This then is a big market and more to the point a regular market. It isn't just Manchester United who regularly redesign their shirts - it happens across the board. What's more, clubs and societies of every hue create these opportunities for you by developing sub-groups and creating events, all of which are sales opportunities.

Just how ‘big' is this ‘big market'? To take two simple examples, there are in England 37,500 football clubs affiliated to the FA. Nobody seems to know how many non-affiliated teams there are but one lady at the FA guessed that it could be as much as ten times as many when you include five a side leagues, pub teams, works teams etc. That's a macro example; here's a micro example. My local rugby club runs four teams plus six mini-rugby age groups; add in active supporters and proud parents of the minis when calculating total potential. In both cases we are by no means talking about just match day clothing. Virtually the whole panoply of printwear products could be in demand, from caps downwards. Add to that the fact that as the local supplier you could expect to generate a steady level of retail business within the locality in addition to direct purchasing from those clubs. When I said ‘big' perhaps I should have said massive.

Look beyond the high profile sports and a similar picture emerges. From archery to yachting there are active, thriving clubs and the comment from members is that they are all the more keen to publicise their sport, specifically because it's a minority interest. Whilst sports are the obvious and high profile example of where clubs and associations can generate printwear business, it isn't by any means exclusive to sport. Political groups, social clubs, business clubs, arts and crafts groups, owners of rare cars, environmental groups and ... hopefully the point is made. Incidentally, if you want an example of what's possible, have a look at the range (and prices!) quoted by HOG, the Harley Davidson Owners Group.

So how do you get your fair share of that business? You could start with Yellow Pages. Your local directory will typically have at least a page and a half of listings under clubs and associations, community and youth associations and sports clubs. That will be listings, not diluted by advertisements except in rare cases, so there are many hundreds of them. However, a cursory glance at these pages will tell you that this is only skimming the surface, because many of those clubs and associations don't have a fixed line in premises they occupy.

This is good news because it means that some graft is involved - graft which many competitors will fight shy of. In theory, you could go out into the market and buy a list of clubs and associations including names of the relevant officials for your area. However, I would be distinctly cautious - that's the sort of list which is likely to be seriously dated and inaccurate and therefore a waste of your money. Building your own list involves a fair number of telephone calls, but each call has a genuine potential customer at the end.

The Internet and our good friend Google is a natural source of contacts. Not all clubs have websites put plenty do and they tend to be the bigger, better, more commercially aware variety. Introducing yourself via e-mail is such low-cost marketing that it demands to be done; make sure, however, that it's a proper professional proposition (see below). They won't e-mail back - it doesn't mean they're not interested, it means they've got other priorities. Phone them afterwards.

You will be delighted to learn that this is where you get some value from all the business rates you pay. Your local council or county council (it varies) will have available a list of clubs and associations which is available free, typically through the local library in hard copy or on their websites. They are reliant on the individual groups to update the information, so its accuracy will vary, but the price is right and so is the geographical area.

I suggest that the best start point, however, is in-house knowledge. Yours would be an unusual business if none of the staff were members of a club or society. Pick their brains; find out how much printwear their clubs offer and at what prices, how often they change it and, critically, who does the buying or chooses suppliers. Ideally, you want to know how they choose, too. If you can, work with a club where the business already has this type of link to develop a structure that is simple and bullet-proof.

You may be somewhat disappointed by the answers because each club varies. The best contact point is usually the secretary, not least because they have the job of communicating with members. There may well, however, be a member with marketing expertise who handles this subject.

Which brings us to the $64,000 question: how do you sell to these people? As ever, the trick is to get inside the individual's head and solve his problem or help fulfil his opportunity. Happily, you know quite a bit about those needs. First, he's an enthusiastic member of that club - he wouldn't be secretary otherwise. He knows how many members he's got and what they are like. He knows what events are coming up. Via the treasurer he will know how much money they've got in the kitty. You also know that his role is honorary in 99% of cases so he can't commit oceans of time to it. You will know if the society has a website - an increasing number do.

Your pitch should, therefore, tick all those boxes. Because he's an enthusiast he thinks lots more people should join, so he's already sold on the principle of throwing the club's name around, which printwear does brilliantly. As a committee member he will be keen on raising income, which would result from increased membership, but equally from selling printwear to members. He wants those outcomes, but he hasn't time to do the work himself, so the easier you make it, the better your hearing.

Create a simple marketing package. This should include an introductory letter about you and what you have to offer, plus a price list/order form, both for mailing to members with their regular communications. Clothing content needs to be variable from club to club, but probably won't vary that much. Your expert knowledge will help focus them on the most popular items. If they have a website it would be ideal to add a set of standard templates to it. Clubs usually prefer to receive an agreed commission on orders, rather than buying and selling. Recommend a payment structure, e.g. all cheques, e-commerce payments, cash at your premises paid to you (given the greedy banks, you'll probably   aim to avoid cheques if you follow this route). Propose to deliver to one address to keep your aggro and their costs to a minimum. Whatever structure you operate, the watchword should be ‘simple'. If it's not simple for them, you won't get the deal; if it isn't simple for you, you'll lose enthusiasm pretty rapidly.

You should plan to do a face-to-face presentation to the committee of each club and look to do a full presentation to members at a full meeting if possible. Nothing beats the opportunity to see and try the products. By this stage you should be pushing at an open door.

This isn't the simplest sales opportunity, but it has a lot of advantages. Firstly, if you do a good, reliable job they will be locked-in as customers. Somebody would have to come up with a marvellous deal to replace you. Secondly, once you've got a proven system, you can wheel it round from club to club. Thirdly, existing customers will refer you to other clubs they have links with. Fourthly, you can steadily increase the range of products you sell to members.

Paul Clapham is a marketing consultant with over 25 years' experience covering a broad range of business sectors and a full spread of marketing disciplines. He runs his own business, working with small, medium and large companies alike to increase their profitability through marketing. Tel:01453 765432

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