Bannockburn, IL-based npn360 (asi/285252) has a big reason to celebrate. The distributorship commemorated its 40th anniversary in April. With roots in printing and packaging, npn360’s original goal was to handle printing needs “better than anyone else.” But today, a different tag line is prominently displayed on its website: “Discover the 360˚ Experience.”

End-buyers can turn to the company for various services – from commercial print to packaging to marketing technology. Promotional products, which make up 22% of the business, now close the circle. Artie Collins, npn360 CEO, knows that customers will go elsewhere if he can’t provide promo.

Why Promo?

Another way to look at 360 degrees is strictly from a promo perspective. Npn360 takes end-buyers from ideation through execution of manufacturing products to delivery. However, the system wasn’t so sophisticated roughly 12 years ago when the company began dabbling in promo.

The decision to embark on the promo journey was customer-driven, Collins says. He offered the example of working at npn360’s booth at a trade show. Maybe npn360 employees could wear standardized apparel in that booth, he wondered. Giveaways could be another possibility.

“[Promo] continues to be a strong part of our business, and from a gross standpoint, it’s much higher than print and packaging. We like that, and it’s just another value add we can provide to customers.” Artie Collins, npn360 (asi/285252)

“We joined ASI … but tried to manage it without any expertise,” Collins recalls. “We were below average at it.”

After some time and thought, Collins’ mission was to find people already excelling in the promo space. He hired the company’s first promotional products specialist, who brought 10 years of experience from Innerworkings, a former Counselor Top 40 firm that was acquired by current Top 40 distributor HH Global (asi/168860) in 2020.

Now that things were falling into place, some critical decisions needed to be made. Hard goods, apparel or a mix? For npn360, apparel was the initial answer. Think T-shirts, golf shirts and headwear. However, with an expert with experience across the board, the distributor slowly introduced hard goods like simple glassware and pens.

Adding a new product line to your business can be daunting – even with the guidance of an expert. Printers speak different languages than promo professionals. But, according to Collins, vector art colors and inkwork haven’t been an issue. “I think it’s more how orders come in or [how] we consult via providing ideation,” he says. “We do that on print as well, but just not on every project it seems like.”

There’s also inventory. When quoting jobs, salespeople must ensure they have that color in stock — blue, red or green won’t be helpful if purple is needed.

Collins says the most important part of the process was making sure his salespeople felt comfortable with the transition. Some embraced it; others didn’t.

“Our print team can transition to promo a lot easier than promo going to print,” Collins acknowledges.

He says this is where investing in a promotional products specialist paid off.

“She would add credibility on sales calls,” Collins says. “She could talk the talk. She knew all the vendors, which is just as critical as the customers.”

That led Collins to expand the dedicated promo team. The company welcomed five full-time support members and one salesperson who helps with vendor management and relationships.

Incorporating a work management platform is another way npn360 has empowered its sales team and streamlined internal communications. When a salesperson brings a project to the table, they go to a board on the intranet that takes them to a drop-down list of approximately 30 questions to answer. This helps capture information such as demographics for an event, delivery dates and other things Collins says turned into bottlenecks over the years.

“Obviously, there are some situations where we don’t have all the information, but [we’re] really dialing in on what our promotional products teams need to start an ideation,” he says. “As the salespeople go through the process, they start to learn what to ask. I’ve gotten feedback that they’re much more comfortable now talking brand and merch and promo because they’ve been forced to go through this checklist. You just learn from doing it.”

Breaking Through the Crowd

In a distracted marketplace ripe with competition, what helps a company stand out? Collins says npn360’s “white-glove service” gives them the advantage. The distributor’s ability to move away from transactional relationships and toward complete brand management – from ideation to analytics – has helped them find success in several verticals, with retail and food service topping the list. A few clients include Claire’s, Sally Beauty and Verizon stores.

Part of that is knowing what customers want. Collins has observed growing interest in “expensive ticket” items compared to five or six years ago. His team notes the logo isn’t as prevalent on these types of items. He cites one client who purchased Peter Millar vests as an example.

“They don’t necessarily have the 3-inch logo on the left chest; now it’s more on the yoke or the sleeve,” he says.

He said clients get more use from higher-end items like YETI, Stanley or Hydro Flask versus the knockoff. “Especially from apparel, we’re seeing that, and maybe that’s just a function of the customers we have,” Collins says.

Strong supplier partnerships also help npn360 provide optimal service. In addition to turning over complete purchase orders, transparency is important. Lean on suppliers just as one would lean on a promotional products specialist. But, as Collins said, sometimes that specialist makes the introduction.

“Communicate with [suppliers],” he says. “I just think [with] communication and building those relationships and funneling work to a smaller number of vendors, our value with them goes up, and we get better pricing, deliveries and everything else that comes along with that.”

Looking ahead, Collins plans to keep the conversations going. “It continues to be a strong part of our business, and from a gross standpoint, it’s much higher than print and packaging,” he says. “We like that, and it’s just another value add we can provide to customers.”