One of the many great aspects of direct to garment is the fact that you can print one shirt on demand very simply. This makes creating a sample of a printed garment a great way to show someone what you do. A great way to create sales is by providing a potential client with a customized printed shirt. Let’s say you go to your dentist, before you go find a dental related image and put the company name on it. To keep it cost effective use a white shirt. During your visit give them the shirt and say that you made something for them and this is what you do. You are not only showing what you can do for them but what you have done for them. Don’t forget to mention if they want some more with any design they want that you can do it and here is your pricing. This alone will stir up some conversation and hopefully turn into a sale. This is just one out of a million ways you can use sampling to your advantage.
Keep in mind that you are not limited to walk in or face to face networking. You can always put a shirt with you pricing in the mail. What a great treat to have an unexpected package show up with a custom personalized shirt. An example of this would be that St. Patrick’s Day is 2 or 3 weeks away. Google search Irish pubs and bars in your area. Find a basic clover leaf design and put the bar’s name on it along with the holiday and year. Send it out to all of them in the mail with your pricing. You are catching them just in time to get some shirts in time for the day. With your shirt and pricing in hand the work is already done. I personally know someone that did this and received an 80% turn around.
These are just two examples out of an endless possibility of ways to use sampling as a sales tactic. Think of using a t-shirt almost as your business card. If you put enough stuff out in the universe something is going to come back. “If you build it they will come”
