I talked with a screen printer recently who was telling me about his on-the-side business of running karaoke in bars. Then the conversation turned (as always) to selling T-shirts. He told me about selling shirts at the bars where he MCs these karaoke events. I asked if he sold shirts directly to the actual karaoke crowd, but he explained that instead he sells T-shirts to the bar owners while he’s there setting up his equipment.

Just like this screen printer, how often do you meet someone who is in the market for T-shirts? (If you don’t, you’re not telling enough people what you do for a living.) In your car, you should always have a printed sample shirt, business card, a price sheet and any other promotional literature, all neatly packaged and professionally displayed in a clear plastic bag or presentation box. Always travel with a ½ dozen packages ready to give away. And give them away freely!

The next time you meet someone who’s in charge of the PTO fundraiser, “Let me run to my car and get you a sample shirt.” The next time you meet someone who owns an auto repair business, “Let me run to my car and get you a sample shirt.” The next time you happen to meet the person in charge of the annual Thanksgiving Day Fun Run… you get the idea.