By Dave Campbell, President, Cool Air Creations, Inc.

 

One of the things that keeps me up at night — besides the quality of any given T-shirt, the color of a logo, or whether a banner is printed perfectly or not — is watching businesses spend money on marketing products — without first asking the most important question: "What problem are we trying to solve?"

 

Daily, the conversations start with: "How much are 200 shirts?" or "What’s the cheapest I can get pens?" While we're always happy to assist, I can't help but wonder if those products are really the best solutions — or simply the first thing that came to the client’s mind.

 

Forget the Means: Think About the Ends

 

At Cool Air Creations, Inc., we believe acquiring the final product should never be the starting point in the branding journey. Your initial objective should be to answer some of these following questions:

• Are you trying to recruit employees?
• Strengthen your company culture?
• Generate more referrals?
• Launch a new product?
• Increase visibility at a trade show?
• Thank loyal customers?
• Improve your professional image?

Every one of those goals may require a completely different strategy, even if they all involve procuring something with your logo on it.

 

Start Your Investment Journey With a Chat

 

That's why some of our favorite conversations begin with questions and prompts instead of quotes, such as these:

• Tell us about your business.
• What are you hoping to accomplish?
• Whom are you trying to reach?
• What does success look like?

Once we understand the objective, the recommendations become much more precise and meaningful. Maybe custom apparel is the answer, or fleet graphics that turn your vehicles into rolling billboards.

 

Or … it's architectural window graphics that transform your storefront’s look. Perhaps it involves promotional products that keep your name on your customers' desks. Then again, it can be a company store that makes ordering uniforms effortless.

 

And sometimes, the best solution isn't one product at all — it's a combination of several working together.

 

We Don’t Look at the Sale, but the Relationship

 

The truth is, anyone can sell you a box of shirts or pens (not the quality ones Cool Air Creations, Inc. is justly known for, but you get my point).

 

Our goal is to help you build a stronger business — which means you and I will have a longer-lasting relationship.

 

That means thinking beyond just the order in front of us. It means considering your brand, your audience, your budget, your timeline, and the message you're trying to send. When those pieces come together, the products stop being expenses and start becoming investments. (Remember my second article for this newsletter?)

 

Tap Into our Deep Reservoir of Promotions Knowledge

 

We've been fortunate to work with businesses of every size, from small local startups to national enterprises. The companies that consistently get the best results have one thing in common: they don't ask, "What's the cheapest item we can buy?" They ask, "What's the smartest way to achieve our goal?"

 

That's a very different conversation — and it's one we love having.

 

So, the next time you're preparing to order apparel, signage, promotional products, graphics, or window tint, don't worry about knowing exactly what you need before you call us.

 

Bring us the challenge.

 

We'll work together to help you find the solution.

 

Because at the end of the day, we're not in the business of selling “stuff.”

 

We're in the business of helping your business make a lasting impression.

 

I’m here when you need me.

 

Dave

 

(Read more of Dave’s columns on our Cool News page.)