Sales Summit IV: Attendees Gained Insights

Posted July 25, 2014 at 12:17 pm

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Kevin Grimac of VF Imagewear holds up a high-visibility shirt to remind operators that the reflective qualities of these garments deteriorate faster than the shirt itself. 

TRSA’s recent Sales & Marketing Summit in Baltimore drew positive reviews from attendees, according to informal queries made by Textile Services Weekly.

“The Sales & Marketing Summit provided a great deal of take-home value across a wide range of topics,” said Mark Lewis, corporate sales manager for Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply Inc., Jessup, PA, of the July 17-18 program. “The value provided was more than worth the two days away from the operation and provided actionable items to improve the business.”

Marti Lawson, director of business development for Crothall Healthcare in Downingtown, PA, said she was particularly impressed by the keynote speakers who kicked off the action on the first and second day of the conference at the Baltimore Harbor Hotel. “As a salesperson, I particularly found both Jeffrey Cufaude’s workshop and Jeff Zelaya’s LinkedIn discussions very worthwhile,” Lawson said. “Jeffrey hit some key points that I had most likely known already, but was not putting to use, and Jeff opened my eyes to the sales opportunities to be gained by properly utilizing the LinkedIn tool. Great stuff!”

Zach Sonnenklar, director of marketing for Iron City Workplace Services, Pittsburgh, said the presentations gave him an upbeat view of the industry’s growth prospects. “I thought the summit brought many innovative growth ideas, and the contemporary presentation topics made me excited for the future generation of our industry, one that is filled with even more opportunities than ever before,” he said.

One attendee who made a coast-to-coast flight to attend the 1.5-day program said the effort was justified by the industry intelligence he gained at the summit. “I feel that it was worth the trip,” said Jerry Martin, vice president of sales & marketing, Prudential Overall Supply, Irvine, CA. “As long as I can gain a few takeaways for our company that we can apply to the business, then it is time well spent, and this conference provided me with that.”

Following Zelaya’s presentation on Day II, four supplier company executives provided brief presentations during “speed sessions” on a range of topics, including:

Hygiene/Chemicals: Doug Johnson, president of Sierra Hygiene Inc., Livermore, CA, gave attendees an overview of how they can boost sales and profitability by diversifying their product offerings to customers in the area of restroom supplies. Textile service companies are ideally placed to maximize revenue from this service because they’re already visiting these customers on a weekly basis (or more) to drop off/pick up uniforms, bar mops, aprons, etc. Why not provide these customers with toilet tissue, air fresheners, paper towels and other goods as well and relieve the customer from having to go to Costco or a big box store to pick them up, or having a jan/san supplier deliver it. “You have a logistical advantage over these people,” he said. “The RSR is there every week.” What’s more, at roughly $15 billion annually, this market is highly lucrative and textile services companies currently have a share of about 2%, he said.

Mats: Tyler Fowler, vice president of sales, Mountville Mills Inc., LaGrange, GA, similarly emphasized the opportunities that textile service companies have to increase profits by placing more mats in more locations ranging from restaurants to factories and hospitals. For example, textile services companies could place antifatigue mats in any area of a business or hospital where employees are standing for long periods to improve safety and productivity. “It’s a huge opportunity and something that we really need to start looking at,” Fowler said. “There’s a fair number of people standing that need mats but don’t have them.” Other opportunities include high-quality logomats that display near-photo quality color and definition thanks to advanced fabric-printing techniques, he said. Rather than just showing a logo, these mats also can display products such as a McDonalds Big Mac instead of the company’s iconic logo.

Enhanced Visibility/Safety Apparel: Kevin Grimac, sales director, VF Imagewear, Knoxville, TN, offered attendees an overview of the booming trade in high- and enhanced-visibility workwear. The former is driven by federal regulations, combined with an expansion in industrial activities such as oil and gas exploration in various areas of the United States. The difference is that the latter items offer an added measure of safety for companies that want to give their employees an extra measure of safety beyond what current regulations mandate. “It is a feel-good measure,” Grimac said. “It meets no standard.” Nonetheless, workwear with enhanced-visibility striping is popular, and sales have expanded 1,300% in the past five years. “It is growing and growing and growing,” Grimac said. A couple of challenges operators face in supplying high- and enhanced-visibility workwear is to be sure that they are in continuous compliance with federal requirements, he noted. Specifically, they need to make sure they’re not supplying enhanced-visibility garments in settings such as nighttime work sites, where high-visibility garments are required. Second, they must carefully monitor the aging of garments because the high-vis striping (which is comprised of tiny beads of glass) will deteriorate more quickly than the rest of the garment. Grimac displayed several hi-vis shirts that had received varying levels of washing to show how the striping deteriorates over time. “This garment will not last five years,” he said. “The garment will, but the striping won’t.”

Promotional Apparel: Barbara Herman, director, laundry apparel services, SanMar Corp., Issaquah, WA, addressed the need for textile services companies to take a “wholehearted” approach marketing workwear to provide customers with a single-source for a range of direct-sale and rental apparel as well as a wide range of promotional products delivered via route reps. “You can be all things to all people,” said Herman. “Your customer expects it. If you can’t do it, he’ll find another that can.” Promotional apparel, including direct-sale polos as well as logoed items such as cups, pens, award plaques and other “trinkets and trash,” add up to an $18 billion market, Herman says. Companies like Sysco, a food and beverage wholesaler for restaurants is considering offering workwear as a sideline because the opportunity is so lucrative. A wholehearted selling approach by textile services companies can secure that business before it’s too late. But it takes a proactive marketing effort, including a commitment from top management to move the program forward. As many as 700,000 products are available in this sector, Herman added, and the beauty of it is that textile services companies don’t have to stock merchandise. Orders can be logoed and drop-shipped for prompt delivery. The possibilities, including rep incentive programs for area schools and private organizations, are endless.     

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