One Design – Multiple Applications

If there is one thing the past eighteen months has taught us, it’s that flexibility within a business is the key to survival. Everyone has a story, but those who can adapt to the demands of the market are those still around today and flourishing.

A significant change we have seen is companies diversifying into different types of applications to be able to meet their customer’s needs. The traditional embroidery company cannot survive or grow if they only offer embroidery and sign makers will turn a living if they offer signage, car wraps and banners but could do so much more.

The key to knowing there is more opportunity out of your customer is something I’m very passionate about, and I identify it as the difference between ‘listening’ and ‘hearing.’ Two totally different things. You listen to your customer, advise them, and take the order, but do you hear what else they are saying?

• Did you listen to what their business is all about and what they actually do?
• Did you hear any golden nuggets of information where you could offer an additional item, product, or service?

Possibly not, given that most of the time all we are worried about is getting the job right that they are initially enquiring about.

Old School rules – Hear what the customer is truly saying. The customer has asked for some polo shirts with an embroidered logo for his business. Do not just pay attention to what the logo is, the size, the colours, and the stitch count. If you hear what they are saying, then their business may require the addition of Hi Vis Vests or Jackets. Sports shirts with sponsor name and numbering. Is there a potential for banners, stickers, or other sport printed merchandise? An events company needs some T Shirts for an up-and-coming exhibition, then you should also be sowing the seed of ID badges, Pop up Displays, branded pens, USB sticks, notebooks and other branded merchandise. Customers are much savvier now, but they will still not be aware of what YOUR capabilities are as a supplier to them. Unless you make a noise about.

Transfer printing is the most versatile form of printing out there. Deemed usually as piece of paper that can be applied to a garment to achieve a design is a very unrated view of it.

By expanding your offering of “transfers “to your customers you will be able to print multiple applications and fulfil some of the needs mentioned above.

If you have a DTG printer you can now produce DTF Transfers which means that whilst before you were limited to cotton-based products you can enter into the world of sportswear, teamwear, heavy duty workwear and decorate the garments in multiple difficult-to-print areas.

If you have a laser printer, you can produce Laser Transfers, but did you know there are different types of paper to print on different products. There are papers suitable for hard surface products meaning you can print on card, wood, leather, metal, paper.

If you have a print & cut machine, you can produce Stickers or Garment Transfers. You may have bought the equipment to printing banners, but by simply changing your basic media you can produce stickers, signage, posters, garment transfers, safety markings and more.

UV printing, whilst not technically a transfer, is a great way to decorate anything that isn’t a textile – from pens, memory sticks and notepads, to keyboards, baubles, and doormats.

Whether your business has a showroom, or you are in a retail space, or simply working online you must show your customers what possibilities they have. Do it with my ‘One Design – Multiple applications’ rule to help your customer visualize their brand. To you it’s obvious what you can print on, but not to them.

Increasing your capabilities of what you can decorate may just be possible with the equipment you have already, or you may need to look at purchasing a new consumable or piece of machinery. Either way selling to the customers you have is the easiest way to grow your business in 2022.