Reaching Beyond the Comfort Zone: Unitex Direct

By Jackie Rosselli

NAUMD Director of Communications

Dan Mendelson is no ordinary dealer. While many hunt for new leads locally, Mendelson is the industry’s version of going rogue: he thinks bigger.

“I’m a national company, with customers across the country” Mendelson asserts. “That was my mindset from the beginning.”

A self-made dealer – Mendelson’s business, Unitex Direct, doesn’t have a family legacy attached to it like some, his success can be summed up in one word: persistence. “It’s the most important thing a person can have in this industry,” he says.

Patterned as a mail order business, Unitex Direct was founded in 1992.   Then as now, its niches include the security and public safety markets.

Such a business model of course includes a heavy emphasis on telemarketing, a skill perfectly suited to the tenacious Mendelson. “It’s not for everyone,” he readily admits. “At times it can take a year to close a sale.”

But lest you think Mendelson is locked away in some cubicle day after day, the telephone isn’t his only business tool, as a recent trip back from the Michigan Chiefs of Police Conference illustrates. Mendelson explains: “I paid an unexpected call on a one-time customer from the Bay City Fire Department. He had previously come into the store and on his first visit, bought a jacket, even though he wasn’t an established customer. I found out the potential existed for a 50 jacket order, so I made certain to look him up on the way back.”

Did he close the deal? “Not yet,” Mendelson says. “The economy in Michigan and elsewhere is suffering, so the budget may take another year to gel.” But the conversation with the firefighter / procurement officer was informative. “I learned a lot about how the fire industry operates.” Every customer and every conversation that Mendelson has adds to his knowledge base and he uses that to talk to other departments – sharing the information he has learned.

The company was one of the first dealers to jump on the internet bandwagon, recognizing before others the implications of a global marketplace. To improve the buying experience for the online customer, Unitex Direct recently set up private stores for its largest accounts, and added live support so that customers have the ability to receive an immediate response to their inquiries.  

It also evolved into a full fledged brick-and-mortar retail store last year.   Customers were always able to stop by the showroom to pick up or alter a garment; now they’re able to do that and much more.

Unitex Direct has been able to capitalize on its willingness to push the envelope, even during the downturn. But there have been instances where the pay off has yet to materialize. Take its venture into social media. “It’s a marketing channel more suited to big, well-known consumer companies like Coca Cola, rather than uniform dealers,” Mendelson adds.

Finding Markets and Staying Connected

While Unitex Direct is doing well, Mendelson is acutely aware that others in the industry are not. “Find additional markets if yours has shrunk,” he advises. “Go out of your comfort zone and knock on new doors.”

Like others, he cites the burgeoning healthcare industry as ripe with potential, and uses an area hospital, part of the Henry Ford Health Systems, as one example of the many existing opportunities. More than just doctors and nurses in scrubs, the hospital operates a full service restaurant, complete with organic food options, within its walls. The restaurant – and its uniformed staff – is so popular that diners often include those who aren’t visiting patients. “By marketing the restaurant as a healthy lifestyle alternative, the hospital hopes to leverage that perception when people need a healthcare facility,” observes Mendelson.

Has he been able to tap this market? “I would love to, but I’m too busy with my security accounts,” he says.

For Unitex Direct, retrenching during the downturn isn’t the answer. Staying connected is key, and Mendelson advises more, not less, company visibility. “You can cut certain expenses, but your marketing budget shouldn’t be one of them, and should actually ratchet up a bit.”

He practices what he preaches. Unitex Direct has hit the trade show circuit, redesigned its website and even hired an ad company to produce its latest promotional piece.

It has also stayed connected via affiliations with trade groups like the NAUMD. “I joined the association years ago, and have stayed a member for the networking,” Mendelson says. Has it been worth it? “Absolutely. When I put NAUMD on my letterhead, I’m somebody,” he adds.

To learn more about Unitex Direct and its family of products, visit www.unitexdirect.com

Are you a successful dealer with a story to tell? Contact us at jarosselli@naumd.com

(from NAUMD Industry News a publication of the North-American Association of Uniform Manufacturers & Distributors ©2011 NAUMD)