Choose the Right Pen for Your Promo (The Pen Predicament)

Overwhelm, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means to “overpower in thought or feeling.” In the busy business world, it can be brought on by too many phone calls to make, too many e-mails to read or too many meetings to attend. In the promotional sphere, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by one simple product category: writing instruments.

Promotional pens are everywhere. They’re often inexpensive, everyone needs them and they’re easy to disseminate. So, how do you narrow the playing field to choose the best option for each of your clients? It’s another seemingly overwhelming task.

“Faced with the vast selection, it is difficult to decide where to begin your search,” says Scott Pearson, vice president of merchandising for Sweda Co. LLC in City of Industry, Calif. But take some advice from industry experts, and the task becomes much easier.

Cost Effective

For starters, know when to choose a high-priced writing instrument. As Lisa Newell, vice president of sales for Gold Bond in Hixson, Tenn., points out, the uses are different for high-end and low-end pens. “Higher-end pens are usually given out as gifts or awards, where low-end pens are used for trade shows and hand outs.”

The less expensive varieties also can mean reaching a much larger audience pool — and therefore greater buying power, says Eric Flecha, U.S. operations manager with Ritter Pen Corp. in Fort Myers, Fla. The end result, Flecha adds, is more effective brand awareness. “The higher–end variety, due to cost, may only reach a limited market niche but is perfect for awards and incentive programs.”

High- and low-cost pens “serve different purposes depending on whether your campaign is directed toward a mass or niche audience,” affirms Scott Meng, marketing director with KTI Promo in Houston. “If your goal is reaching the most eyeballs, then a low-cost pen is great. Plus, these pens can even float from person to person, gaining additional exposure.”

End users view more expensive pens, Meng continues, as keepsake items. “High-end pens work well for building and maintaining relationships with key contacts.”

Supplier Choice

Once you’ve slashed your number of options by determining a price range, you can further narrow the options by asking targeted questions.

“Quality, production time and competitive pricing are some of the main factors [about which to ask],” Pearson says. “Also weigh your options between general market pens or proprietary designs, but always keep in mind, cheapest does not mean profitability. Make sure you have pre-qualified your suppliers.”

As expected, suppliers have different ideas about how best to choose a writing-instruments supplier with which to work. “Ask fellow distributors about working experiences with different suppliers,” Meng advises. “Determine if pens are a supplier’s main product line; if so, they will have more knowledge and experience than suppliers who carry a few pens along with many other product categories.”

Flecha offers these criteria for choosing a pen supplier:

• Does this company stand behind their product?
• Is it 100 percent guaranteed?
• Does the supplier manufacture its own pen product or do they outsource?
• What is the supplier’s rating?

As always, it can be a smart idea to choose a supplier with which you’re familiar. “Distributors should know their suppliers’ strengths,” Newell reminds. “Gold Bond is very strong in pens ranging from 25 cents to 80 cents. We pride ourselves in variety and price.”

Show Off

The last hurdle is choosing what options to show your client. Even within the steps you’ve already mastered for limiting the selection, there may still be a plethora of choices.

“Once you’ve found the correct supplier, ask for virtual samples,” Pearson suggests. “With a virtual presentation, you will be able offer more options — simultaneously saving you time and cost.”

Newell suggests distributors know how customers plan to use the writing instruments. Armed with this knowledge and the client’s budget constraints, there’s just one more piece of information to gather before making selections, she says.

“I would ask my customer what they expect the end result to be. If we listen to these three answers we should narrow down the choices we take to the end user,” Newell continues. “Don't overwhelm your customers by taking 25 pens into their offices. Get with your favorite suppler and ask them what five or six pens they would recommend you show. The more choices you give, the more confused some customers get.”

Meng, too, recommends asking more questions beyond price. “What is the end user’s brand personality — conservative, edgy, fun? Who’s ultimately using these pens — age, gender, lifestyle attributes? Any other special considerations — eco-friendly, multifunction, novelty?” he suggests. “The more detailed information you can get, the easier it will be to narrow down the number of choices.”

Fun Facts from the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association

• A typical pencil can draw a line 35 miles long or write about 45,000 words. Most ball point pens will draw a line 4,000 to 7,500 feet long.
• In 1977, the rollerball pen was introduced as a new type of ball point that uses low-viscosity ink.
• An unpainted pencil inserted into the soil of a potted plant can eliminate mealy bugs on plants.
• Plant growers mark their plant labels with pencil because it won't fade in sunlight.
• Seeing a pencil in your dream indicates that you are making a temporary impact in a situation. It may also suggest that a relationship may not last long. Dreaming that you are sharpening a pencil suggests that you need to be more flexible in your way of thinking.
• Typically, text is printed on a pencil from tip to head so you can read it while writing, but left-handed pencils are printed from head to tip.