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Help....advice selling garments

2K views 7 replies 8 participants last post by  webtrekker 
#1 ·
Hey all, looking for a little guidance. I am new to this so.... when approaching a potential customer to sell my HT printing services where do I direct them to pick out blank apparel, totes, gifts, ect?
 
#4 · (Edited)
I think rather than sending them off to Sanmar, Broder, or S&S Activewear to find their own shirts they like or handing them a stack of catalogs, you should try creating your own "catalog".

Pick the most popular categories like short sleeve tees, long sleeve tees, hoodies, etc and choose 3-5 of your favorite styles to print for each.


So for t-shirts, it might look like this.
- Want something budget friendly? Here's the Gildan 2000.
- Want something super soft? Try our Bella + Canvas 3001.
- Want something American Made? The Royal Apparel 5051 is a good fit.

It would best to set this up on your website. But if you don't have that setup yet, you could could simply link them to 2-3 specific options at your vendors website.


What's the reasoning behind this?
If asked we will all say we like to have options. But studies have shown that too much choice can overwhelm buyers and prevent them from making purchasing decisions at all.

Most buyers don't want to learn the ins and outs of 100 different styles of short sleeve tees.

So in your conversations with your potential buyers via phone, email, whatever – position yourself as the expert on printing and garment by asking questions like:

- why are you wanting to buy shirts? for an event? to promote your business?
- what type of shirts do you wear all the time?
- do you prefer something more lightweight or heavier weight?
- etc

This way you're personalizing the experience for each customer, and they'll feel like you truly understand them. That will help you close the sale and stand out from competitors who simply ask "Ok. What type of shirt do you want?"
 
#6 ·
I prefer to find out as much information as possible about the project. Once you have the information you can provide expert advice and recommendations to them for the apparel items. Things to consider - print process...screen printing, direct to garment, vinyl, etc. Artwork .... colors, size, placement, etc. Do they have a specific item they want... comfort colors, bella + canvas, gildan, etc. What is their budget ... how much do they want to spend? Do they want an affordable, mid-level, high end option? Is the project on polyester, cotton, blend item.. etc.

Ok I think you get the idea. I prefer to collect the information and then provide the customer samples of my recommendations. I will try to get their artwork and do a mock up on several apparel items for them to review as soon as possible. If they just want to see the product you can create a flyer with your business info and images that you pull from your suppliers website. Almost all top level sites that sell apparel have hi-res images for you to use in your marketing or business process...flyers, website, mockups, etc.

This shows that you are an expert with your recommendations, you understand their project and end goal. It takes time, but you can create a lof of this information before you need it and then just add the images and send it out. I can usually send these out in less than 15 minutes if I have the photos of the apparel items in my library already. I hope this helps.
 
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