Promotional Products Suppliers Selling Direct... What Can You Do?

A spirited discussion is going on in a LinkedIn email forum that I subscribe to about a few promotional products suppliers who sell direct and may be trying to steal your customers. This is a hot topic in our industry and one that may be troubling you. Here are my thoughts and some recommendations.

I've been part of the promotional products industry for more than 25 years. There have always been a small group of suppliers who sell direct and a few that may even go after your accounts by enclosing literature in the orders that are shipped, or contacting them directly; however, I believe these are the exception. Most suppliers don't have the sales force or capabilities to service the accounts they way you do, nor do they want to alienate their loyal distributor sales force.