O41 Operations Camp – Branded Merch 101
Explore New Revenue Opportunities in the Promotional Products Industry
The branded merchandise industry offers apparel decorators an exciting opportunity to expand their businesses beyond traditional apparel and into the broader world of promotional products.
In this introductory session, Michele Schwartz of Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) will break down how the branded merchandise industry works, explain the roles of suppliers and distributors, and explore how apparel decorators can leverage their existing skills, customer relationships, and production capabilities to enter this growing market.
Whether you're considering adding promotional products to your offerings, building relationships with distributors, or simply looking to understand the opportunities within branded merchandise, this session will provide a practical foundation for identifying where your business fits and how to get started.
What You'll Learn
- Industry Fundamentals: Understand the branded merchandise ecosystem and how suppliers, distributors, and decorators work together.
- Business Opportunities: Discover how apparel decorators can expand into promotional products and create additional revenue streams.
- Leveraging Existing Strengths: Identify how your current decorating capabilities and customer relationships translate into new opportunities.
- Distribution Channels: Explore opportunities to collaborate with promotional products distributors and industry partners.
Speakers
More Information
Related Sessions
O46 Manifest Business Conference – hosted by MADE Lab
O45 Economic Keynote
Leading economist Alex Chausovsky shares the key economic and industry
…Leading economist Alex Chausovsky shares the key economic and industry trends shaping branded apparel, helping decorators and leaders make smarter decisions on pricing, margins, supply chains, and growth.
Leading economist Alex Chausovsky shares the key economic and industry trends shaping branded apparel, helping decorators and leaders make smarter decisions on pricing, margins, supply chains, and growth.
Leading economist Alex Chausovsky shares the key economic and industry trends shaping branded apparel, helping decorators and leaders make smarter decisions on pricing, margins, supply chains, and growth.
Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsO19 Go To Marketing Camp – Sales.Ink – Sales Systems
Stop growing by accident. Learn how to build a repeatable sales system
…Stop growing by accident. Learn how to build a repeatable sales system around prospecting, follow-up, pipeline management, and accountability that creates predictable revenue.
Why Someone Should Come
Many shops grow by accident. They wait for referr
Stop growing by accident. Learn how to build a repeatable sales system around prospecting, follow-up, pipeline management, and accountability that creates predictable revenue.
Why Someone Should Come
Many shops grow by accident. They wait for referrals, respond to whoever emails first, and hope the next good job walks through the door. That approach may work for a while, but it does not create predictable revenue. This session helps attendees un
Stop growing by accident. Learn how to build a repeatable sales system around prospecting, follow-up, pipeline management, and accountability that creates predictable revenue.
Why Someone Should Come
Many shops grow by accident. They wait for referrals, respond to whoever emails first, and hope the next good job walks through the door. That approach may work for a while, but it does not create predictable revenue. This session helps attendees understand how to build a simple sales system that creates structure around prospecting, outreach, follow-up, accountability, and pipeline movement.
Who Should Come
This session is designed for print shop owners, sales teams, account managers, customer service staff, and shop leaders who want to finally make a CRM useful. It is especially valuable for shops using spreadsheets, scattered notes, inboxes, memory, or a generic CRM that does not match how decorated apparel businesses actually sell.
What They Will Learn
- CRM Clarity: Learn what a CRM should track and what it should not overcomplicate.
- Team Adoption: Understand how to build simple usage habits so the CRM becomes part of the daily workflow instead of another ignored tool.
- Customer Communication: Learn how to keep conversations, notes, tasks, and history organized in one place.
- Opportunity Tracking: Discover how visual pipelines and clear next steps help prevent leads and quotes from slipping through the cracks.
- Retention and Growth: Learn how CRM systems can support repeat orders, reactivation campaigns, customer follow-up, and stronger sales performance.
