The Main Players in Promotional Products - Distributors:
1. The Suppliers...
2. The Distributors... and also > What to look for in
a Distributor...
3. End Users (Customer, Client, Employee...)
2. The Distributors
Also known as counselors, these are the people that present to the client all
that the suppliers have to offer. They are usually independent to these suppliers
too, using competing suppliers in the best way they think possible to meet
their client's needs.
There are some 12,000 representatives in the USA and 1,200 in the UK. These firms range from sole traders to employee sales forces of hundreds. In the UK, sole traders in the promotional products industry account for no less than 88% of distributors.
Distributors also range in the types and number of services they offer to the client. They cover the areas from presenting supplier's products to adopting the approach of a sales agency.
A sales agency will help clients at all and any level of a promotional programme. This may include designing a campaign or suggesting an alternative and some also provide copy writing, catalogue development and fulfillment.
Distributors are the catalysts to the promotional products industry since it would be nearly impossible to function successfully if each supplier had to approach each client individually. To use a crude metaphor, they are the equivalent to what the supermarket is to the food industry.
Using a distributor can often make the difference between campaigns where the product is just given away and one that gets results. They can achieve this by filtering through the 15,000 products to find the most suitable item in line with their customers' budget. It is also their job to ensure the quality and delivery of the clients' goods, as sometimes they are required by a deadline.
(PPAI)
Finally, many distributors are members of their respective national trade associations and these organisations give status to distributors, their standards and regulations being recognised all over the world.
- Promotional Products Association International, (PPAI) USA;
- The Promotional Merchandise Trade Association (PROMOTA), UK;
- The Australasian Promotional Products Association (APPA);
- The Asociacion Mexicana de Profesionales de la Promocion, A.C. (AMPPRO);
- The Promotional Products Association Canada (PPAC);
- Praesent Service Institut (PSI) in Germany
- and the affiliated national associations of the European Promotional Products Association (EPPA).
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