I want to sell to the local high schools. any one know the person to talk to would be??? and when is the best time to hit high schools up with the class shirts?
Depends , some schoolls have clubs that are run by the students so you have to contact the club. Definatly contact the head of the athletic dept. And call and ask reception who to talk to regarding selling your product. A lot of schools are diferent. I sell to a school /university that has about 20000 students, 100`s of clubs, 4 stores, teams, a radio station, there own businesses , pubs etc... It is a large source of income for our company.
Talk to the PE director for sure, they always in on the uniforms for the teams. At a university setting, talk to the club leaders and build a relationship. A number club's getting funding from somewhere, may it be from members, the national level branch or even the university itself. They have to do something with that money why not print some shirts, or sweaters or jackets or...you get the idea? Just bear in mind they usually have to complete financial request forms if the money doesn't come directly from members, tell them to tell you exactly what is required b/c some of the requirements are specific.
They never let outside vendors come into my high school.
I know at the college level they have vendors and all you have to do is call them up and fill out some paper work. You will need insurance, but you can add that onto your home owners insurance for practically nothing.
Clubs: Most clubs have an adviser who is usually a teacher . This is the person you want to make contact with.
P.E.:
This really depends. Most schools have a bidding process set up for P.E uniforms and it can get very competitive. At one school we bid at, we were in competition with a printer 600 miles away. Ask the secretaries, they usually run the school and know who you should contact.
Athletics:
Talk to the athletic director. They handle the money for the sports. But it's hard going, since they like to get all their stuff from one company. So if you can make shirts, sell them football helmets,baseball bats and volleyballs, you have a chance.
Staff:
Talk to the principal to sell him/her on shirts for staff. They really like embroidered polos. Canvas bags are also a good item.
We have found that if you are going to sell to schools, clubs is where it's at. T-Shirts and hoodies. Senior,junior, soph, and freshman classes all have advisors. You need to find out who these people are. The quickest way to find out is to ask a few of the students if possible. Then find the advisers for band, spanish club, FFA etc.
And don't forget about the elementaries!! These are usually WAY UNDER SERVED. We have done very well on school spirit shirts for the whole school. Depending on the school size, you can look at 400 to 1200 shirts. Plus the staff polos and canvas bags. You can do pretty well.
And hit the schools up after 4th of July. July 1 is usually when all the school budgets are set.
The bulk of our school work comes from the athletic directors (one for girls, one for boys) and the class sponsors.
We are lucky to be the only printer in our town and the only competitive printer in about 6 eastern counties so it is just a matter of having what they want.
It also helps if you have a family member who is say a state official in some sport or another. You can put your business card in with that of the official when they send out official letters at the beginning of the school year.
Having a board member close to you helps as welll. Ppl in the community tend to get upset when they find out their tax funds are going out of town or in our case this year from ILL to CA.
I am sure every school district probably has its own guidelines but it helps to look them in the eye.
high schools 
Re: high schools 
