Need 1,000 screen-printed t-shirts for a concert? Done! How about 500 whistles to hand out at a marathon? No Problem! Promotional consultants develop solutions for marketing challenges. From increasing brand awareness to increasing tradeshow traffic, promotional consultants are experts in the field of promotional products and can solve any marketing dilemma you may have.

There are more than 20,000 consultant firms in the industry!

Some products deserve a spotlight. Here's how to ensure they deserve the hype:

Step 1:
To be a successful distributor, you need to understand that all products aren’t the same. A bunch of items within a category might look practically identical, but they’re not. Take power banks. They can look sleek on the outside, but some will have batteries that are poor quality.

Step 2:
To be sure you’re selling top products, you need to vet suppliers. Don’t be bashful about asking questions. For starters, find out what inks they logo with, what materials they use and where the products are made. If you get rambling, shaky answers, look for a different vendor.

Step 3:
Learn to think like your clients do. For example, if I’m an end-buyer comparing bottles of water, I’d be a little curious about some things. Sure, the bottles might be colorfully logoed and well packaged, but I’d ask: Does the water come from a spring or is it simply purified sewer water? There’s obviously a big difference.

Step 4:
It’s also important to make sure suppliers can prove their claims. If they say a product is truly made in the USA, it needs be sourced and manufactured here. Otherwise, it’s made in the USA with imported parts. That’s less appealing to a buyer and the product’s quality will take a hit.

Step 5:
Finally, ask suppliers if they offer product guarantees. Good companies that sell quality items will stand behind their offerings. If they don’t, it’s a red flag for me. It should be for you, too.

Success begins with an optimistic outlook. Here are five tips for amplifying your positivity.

1. Know That You Have What It Takes:
Success starts with self-belief. It’s not enough to simply want or hope that you’ll meet or surpass your sales goals. You have to believe in your heart that you have the power to drive success – that, by consistently executing a smart strategic plan, you can positively influence outcomes. If you’re lacking in self-belief as a salesperson, take proactive steps to bolster confidence. This can include taking additional training, accepting tutelage from a mentor, and attending industry events to strengthen your sales skills. As you hone your craft, your self-assurance will grow.

2. Believe in What You Sell:
It’s much more difficult to sell products and services you don’t believe in. Many buyers will sniff out insincerity – a lack of confidence in your pitch that reveals you don’t buy what you’re trying to sell them. Conversely, showing belief in the solutions you offer is infectious, influencing buyers that the positive outcomes you’re highlighting will come to fruition. Fortunately, there’s no reason for you to lack confidence in the products and services you provide. Promotional products have among the lowest cost per impression of any advertising medium and, as ASI studies have shown, are proven to generate recall among target audiences. Our industry helps clients build their brands and achieve their goals, so take heart.

3. Practice Positive Reinforcement:
Whether in sports, entertainment or business, high achievers have a penchant for focusing their thoughts on successful outcomes. This motivates them and reinforces the confidence they need to keep striving after their aims. Do the same. Routinely visualize, in detail, positive outcomes to everything from individual sales opportunities to broader business goals. Picture the actions you’ll take to realize desired results and affirm your commitment to making them. Similarly, chat yourself into an upbeat mindset with affirming self-talk (see video for more).

4. Stay Upbeat in Tough Times:
Even the most successful sellers occasionally descend into a sales valley. What keeps them from staying there, however, is a firm belief that the down times are only temporary. For sure, high-achieving pros don’t wallow and hope for better. Instead, they get active. Drawing on the confidence that they can affect positive change and buoyed by the belief that brighter days are ahead, they develop a plan for sending their sales soaring back to the peaks. Then, they go about enacting the plan, optimistic that it will work and also remaining flexible – willing to adapt the plan as circumstances evolve. Take this approach, and you won’t remain in sales valleys for long.

5. View Rejection as Opportunity:
Maybe you failed to land a lucrative sale. Perhaps a quality client defected. Whatever the case may be, rejection is a reality of the sales profession. Still, stressing over it isn’t going to help anything. Instead, do what top-performing sales representatives do: Turn the setback into a productive learning experience. Reflect on the situation: What could you have done differently to possibly affect a better result? It can be helpful to discuss these things with a trusted colleague, manager or mentor to gain deeper perspective. Going forward, the insights you ascertain will enable you to better meet the challenges of similar situations. Approached this way, rejection doesn’t feel fatal. Rather, it’s a stepping stone toward greater success.