Want to increase your apparel orders? Don’t be afraid to upsell your clients. It’s not simply about convincing them to spend more, but about providing them with better ideas and more benefits from their promotional apparel. Try these tactics to up your margins:

1. Bring premium samples.
If you want to transition your customers from value tees, the best way to do so is to let them see – and feel – for themselves the difference a premium fabric can make. Be sure to highlight the difference in quality and hand-feel between the lower-end garment and the better version.

Instead of selling basic sweatshirts and tees, give your client a choice of higher-end options, such as this ringspun T-shirt (left) and cadet collar sweatshirt (right) from JERZEES (asi/40650); jerzees.com.

2. Reflect retail trends.
If a customer balks at the idea of spending more on an item, remind them that uncomfortable, ill-fitting or out-of-style clothing is unlikely to be kept or worn by the end-user. “Be sure to communicate that you’re simply advising them of better options to consider for their customers, who expect more retail-type promotional apparel these days,” says Jeanene Edwards, vice president of merchandising and marketing for Fruit of the Loom (asi/84257) and JERZEES (asi/40650).

3. Show them new ideas.
“If you have a customer looking at crewneck sweatshirts, why not offer up a quarter-zip as an option?” Edwards says. “It’s still a basic sweatshirt, but with the collar and zipper, it has more versatility and can be worn for business casual.”

4. Bundle items.
If you’ve already landed a deal to sell shirts or other basic apparel, anticipate what your client’s other needs might be and offer them as options. “That shirt order might be coupled with some embroidered hats,” says Marshall Atkinson, a decorated-apparel industry business coach and consultant. “Those athletic jerseys could be sold with travel bags and water bottles.” Consider items that will complement or enhance what your client wants. “Offering items that can wardrobe well together can also be a clever approach to cross-selling,” Edwards says.

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