As the adage goes, the riches are in the niches. And according to Kevin Baumgart of Sales Ink, whose work focuses on helping apparel and promo shops build sales structures, there’s a lot of truth to that sentiment.

In his session at Education Day at ASI Fort Worth on March 9, “Niches Make Riches: How To Stand Out in a Crowded Market,” Baumgart walked attendees through some ways to identify a niche and increase sales.

“Who has a defined niche?” he asked the audience. Attendees raised their hands, shouting out the various categories they serve, including “multifamily,” “fintech,” “casino,” “nonprofit” and “diesel performance.”

Kevin Baumgart shares some tips for sales success on Education Day at ASI Fort Worth.

Ask the Right Questions

For those who haven’t yet identified a niche, Baumgart recommended starting by asking the following questions:

Then, he recommended identifying an ideal client profile and persona. A client profile might include information about a customer like number of employees, sector, revenue and location, while a persona offers information on the specific person you want to get in front of, which might include their gender, age, role or title, and type of educational degree.

“Start with a definition of who you’re targeting,” he said. “It will help us make better decisions on where we go next.”

Leverage Multiple Platforms To Engage Potential Customers

Email might be the first medium people think to focus on as they engage potential customers, but Baumgart says that’s a mistake.

“I would never focus on just email,” he explained. “Email deliverability is not great right now and response rates are low.”

Instead, Baumgart recommended combining email efforts with texting, LinkedIn messaging and other methods.

Go Where the People Are

One of the biggest opportunities to get in front of people within a specific niche is to find out where they gather.

Baumgart said investing in booths at trade shows is one way to guarantee brand visibility. He offered the example of a print and promo shop with a focus on corporate gifting for HR leaders at large organizations. The company attended a conference hosted by the Society for Human Resource Management, the largest professional association serving HR management professionals, and showed up with new hire kits and gifting solutions for sale.

Other times, accessing a niche requires a bit of creativity. Baumgart offered up the example of one print and promo shop that specialized in working with breweries. The distributor created a brewery “tour” where it set up shop at breweries around town. As a value-add, the company also offered to redo the retail merch presentation at each brewery.

“It allowed the brewery to sell more gear, and it was incredibly valuable for driving additional revenue,” Baumgart noted.

Regardless of the niche, Baumgart said employing strategies to identify prospects by showing up at the places they’re already hanging out will allow distributors to establish themselves as a valuable partner.