Jake & Tyler at the counter of Burke Sports. You can see the Thermo-FILM numbers hanging up on display in their shop. Numbers to be their core business but they are always on the lookout for new products and services.
Josh Ellsworth of Stahls’ CAD-CUT Direct has contributed to my blog often in the past. I truly appreciate it when our team members who go out in the field or speak with clients on the phone take the time to share valuable information with me. We can all learn so much by talking to our clients. It’s not always about selling them something new, it’s about listening to what their needs are and supporting them in their efforts to better serve their customers. Josh wanted me to share this with all of you as well. Thanks to Burke Sporting Goods for taking the time to meet with him!
FROM JOSH ELLSWORTH: Recently met with a loyal customer of ours in Northern Virginia – Burke Sporting Goods (www.burkesports.com), they have been doing business with us for 12+ years! We spent time going through the entire range of heat transfer films, discussing applications for each and which ones might benefit their business. We also discussed merchandising of their store, decorating technology in general and production challenges with software. At the end of the meeting there were quite a few solutions and opportunities established that other shops might appreciate hearing…
Some key takeaways…
- Glitter Flake is a must see product. They were over the top excited about the possibilities with this bling effect. After some consideration and understanding the production process to execute a rhinestone decoration versus Glitter Flake they felt the Glitter Flake delivered something that fit their business. Specifically that it takes less time in production and hits a price point that they can easily see their customers taking advantage of. Two of the most popular samples I showed them were a team name up the side of a pant leg and also a two color inlay technique on a fan jersey. Most wholesale apparel suppliers offer fan jerseys in many colors, including Bomark, Teamwork, Augusta, Holloway and more!
- They had never used CADWORXLive.com and were surprised about the efficiency that can be realized by using this along with CorelDRAW to execute their jobs. Specific applications were the split front feature in the effects stack and also the ability to import a list of names and add a contour, arch etc. to a roster rather than individually. They also saw a lot of value in the VectorCut driver and its ability to separate art by color. This is quite an upgrade over having to create separate pages in CorelDRAW and importing into Roland Cut Studio which does not recognize colors/layers.
- The shop had the technology sets in place to begin producing appliqué, something they have quite a demand for. We effectively showed them how a small investment of $499 in a software program called Twill Stitch Pro Plus can connect the dots between their Roland GX-24 cutter and their single head embroidery machines. They were very excited about the possibilities for this offering.
After visiting them and seeing their excitement for our products, I’m excited to share these stories. We all work in a fun industry with great people. Meeting face to face and talking about business opportunities & challenges is definitely a highlight, something I believe all of us need to do when we’re able. It certainly inspires creativity and understanding for each other!
A special thanks to the folks at Burke Sports for the years of business and for having us into their shop!