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October 8, 2009 Sell This Product - UmbrellasFiled under: Sell This Product Wind-resistant umbrellas help companies and their customers weather the storm. Companies strive to withstand the elements, and their promotional products should, too. Take umbrellas, for example. They’re popular items for imprinting and giving away, but not all umbrellas are created equal. “It was becoming increasingly obvious to us that the typical quality available in the market would not withstand the extreme wind and weather conditions umbrellas are subjected to,” says Bob Hechler, spokesman for Windbrella (asi/97247). “Salespeople were asking clients to place their most valuable asset – their corporate identification – on products that failed quickly and ended up in landfills.” Contrary to many promotional offerings, Windbrella’s 62″ golf/oversized umbrella carries a 100% lifetime guarantee. The product features an automatic-opening, pinchless runner; 100% fiberglass shaft, ribs, spreaders; and a double-canopy, vent mesh system, which Hechler says allows the wind to vent through to prevent inversion in high winds. Windbrella introduced its golf/oversized umbrella as a promotional product, targeting the golf, corporate and nonprofit event markets, though Hechler says all markets can use umbrellas. He adds that Windbrella developed a Target Market Program that contains a series of brochures focused on the 19 largest end-users of promotional products, letting them know why umbrellas should be part of their advertising and promotional product budget. “This has allowed our distributor partners to penetrate almost every segment of end-users,” he says. “There is a place for our distributors to customize the brochure with their contact information, making it a tool that can be used to sell more than just umbrellas.” The first step in selling any promotional product is to create a company or personal business plan, says Hechler, because the job becomes easier once a direction is determined for salespeople. “Once that is accomplished,” he adds, “tools like ESP Online and our Target Marketing brochures will assist in the creative selling process.” GREAT TARGET MARKETS
CASE STUDY Two retirees from an automotive aftermarket business decided to sell umbrellas to the industry they knew from their past careers. They reestablished their contacts with dealerships and developed a package to send to every consumer who buys a car. The package contains a Windbrella with the dealer’s logo and a thank-you letter from the general manager, asking the consumer to give the dealership a 10-point rating on a soon-to-arrive survey. “Their volume was over six figures in 2008,” says Hechler. “While 2009 is slower, they are still finding success with the strong dealerships, and Windbrella is sure to be the supplier of choice, as we climb out of the current economic situation.” From the 2009 Advantages September Supplement. 0 CommentsLeave a Comment |
