||
Sep. 8-11, Philadelphia, Baltimore |
Oct. 4-8, Montreal, Ontario, Toronto East, Toronto West, Burlington |
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