Systems that ship.
Written up honestly.
Automation for promotional products distributors, documented by the rep who built it and runs it daily. What each system does, how it works, what it does not do, and what you can take from it for free.
commonsku and Your CRM: How to Stop Entering Every Job Twice
Stop typing every job into commonsku and your CRM. Field rules you can set up today, and how SIPS works with commonsku with no data migration.
Read the postPromo Order Tracking Without a Spreadsheet: Orders, Proofs and Supplier Ship Dates
How small promo distributors track orders, proof approvals and supplier ship dates without a spreadsheet. A method you can run this week, no software needed.
Read the postConnecting commonsku to Your CRM: Your Options, Including the Enterprise API
Every way I know to get commonsku order data into a CRM without retyping it: commonsku's built-in integrations, the Enterprise API, and the share links you already send clients. Paste one, and the estimate, sales order and invoice for that job land on one deal. Verified on 7 live documents.
Read the postAntera and commonsku: A Plain Guide to Where Each One Fits
Antera's Advance and commonsku both run the promo job, and each describes itself a little differently. A former promo rep on what each one is built around, the demo questions that matter, and how to keep your pipeline connected whichever you run.
Read the postThe Best CRM for a Promotional Products Company Is Probably Not a CRM
Promo software gets built around the order first. A promo rep on what the category actually contains, where the sales relationship should live, and when the answer is a spreadsheet.
Read the postDecoration Pricing, Demystified: Setup Fees, Run Charges, and a Live Calculator
Screen print, embroidery, DTF, and laser each bill on a different shape. Here is how the math actually works, why margin is not markup, and a free calculator that does it for you.
Read the postUsing DistributorCentral and commonsku Together
DistributorCentral offers product search, websites and order tools, and commonsku gives you DistributorCentral's catalog inside the job. A former promo rep on how they fit, the handoff that's still manual, and how SIPS carries commonsku order details into your pipeline.
Read the postUsing ESP and commonsku Together
ESP is where a lot of promo shops search product and build the pitch. commonsku pulls ESP products in and runs the job from there. A former promo rep on how the two fit, the handoff that's still manual, and how SIPS carries commonsku order details into your pipeline.
Read the postFacilisgroup (Syncore) and commonsku: What Each One Asks You to Sign Up For
Syncore comes with a Facilisgroup membership. commonsku is a platform you subscribe to. A former promo rep on what each one is built around, the questions worth asking, and how to keep your pipeline connected whichever you run.
Read the postOrderMyGear and commonsku: Group Stores and the Job Behind Them
OrderMyGear runs the group store where everybody picks a size and pays. commonsku runs the job that store creates. A former promo rep on how the two fit together, the handoff between them, and how SIPS keeps the pipeline connected.
Read the postUsing SAGE and commonsku Together
SAGE is known for its product and supplier research database. commonsku lets you search and source SAGE products right inside the job. A former promo rep on how they fit, the handoff that's still manual, and how SIPS carries commonsku order details into your pipeline.
Read the postSample Tracking Is Broken in Promo. Here's the System That Works
Samples vanish because they live in inboxes and memory. Here is the tracking system that fixes it, plus a free Notion template you can duplicate and use today.
Read the postI Measured My Own Software. Most Of It Was Empty.
Nine months of live use, a real team, my own software. Every field a human had to type was empty. The one question to ask at your next demo.
Read the postGetting More Out of commonsku: Connecting It to Your CRM and Pipeline
commonsku runs the job. A former promo rep on how to connect it to your pipeline and client relationships without double entry or a data migration, what commonsku already connects to, and where SIPS fits.
Read the postYour Company Has Amnesia. Here's the Cure.
Build an AI second brain for your business from plain text files you own. The folder structure, the agent rulebook, and the weekly rhythm, explained simply.
Read the postThe 12-Month Client Marketing Calendar Every Distributor Should Be Running
How I turned client planning from a January scramble into a verified, year-round system: 327 sourced calendar entries across 22 companies, every one checked against two independent sources before it earned a row.
Read the postHow I Built a CRM That Reads commonsku Share Links
My CRM reads the commonsku share links you already send clients, on any plan: paste one and a deal appears with the client, value, stage, items, and artwork attached. Estimate, sales order, and invoice collapse into one record automatically. Verified against five live presentations.
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