A Peek Beyond the Numbers: How Distributors Are Staying Ahead

According to PPAI's recent study, the promotional products industry grew by 2.63% in 2024, reaching $26.78 billion. Despite economic pressures and the ongoing tariff situation, nearly two-thirds of US distributors expect sales to grow even more in 2025. When it comes to Facilisgroup’s Distributor Partners, our community grew more than twice the industry and, in some cases, had growth rates at over 50% in 2024. How are distributors reaching these new heights like never before? What challenges arose and how did they reshape their business to achieve it?  

To uncover the strategies behind this success, Facilisgroup hosted an exclusive webinar featuring industry leaders who shared how they are navigating acquisitions, strengthening supplier relationships, and optimizing operations to drive profitability. Here are four key takeaways from our panel discussion on what strategies they used to reach their sales goals. 

Navigating Acquisitions with a Strategic Approach 

Acquisitions can be game-changers, but preparation is key. Our Director of Strategic Partner Development, Becki Heinen, kicked off the webinar with Dawn Janis, Vice President of Sales for Competitive Edge, asking her about how the company navigated a recent acquisition. At the end of 2024, Competitive Edge acquired a company and closed the deal in record time and during the busy holiday season. While it was nice to close something quickly, Janis emphasized the importance of slowing down the process as well as including more stakeholders in the conversation and having an acquisition checklist for a seamless transition. 

Strong Client Relationships Begin with the Right Team 

One of the main reasons clients want to work with Competitive Edge is because of their excellent customer service and care for their clients. Janis said this is all thanks to finding everyone’s strengths and making sure they are all in the right spot. When a customer comes with a request they’ve never done before, they’re able to assist because everyone is where they’re supposed to be. “Because we have people in the right places, we’ve been able to make those things happen without causing a lot of pain in the office,” Janis said.   

The Importance of Supplier Relations 

Building a strong relationship with suppliers is important when running your distributorship. At LogoBranders, they rely heavily on these supplier relations, especially since they do a ton of in-house decorations. According to Morgan Symons, Vice President of Sales and Operations at LogoBranders, one of the best ways to strengthen these relationships is by bringing them to the office. It’s an excuse to bring the team together, meet their clientele, and get a hands-on feel on the new products. “When you have good partners and good vendors you can lean into and you know you can trust that they're going to assist you, it is so wonderful to be able to take a breath and know that they got me,” Symons said.  

Aligning Teams for Operational Excellence 

When Zach Chappell, Vice President of Sales and Operations with Horizon Promotional Products, joined the company, he made it his mission to learn every part of the business from start to finish to truly understand how Horizon operates. Now, he expects his team to know the ins and outs of the company. If the team knows how an order is taken, what the decoration process looks like, and how long those lead times can take and can translate that to a client, there will be a lot less confusion and more clarity going forward. Chappell suggests that teams have a centralized playbook that outlines every single process in the company. Once the team is aligned on that, Chappell says you can find any critical issues and be able to solve them. 

Summary 

There’s more that goes into running a successful distributorship. From creating a checklist for future acquisitions to making sure everyone understands how the business works, distributors are doing everything they can to stay ahead in this industry.  

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