Today as I write this it is the first day of the fourth quarter of 2021. Many of our customers will be reaching out to us for ideas to recognize and appreciate those important to their organizations as yearend and the holidays approach. As well many organizations will be planning for 2022 and although we cannot exactly predict pricing for our products, we can offer input at no cost to any organization that wants to know what may be available for any budget range to “Thank, Invite, Excite, Recognize and Reward” those important to their organization in the coming year.
I would like to share a short story on how our order process helps buyers of customized logoed items get the best results.
We are privileged to work with two of our local tourist bureaus that buy apparel and merchandise to invite visitors to Southwest Florida by way of exhibiting at trade shows, sending packages to tour operators, putting swag bags together for travel agents and tourists that visit and much more.
One recent project included a request to order a unique ceramic tumbler which our customer found online and requested we submit a quote to ensure they choose the best of several vendor options they had. We did and were awarded the project and then secured the inventory of the color our customer wanted (a critical step during times of supply chain issues) and next worked on the layout on the item for approval. All was approved and the location of the imprint was to be away from the user when the user was taking a drink from the tumbler. We do this all the time, and we submitted the order that way. On orders for customized product when time allows, we will get a proof again from our manufacturer as a final check to confirm the art is good. Our inside staff receives the proof to send to our customer and prior to sending it out asked about the imprint location. We were told that the logo location was going to be away from the user as our order requested as this lid was a pop in lid so it could be moved to accommodate. Our customer reviewed the proof and was told what we were told so all was approved. Production went smoothly and items were shipped directly to our customer who was updated so they received the goods. Our last step before invoicing our customers is to call them and confirm the goods arrived and the item quality and imprint quality were as expected. I am a partner in the business and generally will call all our customers the day after the shipment arrives to confirm all is good. In this case our customer told me that the items were beautiful, but the imprint was on the wrong side. I had the information that with the pop in lid we were told it didn’t matter but it turns out that for this product for it to be useable the pop in lid could only be inserted one way, so the logo was not correctly located. Our customer sent me a video to show me this to our supplier in the event I needed it and I went to bat for them to get a resolution. Within one day of my call to the supplier the items were being reprinted and then shipped out to the customer. There were no additional charges to us or our customer for the redo. I did visit the customer after the replacements came in and did receive one of the original items to display in my showroom which I am showing here. As we were not on a deadline and had time and inventory, we were able to solve this problem by replacing the items. In a case where we ran out of time and the items were not useable, we would have not invoiced our customer as our supplier partner would have stood behind their error.
The value of a promotional item includes its usefulness but also the message on the item and the recipient’s perception of the brand or organization that gave it to them. Our company keeps all these in mind throughout the process as we feel that we are a valuable marketing partner to those we serve.
We appreciate our loyal customers and invite readers who want to upgrade their marketing to include impactful useful items tailored to their audience to reach out to our team.
The owners of SWFL Marketing Group, Martin and Karen Pahnke, have been owners and operators of small businesses together since 1990 and have an incredible team of international manufacturing partners to put personalized messages on just about anything imaginable so that your message can make the best impact on your audience. Let us and our qualified team take care of your Promotional Product campaign today!
We invite you to find out more about us and recommend you start planning how to use customized items early rather than last minute.
We are available to our customers by phone, email, or at our physical location!
