Printing company changing lanes - How do I get local B2B orders?

[HeadTurtle]

I produce personalised gifts and sell mainly on Etsy, but now having to branch outside of Etsy. I'm going to start pushing for local B2B orders for promo merchandise, initially just starting with mugs. No USP at the moment, so will be offering low prices to start with, just to get those orders in.

The advice I really need is, what would the best method be of acquiring those new B2B customers? I have SOME contacts who may be interested, but not enough to make a huge impact.

I'm not usually one to ask for help or advice - But I'm at the point now where, after four years of fighting to keep my business going and accumulating a lot of personal debt to keep it afloat, it is now on the verge of going under. I probably have around two to three months to turn things around.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Mark T Jones]

You've pretty much answered your own question - but to re-phrase it - why would you buy from you, rather than any of the others?

Cheap is a very dangerous game; driven by the cheapest (if you aren't the cheapest, you're not cheap). The winner will be the one with (one of)

The best supply chain
The deepest pockets
The best onward 'profit maximization strategy.

 

[fisicx]

Have you visited and talked to local shops, garden centres, markets and so on?

Could you afford a sale or return deal with the business?

 

[HeadTurtle]

You've pretty much answered your own question - but to re-phrase it - why would you buy from you, rather than any of the others?

Cheap is a very dangerous game; driven by the cheapest (if you aren't the cheapest, you're not cheap). The winner will be the one with (one of)

The best supply chain
The deepest pockets
The best onward 'profit maximization strategy.

I'll give you that one! I've never been one for competing solely on price - It's just to get those first few orders in. Going forward, the USP will likely be quick turnaround and free local delivery. I'm quite big on quality control too, so the products themselves will be pretty good.

I've always sold online, hence the uncertainty about selling locally and building relationships. It's not something I've done much of before (off my own back anyway).

 

[HeadTurtle]

Have you visited and talked to local shops, garden centres, markets and so on?

Could you afford a sale or return deal with the business?

No, nothing of the sort yet. I have a couple of contacts that I've supplied with mugs before, and they will likely place some small orders, but I've never been much of a 'relationship building' kind of person - I don't often do a very good job of selling myself, even though the products are decent.

Are you thinking bricks and mortar retail is the way to go rather than B2B? That's another avenue I've looked into, as are products could be sold on Faire (wholesale marketplace for gifts). I'm just not sure the volume and margins are great.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

How do you currently go about getting local customers?

 

[HeadTurtle]

How do you currently go about getting local customers?

That's the thing - Where we have always been predominantly based on Etsy, we haven't needed to do any local advertising or outreach. This is the bit I need advice on. Other than targeted ads, I'm not sure which way to go - It may just come down to trial and error, but running low on time to get things moving now.

 

[alamest]

I’ve been in a similar spot trying to move from one-off jobs into more consistent B2B orders, and I think the key difference is positioning. From what you wrote, you’re currently doing mostly one-off print jobs and trying to scale that up to local B2B clients. In my experience, local businesses don’t respond to “cheap printing” — they respond to reliability and convenience.

What worked for me was targeting specific niches (estate agents, trades, cafes) and offering a simple recurring package — e.g., monthly flyer top-ups or bundled business cards + leaflets. I also physically dropped sample packs into nearby offices rather than relying only on email outreach.

Local B2B tends to be relationship-driven. Once you land one solid account, referrals start flowing. Are you focusing on any particular industry locally, or still casting a wide net?

 

[HeadTurtle]

I’ve been in a similar spot trying to move from one-off jobs into more consistent B2B orders, and I think the key difference is positioning. From what you wrote, you’re currently doing mostly one-off print jobs and trying to scale that up to local B2B clients. In my experience, local businesses don’t respond to “cheap printing” — they respond to reliability and convenience.

What worked for me was targeting specific niches (estate agents, trades, cafes) and offering a simple recurring package — e.g., monthly flyer top-ups or bundled business cards + leaflets. I also physically dropped sample packs into nearby offices rather than relying only on email outreach.

Local B2B tends to be relationship-driven. Once you land one solid account, referrals start flowing. Are you focusing on any particular industry locally, or still casting a wide net?

Yeah, we have always sold one-off gifts (templated designs with names added for the most part). We have sold good volumes, with around 110,000 sales since we started in 2016. I've also done the odd larger order for schools or business owners I know. Production, quality control, good level of service I can do... It's just getting the orders in the first place that I'm not sure how I tackle.

I'm going for the low-hanging fruit at the moment with mugs, as they are obviously something that a lot of businesses buy for giveaways (also aware that competition is high). And will expand into other products once I've gained some momentum. I did think about dropping in to local businesses rather than ads and emails. Did you find that many businesses placed orders after visiting and being left samples?

Also - No particular industries in mind, though I know a few window installation companies that I've dealt with before (formerly a branch manager for a trade supplier).

 

[Shopclicks]

I did think about dropping in to local businesses rather than ads and emails.

Join and get involved with your local Chamber of Commerce. You might find some networking opportunities. Comment & share as your business page on local organisations' social media posts (without spammy advertising). It's free!

And ask your friendly clients to leave you a 5* review on your Google Business Profile. That might help solve a problem.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Go where you clients are:

• Local networking groups
• local business events
• FB groups
• Nextdoor
• Do targeted local advertising on SM and maybe Google.

The most mportant thing is know who you are trying to sell to and why they would want to buy your products from you. Also understand what you competition charges.

I'm not usually one to ask for help or advice

You should always ask!

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Are you to limited on Mugs, there are thousands of things that can be printed

 

[fisicx]

One assumes the local businesses already have a supplier. You will need a really convincing reason for them to switch from a known and trusted source to a unknown and unfamiliar source.

And as @Chris Ashdown says, you need to offer a full range of products. Nobody buys just mugs.

Have you considered exhibiting at trade shows? It’s where many deals a struck.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

One assumes the local businesses already have a supplier

I would actualy ask how many local businesses want (i.e. will pay for) mugs?

This is another case of selling sizzle - not the product, but what it gives.

 

[HeadTurtle]

Are you to limited on Mugs, there are thousands of things that can be printed

Certainly not limited to mugs - Just trying to keep it simple so to start with. I could easily offer a hundred different items, but feel like that may be a harder sell in the beginning, and a lot more time consuming to get everything set up properly. Mugs I can do well - consistent quality - decent margins - and it's a product that could suit a lot of different businesses. So that's my starting point.

The mention of local chamber of commerce and local business events is something I should probably look into more. Obviously they will be filled with business owners, so I should have already thought to do this!

I do understand that, without a decent USP, I won't gain a massive amount of traction. What I am looking to do to start with is sell units to get cash flowing. I can then build on that momentum and improve the offering. I just wanted to work out the best way of getting in touch with local business owners. From the comments, I'd say I'm probably best going to see businesses and their owners face-to-face, and trying to seek out new people regularly - Then try to build on relationships. Something I've always struggled with... But this seems like the way forward?

I am good at what I do... I produce quality products and have a ton of positive reviews from past customers, so I'm not worried about the products and if they are well received... It's the marketing I'm unsure about.

Appreciate everyone's responses. Thank you. I'll try putting some of this into action before time runs out.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

have a ton of positive reviews from past customers

Are you regularly marketing to them?

 

[BusterBloodvessel]

I've bought merchandise for years in my last couple of jobs. There are hundreds of websites to get them from at prices that I've no doubt will beat yours - and there's now great online tools for uploading logo, visualising the print etc. so there's not even any worry any more about how it will turn out. It's quick and easy to do a job that's a PITA - I could probably click away from this thread now and have a load of branded mugs ordered and paid for within 10 minutes, if that. I can tweak the quantities to see the price breaks in a split second - and they'll all be delivered by tracked courier in 48-72 hours.

Back end of last year I did some "goody bags" for an event - a rucksack for each attendee with a branded water bottle (personalised with their own name), some headphones, a chapstick, etc. All branded - I sorted everything from one website with the exception of the bags I think.

If I'm buying stuff for giveaways, generally I'm buying it on price. It's tat to be given away at trade shows or small scale customer visits.

What I'm getting at with all of the above is whilst I see your logic of "mugs are simple and I'll sell on price" - in reality, you're not going to be the cheapest out there, most likely not the quickest, and you're not going to deliver all of a businesses merchandise needs.

Two things I'd suggest are (and I'd try one or a combination of both);

- Make it seriously about relationships with people. If anything, possibly bordering on making them feel sorry for you! I used to buy branded jackets from a local supplier because, quite honestly, he was just a nice guy. He made a small living for himself selling primarily single jackets or 2 or 3 polo shirts at a time to shops, garages etc. When I ordered a dozen jackets off him he was ever so grateful as that was a huge order to him! It was nice dealing with him in a way (sometimes he would do my head in fussing over things) and for the sake of a couple of quid or so extra on a jacket, I kept supporting him.

- Specialise in something. Either a unique product (difficult as so many things can be printed/branded now), or something more premium, or perhaps in collating multiple products (a bit like the example I gave above) where people want a higher value/memorable gift. We actually turned that giveaway I did into a "new starter pack" so any new member of staff when they arrive on their first day has a goody bag waiting for them - the headphones they can use to take calls, the water bottle we encourage use of in the office rather than single use, the backpack they can use to bring their laptop to work, etc. It makes them feel valued from day one.

If you came up with something like the above, you've a product and a result to pitch to customers - "have you thought about a staff welcome pack - here's what we did for X".... "have you considered a premium end of year product - people are more likely to use X than they are a branded mug" etc. You've got something to talk about.

Walking in with the pitch of "we can sell you branded mugs and we're quite cheap" doesn't really do much to grab anyones attention.

Hope this comes across as constructive and insightful from the buyers side rather than just critical/negative!

 

[HeadTurtle]

Walking in with the pitch of "we can sell you branded mugs and we're quite cheap" doesn't really do much to grab anyones attention.

Hope this comes across as constructive and insightful from the buyers side rather than just critical/negative!

Thank you for taking the time to give such an in-depth response. I prefer this type of no-bullshit answer to be honest, and I'm certainly not offended. I guess I'm trying to play it safe due to my current situation. Mugs are easy - Everyone understands a branded mug - That was my thinking. But you are right. It's an easy product, with a shed load of competitors, and is very un-original.

Back to the drawing board! I think the problem is having too many options... It's crippling (which is ridiculous!) - I think it's the reason I'm still battling with the same problem four years later... Hard to create something new and worthwhile when you're constantly in fire-fighting mode.

 

[HeadTurtle]

Are you regularly marketing to them?

Not as much as I should be. The occasional email sent out to drive traffic to our website - Gives a good return around Q4, but otherwise not a huge amount.

I don't often talk business, as I don't know many people who run businesses - Hearing all of these replies and opinions though is pointing out to me that I'm falling short on a number of things within the current set up. That's not to say I'm now wallowing in self-pity - More taking information on board, and thinking I need to start putting more things into action. I appreciate the opinions, thank you.

 

[HeadTurtle]

One assumes the local businesses already have a supplier. You will need a really convincing reason for them to switch from a known and trusted source to a unknown and unfamiliar source.

And as @Chris Ashdown says, you need to offer a full range of products. Nobody buys just mugs.

Have you considered exhibiting at trade shows? It’s where many deals a struck.

Trade shows could be worthwhile. Following the first few replies, I've spoken to someone I know about the local chamber of commerce group, who also organise the odd trade show throughout the year. Hoping to go along to one of their monthly meet-ups and go from there. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[StrategyDoctor]

The advice in this thread is spot on - and it’s clear you understand your market. Some of my thoughts (and this reinforces many of the comments in this thread):

You’re in a saturated space.
You won’t be the cheapest.
You probably won’t be the fastest.
And you won’t have the widest range.

If you’ve done 110,000 sales since 2016, so production and service are not your issue. Capability isn’t the problem.

Positioning and focus are. The question isn’t:
“How do I get B2B customers?”

It’s: Who is my ideal customer - and why would they care that I exist? or

What is your niche?
What is your differentiation?
How does it create value for that specific customer?

Don’t chase the whole market. Pick a very specific segment and go deep. When you do that:

• They see the value
• You stop competing purely on price
• You protect your margin

Some angles (just examples to provoke thought and discussion):

• Hyper-local supplier - “Designed and produced locally”, not generic imports
• Fully sustainable range - recycled products, eco packaging, % of sales to a related charity
• Very low minimum order specialist - ideal for micro businesses
• Hyper-personalisation at scale - names on each item, not just logos

Also remember local B2B is rarely about “cheap”. It’s about:

• Reliability
• Convenience
• Trust
• And often simply liking the person they’re buying from

It's not easy, so maybe start here: If you had to choose one potential high-value niche and test a product in the next 90 days - what would the offer be, who would it be for, and what specific problem would you solve for them?

Final thought:
Once you win locally, you can expand geographically. But first you need a tight, defendable position.

And be prepared — a niche means 80–90% of the market won’t care. That’s fine. They’re not your customer. Someone a lot smarter than me said 'The sign of a good strategy is that it makes customers unhappy' ,a nice summary of this in the video below ...

Do you know what makes a great strategy? Michael Porter reveals 1 surprising secret: You make customers UNHAPPY! Why? It may sound odd, but making some customers unhappy is key to making other⦠| George Paras | 184 comments

Do you know what makes a great strategy? Michael Porter reveals 1 surprising secret: You make customers UNHAPPY! Why? It may sound odd, but making some customers unhappy is key to making other customers REALLY HAPPY. It means you've made choices: - Which customers to really target - What...

www.linkedin.com

 

[anonuk]

The problem with getting orders for mugs specifically, is that Chinese manufactures have made it so cheap for stay at home mums/dads to buy the equipment to print a mug. You can get the printer, the mug press, mugs, ink and sublimation paper all for less than £500 and start selling on Etsy, etc. During Covid, thousands of people took up sublimation as a side hustle because they were stuck at home and needed to make some money and while the quality they produce might be absolute rubbish but you’d be surprised at what people think is ‘good’ these days.

A lot of the stay at home mums/dads also don’t care about the profit they make as long as they make a little and this has really harmed customers expectation as to how much a mug should cost (the likes of Asda and Tesco etc don’t help when they sell mugs for £1) so makes it difficult to make a decent margin. I’ve even seen sellers offering mugs for £6 delivered on Etsy/ebay which after postage and fees, leaves you with about 20p profit.

For promotional products, it ALWAYS comes down to price unless you get that relationship going. You’re going to have to make smaller margins to compete with the bigger companies (majority of the big players actually import the printed product from overseas to allow them to offer such wide ranges).

Other than ‘it’s what you’ve always done’ is there a specific reason you want to focus on mugs? Do you have a realistic idea of how many mugs you can do per day with the equipment you have so you can work out a proper cost?

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

We're video production and work for the BPMA and their members. The BPMA is the British Promotional Merchandising Association.

We create marketing films for their members so they sell more and we see the same successful elements over and over again. Their members who manufacture in the UK, show the following four things:

1. Low minimum order values. You could create an individual mug if a company wanted. Chinese firms want big, minimum order values.
2. Fast turnaround (24 hours). Can't get a mug to the customer the next day from Beijing.
3. How green you are. Sending a mug from Wuhan to Hertfordshire is a 13,000 mile trip. A lot of companies find that carbon footprint unacceptable. Also, 80% of our energy is renewables compared to China where only 20% of their energy is this. If you're also using green inks / processes etc..., that's important and show it. Our customers use video to show this.
4. By buying British, your customers are putting money back into the local economy, not the Chinese economy.

Then, you need to get the word out and message businesses about this. Some of this is social, especially Linkedin, then there are promotional fairs where you can meet customers (you just missed a giant one run by the BPMA), other shows, networking events and finally direct messaging with email and phone calls.

Part of what you need to do is show your ability to beautifully handcraft stuff on these mugs. Show videos of you making this stuff. If you're not showing this on video... well, let me put it like this... all the successful businesses we work with use video to showcase their manufacturing. Because customers pay more for buying British and secondly, they sell more.

Just use your phone to create video. You can't afford video production yet who understand your market but when you can, it will make a difference to your sales.

 

[BeautyScientist]

I produce personalised gifts and sell mainly on Etsy, but now having to branch outside of Etsy. I'm going to start pushing for local B2B orders for promo merchandise, initially just starting with mugs. No USP at the moment, so will be offering low prices to start with, just to get those orders in.

The advice I really need is, what would the best method be of acquiring those new B2B customers? I have SOME contacts who may be interested, but not enough to make a huge impact.

I'm not usually one to ask for help or advice - But I'm at the point now where, after four years of fighting to keep my business going and accumulating a lot of personal debt to keep it afloat, it is now on the verge of going under. I probably have around two to three months to turn things around.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Why aren't you looking at finding new online customers? If you have been making sales worldwide that way but need more, enhancing what you are doing would seem more logical than switching to what is in effect a completely new business model. I don't think anyone on here would know your particular business better than you do. I'd imagine that promotional stuff is the kind of thing where repeat business is significant and if your quality is good and your ideas are working, you might be doing much better than your balance sheet indicates. If so, just carrying on doing what you are doing might be a better idea than changing course. But you'll know better than I would.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

I would suggest you make a visit to this show at the NEC Birmingham where you will find plenty of other items to sell or buy to sell https://www.thenec.co.uk/events/printwear-and-promotion-live/

 

[Karimbo]

Essentially setting up as a local trade printers. I would forget trying to get local. And become a national trade printer.

Perhaps look into becoming a white label dropshipper for influencers. Youll need serious money to set up things in place to streamline this stuff. Essentially you'd want a website that allows customers to upload their design, get mockups to view abd approve for print.

Its a big step up from selling your own designs from etsy though.

I think your idea of supplying small batch runs of custom merch to businesses is slightly easier to achieve. Because in the short run you can produce mockups manually to clients if theyre ordering say 50 itens