The Pulse Blog

By: James Mathews
Gaining an edge over the competition can be a difficult task for a business owner, especially one who is doing business in a highly competitive niche market. One of the best ways to gain a business advantage, and increase your sales, is to offer a promotional product with the purchase of one of your main products. A promotional product will make your core offerings more appealing to prospective buyers, and help significantly increase your sales conversion ratio.

Why are promotional products so important? The best reason is because they increase the perceived value of the products you are selling. They create the perception that the customer is getting more than he or she pays for. In a highly competitive market, this perception can make the difference between enjoying brisk sales, and struggling to attract new customers.

The power of promotional products also helps retain customers after they have made their initial purchases. Because they think that you have provided them with real value, they will be more likely to return to buy from you again and again - even if you do not offer promotional items with subsequent purchases. This can do wonders for your business, since increasing customer retention will allow you to spend less time trying to attract new customers or clients, and more time selling new products to your existing client base.

It is only necessary that the promotional item carries a high perceived value; it does not necessarily have to cost you much to provide the item. In fact, some of the most powerful promotional items - information products - will not cost you anything at all. Buyers in all types of niche markets are hungry for "how to" books, ebooks, and reports. Since you are likely well-versed in your niche market, it would not be difficult to compile a "how to" book or report to offer to your clients.

An information product is most powerful when it is directly relevant to the products or services you are selling. Your promotional product should enhance your main offering, showing buyers how to get the most satisfaction from their purchases. For example, if your business sells camping gear, you could offer a report showing buyers how to select the best campsite for comfort and safety.

Offering a promotional product is a solid technique for increasing sales and profitability. Since most marketers and business owners do not use this technique effectively, though, you can use your promotional item to gain an advantage over your competition. 

To find a distributor of promotional products in the UK visit the bpma sourcing site. All British promotional merchandise Association members must supply trade references and a suitable financial history before they can join. During their membership, they must adhere to a strict code of conduct ensuring that their practices are legal, decent and honest.) Look out for their logo displayed on their website or stationary. If you are still unsure you can log onto the British promotional merchandise association website. www.bpma.co.uk