Impressions - April 2017 - 49

Know Your niche
Apparel decorators who attain business from certain types of sports teams usually have some
relationships within the sport. So find a niche and dive into it by researching everything. The same
goes for decorating their jerseys; you must know requirements in detail. Where should numbers be
placed? How big should they be? What are the needs of the athletes?
Also, think about ways to improve jerseys. Do players normally wear short-sleeve shirts, but dive all

Four Rules for Decorators
Decorators must ensure they can serve
not only weekend warriors, but also other
sports organizations.There are lots of potential customers in today's marketplace. Just
remember to think about them and your
business differently so they will continue
needing your services.
The following are four key things team
apparel decorators should know to remain
successful:
1.Teams usually don't know or care
how their uniforms are made. They
may not need to know that it took you
three hours to make, set up and register the
screens.They also may not care that you
spent hours digitizing their JPG logo, or
that you had to make a new screen for each
number.This doesn't mean you shouldn't
build this cost into your quotes, but think
outside the box.
Do you need to screen print those numbers? Why not invest in a vinyl cutter to
decorate with numbers? Is it a good idea
to screen print a dozen four- or five-color
jerseys? Why not invest in sublimation
technology or digital transfers? Don't pigeonhole yourself into being one type of
decorator; be a problem solver for your
customers.
2. Diversify your services. Convenience is important to customers, even if it
means spending more money.Their time is
worth something, so make sure they know
you can be a one-stop shop.This does not
mean you have to be everything to everyone
and potentially hurt your business. Rather,
make sure you establish relationships with
other types of decorators and have them
available to do contract work for you if a
job is out of your realm.Also, consider new
techniques and find new ways to expand
your services.
3. Don't get too close to it. Your
customers don't know much about what
you do or how you do it. I have found that
many people in our industry are too close
to their businesses and the fine details of
getting the work done.This can be a good
thing, but if you push those fine details
onto your customers, it leads to confusion
and regret about doing business with you.

over the floor or field of play? Maybe you should show them some long-sleeve shirts, too. Is it a flag
football team where jerseys tend to get ripped? Try offering more form-fitting garments that will not
be so easily grabbed and torn.

Don't spend so much time sweating the
small stuff, which can cause you to project
your shop's internal issues onto customers.
Make it easy for them to spend money
with you. Going the extra mile for them
often will combat any pricing issues from
your competitors.
4. Provide cutting-edge services.
Be brave, try new techniques or products
and keep an open mind for new ideas.
Attending trade shows, reading industry
publications, becoming an active participant in industry forums and networking
with others can help you stay ahead of

the curve with trends. It is amazing what
you can learn by just listening, and being
a helpful and friendly person.
So don't hesitate to take advantage of
the lucrative team sports marketplace. Just
remember that today's jersey is nothing
like those from past years. 
Aaron Montgomery has been involved with the garment decorating and personalization industry since
2000 and the digital printing industry since 1997.
He co-hosts the 2 Regular Guys industry podcast
at 2regularguys.com, and you can find blogs about
a wide range of topics at aaronmontgomery.info.

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APRIL 2017

P.49

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Impressions - April 2017

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