I want to let you in on a little secret – well, actually two of them. First, small business owners (SBOs) are ideal customers. Second, small business owners are odd. I can say this without risk because I am one of them. Learning how to sell orders for embroidered goods to small business owners may seem like a waste of time. Many sales people overlook the fact that these business owners have an ongoing need for logo’d apparel. Once you understand the subtleties of meeting their specific needs, you will be able to tap into a solid and surprisingly consistent source of logo’d apparel orders.
I bet you already know the key buying needs and habits of SBOs – they are likely the same for you, and your business. Think about how you make purchases for your business. Examine your own decision-making process and spending habits for your business and then see how that applies to selling to the small business owners around you. As SBO's:
1) We do not plan too far ahead. For a small business owner, a three- to five-year plan is a lofty goal, but rarely anything we give much thought to. We are much more likely to have a plan for the next week, maybe the next month, and on a really good day, maybe even the next quarter. And even the plan for this week is a rough draft of what will actually happen. We live in the reality of limited time and resources that an SBO commands. Pitching us about “ROI” or the long-term benefits of buying logo’d apparel do not have that much impact on us because we are constantly in the present, working with what we need to accomplish right now. Talk with me about what you can do now and what change it will generate now. Then, once my immediate needs are met, walk me into a conversation about how it can help me later.
2) We're more interested in value than price. We are more about buying a comfortable well-made product rather than about the lowest-priced product, especially when it comes to garments we will wear ourselves. We want to see a sample of the item and not be forced to make a decision based on a pretty photo in a catalog. When we see and feel the quality differences between a low-end and higher-end shirt, we prefer the higher-end shirt, if we will be wearing them. For apparel used as giveaways to customers we are more likely to look at ways to save a bit, yet still provide a quality product. Show me options of good, better and best products that will all work together.
3) We care about the buying experience. Get me on board by solving my immediate need. Keep me onboard by showing me how to add to that purchase in such a way that all the products work together. Show me how to layer golf shirts with sweaters with jackets to create a coordinated work wardrobe and I will keep coming back. Let me know what it will cost to add one more item if I hire someone or ruin something. If I need to pay set up fees, let me know what they are and what I get for it, such as what kinds of apparel the design will work on and where it won't. I don't care what “digitizing” means, but I can understand about a setup fee to tell the embroidery machine what colors to sew where!
4) We will order more if you keep in touch. Don't forget about me once I become a customer. If you want me to buy more stuff, shoot me an email with a photo of a product that works well with my logo’s colors. Show me something that works well with the shirts I already purchased. Talk with me and share information with me as if I were someone you wanted to be around. Don't just dump me into your canned sales messages email system and expect me to order more stuff automatically.
5) We are loyal, until we have reason not to be. We value loyalty in our customers. Because of that, we tend to function with loyalty as our “default” mode. There is one caveat though, it has to work both ways. Give us solid products and on time delivery. If you cannot keep a deadline, let us know! When you have a problem and you let me know, I will learn to trust you. When I trust you and your ability to keep your word, I will buy more logo’d apparel from you. In fact, it is likely that we will tell our friends, family and fellow business owners that we do business with you.
Small business owners represent an often overlooked market. Yet the sheer number of these small business owners is staggering! Collectively, small business owners represent more than 99 percent of the U.S. economy, according to the Small Business Administration. In its 2012 report, the SBA states that there were 27.9 million small businesses (businesses with 500 or fewer employees) and only 18,500 firms with more than 500 employees.
The report additionally states that 73 percent of these small businesses are sole proprietors and 52 percent are home-based businesses. And the majority of these business owners might really enjoy sporting apparel with embroidered logos on them! Yes, they might only order six shirts. And then a jacket. And a few dozen caps. And some promotional products. And a few sweatshirts. And some promo items as giveaways. There is a great deal of potential if you pursue this market consistently. Remember, as an SBO, you and they are all part of sustaining a vibrant community.
Jennifer Cox is president of the National Network of Embroidery Professionals. NNEP members receive personalized marketing consulting designed specifically for their business. To join NNEP today, visit NNEP.net, email Jennifer at hooper@nnep.net, or call 800-866-7396.