Welcome back to Frase’s Phrases – a quarterly series where I’ll share impactful phrases, expressions, quotes, clichés or lessons that I’ve picked up along my journey, along with how you can apply them in the promo industry to advance your career.


Today, we’re diving into navigating promo roadblocks – those frustrating but inevitable obstacles that stand between us and smoother operations, stronger relationships or bigger wins.

“The only thing constant is change.” – Heraclitus

My favorite part of penning this blog so far has been figuring out who’s actually credited with saying what I’ve been quoting for years. Apparently, Heraclitus said it, and what a wise fellow he must’ve been! This classic phrase sounds as cliché as most do, but it’s a grounding reminder that change isn’t disruption, it’s the norm.

In our industry, change is practically built into the business model. From the economic crash of 2008 to COVID-19 to post-pandemic supply chain issues to shifting tariff regulations, there’s always something shaking business up. It’s easy to feel paralyzed when disruption strikes, but this phrase helps reframe the moment: You’ve sold through worse. You’ll sell through this.

Nothing great happens without growth, and nothing grows without change, so if change is the only constant, perhaps resilience should be as well.

Brittany Frase, MAS

VP of Sales, HIRSCH

I use this reminder with clients and teams alike. When someone panics over delays or inventory constraints, I often remind myself and my team, “We’ve faced harder challenges before, and we’ve always made it to the other side.” Going from reacting to adapting is a powerful mindset shift.

Ask yourself: What felt insurmountable in the moment but now feels like a badge of honor? Nothing great happens without growth, and nothing grows without change, so if change is the only constant, perhaps resilience should be as well.

“Cheap, fast or free, you can’t have all three.” – Unknown

This quote is one of my favorites because you can broaden the scope and apply it to just about every industry. We know clients always want the moon. For suppliers, distributors and service providers, our clients always want the hottest product (or service), completed yesterday, for the lowest price. Because our industry is relationship-heavy, we’ve all received the “quick favor” subject line emails that come with zero margin and all the pressure.

  • While I wouldn’t recommend saying this phrase verbatim to clients, it helps you set boundaries and guide clients through the real-world trade-offs.


Remember: This isn’t about saying “no.” It’s about helping your clients say “yes” to the right things. Set expectations early, and you’ll protect not only your margins but also your client relationships from the resentment that builds when expectations go unmet.

Ask your client: “Which of these is most important to you: cost, speed or customization?” Then reassure them that you can absolutely deliver, as long as you’re clear on their top priority.

“Adaptation isn’t a sign of weakness – it’s a sign of strength.” – Charles Darwin

Change is constant, but adaptation is a choice. And too often in promo, that choice gets put off, especially when it comes to technology. Our industry is notoriously slow to evolve. Many companies still lack live inventory feeds and rely on outdated systems and siloed processes that make it harder to work seamlessly together.

This resistance to adaptation creates unnecessary friction for clients, sales teams and production partners. It also fuels frustration when distributors go direct overseas or suppliers go direct to end users. But let’s be honest – that frustration often stems from the gaps in communication and access that technology could solve. It’s the symptom, not the disease.

RELATED: Beyond IT: How PPAI 100 Suppliers Make Technology A Leadership Priority

If you’re still manually keying in orders, if your team is constantly chasing down basic order status updates or if your clients are turning elsewhere for a smoother experience, those aren’t signs of failure – they’re signs of opportunity. Ask yourself (and your team): “What process are we clinging to out of habit, not value?” Then start the road map to course correct.

Whether it’s implementing PromoStandards or PDX, updating your CRM or even just automating internal workflows, tech shifts make a big difference. Adaptation shows you’re not just keeping up – you’re leading. To distributors specifically, my ask is for patience during this process, as none of these changes are quick or cheap for suppliers to implement when done correctly.

From Phrases To Actions

Every industry has roadblocks, ours are just branded.

The promotional products space is bursting with opportunity, but it’s also bogged down by habits that no longer serve us. If we want to move forward, individually and collectively, we need to stop resisting change and start asking smarter questions.

Let’s break down the barriers together, one phrase at a time.

Frase, MAS, is vice president of sales at HIRSCH – PPAI 100’s No. 23 supplier – and a 2024 PPAI Rising Star.