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Promotional Product Marketing
Do you have any tips for a successful campaign using promotional
products?
Be sure the promotional products relate to the advertiser, its
products or services and the theme of the promotion.
Promotional programs run the gamut from simple with single products
distributed once to a small audience to a comprehensive multi-product
campaign directed to large targeted audience that run for an extended
time period.
Don't skimp on promotional items; they should be keepers or sold
on ebay and perceived as valuable instead of tossed into the trash
or stashed in the closet for perpetuity.
What are some ways to use promotional products? Let me count
some of the ways: Promote branch openings. Introduce new products.
Motivate sale staff and sales promotions. Stimulate sales meetings.
Develop trade show traffic. Activate inactive accounts. Change names
of products or companies. Use as sales aids for door openers. Motivate
consumers. Move products at dealer level. Give as corporate gifts.
Introduce brands and logos.
What are some examples of promotional
items?
Aside from shirts, shirts, and more shirts there are after dinner
mints, backpacks, balloons, can coolers, canvas bags, coffee and
cocoa, classic pen in case, clocks, coins, compact chairs, flashlights,
fleece blankets, golf balls and golf towels, gym bags, hats, key
tags, lapel pins, letter openers, memo cubes, money clips, mouse
pads, paper weights, pens, picture frames, screwdrivers, tote bags,
travel mugs, watches, and many more items too numerous to mention.
Contact us for a catalog.
Do you do fabrication?
CAT Specialties works with the "A" list and frequently
provides promotional collectibles when a film is released in DVD.
Our savvy marketing staff provides input from concept to creation.
Check out the fabricated coins of titanic proportions that we created
for DVD anniversary release.
Printing Technologies
Is silk screening different than screen printing? It is
the same process; however the description "silk screening"
is antiquated. Formerly silk was used as the fabric that was tightly
stretched over the frame but now it's a synthetic fabric usually
polyester.
What is embossing and what can be embossed? Embossing utilizes
an electronic sealing machine to press a die into the surface of
the material, leaving a raised (embossed) imprint of the design,
logo, or title. We can emboss leather, vinyl, and cotton blends.
Costs
We have a budget. What are some of the cost considerations to
keep us within our budget?
Costs are influenced by volume, process, and deadlines.
How many shirts do you want? The unit price will be lower with
greater volume.
Will you want custom imprinted apparel or custom embroidered apparel?
This will most likely determine if you use a t-shirt or polo shirt
and if you want 100 percent cotton or fabric blend.
Then when do you want it…in two days or two weeks?
Is there sales tax? Yes. Sales tax is 8.25% for Los Angeles
County; 7.75% for Orange and San Bernardino counties. Sales shipped out of California are exempt from paying tax.
Are there shipping charges? Yes, in most cases. Occasionally we have free freight specials on selected products. Shipping is usually handled by Fedex, USPS, or UPS.
Do you offer products for resale? Yes. When you show us a
valid California resale card, you do not have to pay any sales tax.
Does the unit price get lower depending on the volume? For
instance is there some incentive to do 250 shirts or caps vs. 500? Absolutely, there are price breaks; the first break is at the minimum
of one dozen. After that we have breaks at 24, 48, 72, 144, 288,
576, and upward.
Odds and Ends
What are your payment terms? With new clients, we require a
50 percent deposit upon order approval. Ongoing corporate accounts
may submit purchase orders. We accept checks, Visa, MasterCard,
and American Express.
Do you charge a set up fee? In most cases, yes, we do. However as a special offer to our online clientele, we are including a one color, one location imprint, at no charge on all garment screenprinted orders. Other screen printing companies may say that they don't charge a set up fee but -- trust us - they do. It's incorporated into their price just like when the cost of fuel rises the prices go up in the grocery store. You get the same can of soup but someone has to absorb the high fuel costs and it's always the consumer; but enough about grocery shopping…
When you request a quote, we will explain it in detail and there
could be a price break based on volume. By the way, the going rate
for set up charges in the screen printing industry is from $25 to
$45 per color, our price is $30.
How do I reorder? We keep your logo on file for fast and
future reordering. If you can't remember the color or style you
ordered last time just ask, as the answers are at our fingertips.
There are no set up fees if you don't change anything when you reorder.
How long does an order take? Production time depends on the
type and quantity of custom apparel or items ordered. Most screened
or embroidered items ship in about 10 working days from artwork
approval. If you have a special date or your order is a rush, please
let us know so we can make it happen. We have emergency rush service on selected items, and have produced and shipped
orders within 24 hours!
What kind of guarantee do you offer? All products are guaranteed
to satisfy and meet your needs. In order to accomplish this we offer
a virtual pre-production sample, or in some cases, an actual sample.
Your prior approval is necessary in order to begin production.
Are you products made in the U.S.A? The fabric for Hanes
t-shirts is made in the USA but usually assembled offshore. However,
all the art work, screen printing, embroidery, and embossing is
done at our San Gabriel Valley, Calif. location. Some of our promotional
products are produced at partner companies and fabrication for one-of-a-kind
promotions are generally, but not always, done overseas.
Do you offer discounts to non-profit organizations? This
is done on a case by case basis. Please
inquire.
What is your return policy? All blank or unimprinted products may be returned for credit or refund within 30 days of receipt. Please contact us for a return authorization number.
Customized Products: Due to the fact that items, once customized, cannot be resold, only merchandise that is defective in workmanship or material may be returned for credit or replacement.
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