Distributors report 28% of their orders require five-day or less turnaround time – a rebound from COVID-era lows. With rush orders on the rise, a top distributor and supplier reveal how rock-solid systems and a whatever-it-takes attitude are essential to deliver under the toughest deadlines. Here’s how to successfully handle rush orders.

Distributor View

Dick Nelson
Former Counselor Person of the Year and CEO, MARCO Promos (asi/260870)

Supplier View

Brian Porter
Counselor Power 50 member and CRO of Counselor Top 40 supplier Starline (asi/89320)

Q: What’s your philosophy toward accepting rush order business?

Dick Nelson: We pride ourselves in being able to turn around error-free rush orders and aggressively market our rush service. We have nearly 2,000 items that will ship within 24 hours of a customer approving their art and often get orders from customers who might buy from others but end up coming to us for quick turnaround.

Brian Porter: We do our very best to accommodate rush requests and work through every scenario before ever saying no. Our goal is to be the strongest partner possible, and at times that comes with getting creative on production. We don’t actively push a “rush service,” but we are known for making things happen.

Q: What’s a particularly difficult rush job your company has pulled off?

DN: Our sales manager was at the beach and got a call Friday night from a distraught customer who had selected the wrong shipping method on a 9,000-piece ribbon order. The order had already shipped and wasn’t going to arrive until Tuesday – and they had 2,000 attendees registering on Monday morning. So our sales manager called our head of production, who rallied several members of the team to come in on Saturday, reprint all 9,000 ribbons and take them to the FedEx office. They arrived on time for the event.

BP: We most recently turned 3,000 of our universal can cooler Frost Buddy in two days to meet an in-hands date. This was additionally difficult because they each come in a retail box, so we had to remove, decorate, and then reinsert and master pack. Very time-consuming, but we made it happen for our client!

Q: How do you set realistic expectations with distributors and end-buyers?

DN: We begin with the customer’s in-hands date and work backward. We tell them when they have to get their approvals to us in order for us to meet their deadline.

BP: We understand most often these requests stem from the end-user (such as last-minute events or forgetting to place an order) and not the distributor, and we make sure to communicate our needs at every step to accommodate. We give specific timelines as to when the complete PO needs to be received, the proof approved (if possible) and what the ship date will be based on those details. Finally, we confirm ship methods needed to make sure the in-hands date is met.

Q: What systems or processes help you handle rush jobs efficiently?

DN: We store all the product/imprint details for over 10,000 items in our ERP so our orders go out complete with all the information suppliers need. And one of the key things we do is to take control of the art process by creating mock-ups for every order that’s sent to the customer for approval and to our suppliers so they can go right to production. Humble brag: Our process is so well-honed that we don’t have to charge customers for rush service.

BP: There are several in place, but we do have a separate email address for our 24-hour orders and usually will have rush orders sent directly to the inside reps to make sure they’re processed immediately vs. our traditional channels. We take a very hands-on approach with these orders, knowing the nature of the rush.

Q: How do you deal with delays when the clock is ticking?

DN: Thankfully, we very rarely run into issues, but when we do we do whatever it takes to complete the mission, such as expedite shipping at our cost or upgrade the item if the one ordered is not available. These are very rare occurrences.

BP: If it’s an issue on our end – and as we all know, things just happen in the manufacturing world – we will make it right by upgrading freight to make the in-hands date. Our industry is so collaborative and partner driven that, in the end, we all want the same thing: for the end-user to receive the product on time, love what they get and make the experience “appear” seamless.