Calendars: Fact Or Fiction - Universal

No one uses calendars anymore!

(Fiction) – Ask yourself “How many calendars do you currently have in your home & office?”

Calendars are old and boring.

(Fiction) – Let us show you why!

Calendars will make you money now & for years to come!

(Fact) – Read on to see the opportunities.

One of the things we love most about our jobs is that we get to meet and converse with thousands of customers throughout the year; and even after more than 40 years in the industry, we learn something new every day. It’s a fascinating industry that’s constantly evolving and reinventing itself by introducing new products and services; as well as delivering very profitable business/sales growth for distributors and/or providing a new channel of distribution for non-traditional promotional product companies.

As you can imagine, the most popular question in the industry is “what’s new?” This question is heard in every meeting, every day, all across the country. While this is a valid question – the more important question should be “what is the most effective product, and value, I can offer my customer?” And/or, do you want to see what’s new? Or would you prefer to see what works? The answer is a simple one, but is often overlooked – the product that returns the most ROI, the product that has the most visibility and costs $0.0009 on average per impression? The answer has been the same for decades – Calendars.

The calendar industry is a $6 billion industry that consistently ranks in the top 10 categories for all promotional products sold annually. So why doesn’t everyone sell calendars? Simple, most people stray away from calendars since they either view them as old and boring, or they don’t know enough about calendars to educate their end users on the benefits of using them. Here is where the opportunity lies- the more you know, the more you are going to sell. For most distributors, customers aren’t going to specifically request calendars, but they will ask for an opinion on what product they should choose to convey their message with the biggest bang for their buck. Here’s why calendars should be included in every product portfolio:

98% of people look at calendars every single day
92% of people keep advertising calendars
70% of people plan to do business with the company that provided the calendar
3 – The average number of printed calendars each person has at home!
2.5 – the average number of printed calendars each person has in their office!*

As a distributor, here are some of the benefits that you can look forward to by selling calendars:

85% of calendar orders repeat for an average of 7+ years!
The average profit on each calendar order is $320…every year!
Custom calendars repeat for an average of 15 years!

With stats like these, it’s hard to think of a reason why calendars shouldn’t be suggested to every client, every time. Calendars also offer something that few other categories do- customization specific to the end-user needs without having to order absurd quantities or go overseas. This gives the end user the opportunity to really design a product that will suit the specific needs of the event/campaign that they are managing. In many cases, customers are pleasantly surprised to find out they can create a custom calendar for less than a blank stock calendar sells for in the store. And remember, custom calendar orders repeat for an average of 15 years!

Calendars have truly proven to be one of the pillars of the promotional products industry and will likely hold a top spot for years to come. Knowing this, the next time a customer asks for your opinion on what product they should order, you can say with confidence, “Have you ordered your calendars yet?”

Chris Smith, Publishing Account Manager, BIC Graphic, bicgraphic.com. For general calendar inquiries, please contact our customer support team at 1-877-norwood