Off the Cuff: Selling Decorated Apparel to Professionals

Follow these four easy steps to reach doctors, lawyers, accountants and other professional high-end clients.
Nov 5, 2007

By Mark L. Venit

Twenty-some years ago I commented to newcomers attending my workshops at decorated apparel trade shows that our industry sells custom-decorated workwear and leisurewear “to virtually everyone — except maybe doctors, lawyers and accountants.” The exceptions quickly disappeared as decorated apparel made its mark in the professional world, where its denizens wear embellished garments on the job and off (See “Changing Apparel”).

Regrettably, though, it’s usually promotional products distributors who call on professionals and win their orders. Doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers and tech-sector professionals buy tons of the stuff we decorate — but how many of them buy it directly from you? As a general rule, professional practices rarely hear from apparel decorators. That’s because our industry simply forgets that these practices are also businesses; consequently, we often don’t identify them as worthy prospects.

So how do you get penetration into the professionals’ universe, loaded as it is with upscale consumers who aren’t too price sensitive, often gravitating toward high-ticket products? Whom do you call, and how do you get access to these people? Let’s get to some answers.

While there may be some value in advertising in publications read by professionals (those that accept advertising), this can be prohibitively expensive for many decorators. Still, there are cost-effective ways to access decision makers in the professional workplace, including direct mail, e-mail and direct selling. Anyone who thinks that every solicitation he sends will be met with an angry recipient is way off the mark. True, making advertising work effectively takes some talent and effort, but “right time, right place” does matter, even if you get just a small response.

1. Sending samples. Among the most effective — and often overlooked — marketing weapons in our arsenal is sending an actual sample and placing a follow-up phone call. Samples tell much more than words and pictures, and they do it more easily, faster and more powerfully than the most mellifluous hype. You can also produce an effective mailer, sell sheet or mini-catalog to accompany the samples in small quantities on a color printer. Output them in small quantities to test it your chosen audience.

In organizing your selections, choose only the most popular items — a few apparel items for staff, and awards and executive gifts for outstanding employees and big clients. My advice is not to send soup-to-nuts wholesalers’ catalogs, as they’ll only confuse the buyer, muddy the waters and make your effort more cumbersome. In selling to professionals, you’ll find less is often more. Though some will argue to the contrary, my experience is that concise catalogs and sales fliers get faster, better results than heavyweight catalogs.

2. Picking the right person. Assuming you’ve correctly targeted your audiences with the right products, your entreaty should not be addressed to the doctor, lawyer or accountant; rather, send it to the person whose responsibilities include placing orders. In a medical practice, that individual is more likely to be the office manager. In law firms, accounting firms and other non-medical practices, your materials are best addressed to the business manager.

Whenever possible, call ahead to ascertain the names of these decision makers; doing so will double or triple the response rate. You can obtain these names by purchasing mailing lists or simply “letting your fingers do the walking” (calling and asking). If time doesn’t allow this option and mailing lists aren’t available, for larger practices and professional firms you can address your mailings to the human resources director, purchasing department or marketing director.

3. Appointment etiquette. Direct selling efforts can be highly effective — if sales appointments are secured in advance. Professional offices frown on cold-calling salespeople. An initial meeting with buyers at professional offices usually falls into the “missionary” sales genre, where you focus on acquainting these prospects with your products and services, as well as the advantages of doing business with your company. Never attempt a premature close, as professional buyers rarely have any immediate urgency to buy; rather, their decision-making processes usually require input from other individuals, including the doctors, lawyers and accountants.

4. Visual identities. You’re likely to find that many professional practices have no real graphic identities beyond the font chosen for their letterheads and business cards. However, when given the option to incorporate a simple decorative enhancement to their logo type, many professionals will take you up on the idea — and the resulting design will look considerably better. Think stock icons, such as the scales of justice, a quill pen or the caduceus (the winged scepter with snakes intertwined around it).

Considering the millions of dollars that professional practices spend on apparel — and in light of the fact that only a handful of companies in our industry make conscientious, proactive efforts to target professional markets — the opportunity to take a leadership position in this segment is huge. And instead of always being on the paying end of bills for doctors, lawyers and accountants, wouldn’t it be nice for a change to be on the receiving end?



Mark L. Venit, MBA, is president of Apparel Graphics Institute Ltd., Ocean Pines , Md., which provides management and marketing consulting and proprietary research to apparel graphics companies throughout the Americas and Europe. He is also the chairman of ShopWorks Software LLC, a provider of industry-specific business software. Venit teaches pricing, strategic marketing, salesmanship and other business management topics at the Imprinted Sportswear Shows. You can reach him at markvenit@cs.com.

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