Even if you are the best salesman possible, if a buyer is not interested in purchasing your creations for their store, you will not be able to convince them to buy.
So how do you know when a buyer is interested in your line of products?
There are several obvious signs, such as ….
- The buyer is interested in what you are saying
- The buyer wants to see more information or samples
- The buyer is asking questions
- The buyer is calling in a manager/co-worker to evaluate your line
Indie Retail Academy published an article titled, How do I convince retailers my stuff is right for them?, that addressed this issue in a very interesting way.
Here are some tips for the article:
It has to appeal to them on a fundamental level, to some degree at least. If it doesn’t the game’s over.
So how can you increase the chances of a shopkeeper feeling that immediate attraction?
1. Be amazing
I know that sounds flippant but I’m serious. Be frikkin’ incredible. Make your product, branding, packaging, descriptions, photographs, website and pricing structure as good as they can possibly be. That means making sure they measure up to the highest professional standards in your industry, and that they reflect what’s in your head and your heart.
2. Only target retailers who are predisposed to dig your work
This means doing homework. There’s no point submitting your lovely thing to every shopkeeper in the country. That’s a waste of your time and a pretty efficient way to make yourself miserable in the process. If I asked you why you pitched to a particular retailer, you should be able to give me solid reasons.
Look for similarities in style, outlook, the ranges they stock, price, location and anything else you can think of. Find this stuff out by looking at their website, blog, facebook page and twitter account in detail. Join their mailing list. Best of all – if you can, visit the darn shop. If you can’t come up with at least two or three good reasons to think they might like to stock your work, move on.
Very good advice!
Personally, I have dozens (if not hundreds) of producers contacting me wanting to either hire me as a sales rep or wanting to sell me their products for my online store. Most of these producers have never even looked at my website, seen what I sell or done any research at all to see if their line would fit into what I already sell.
How do I know this? Well, it is obvious (or so you would think) that since my websites are IdahoGiftsWholesale.com and TastesofIdaho.com that I feature Idaho products! Or at least after looking briefly at the sites, this niche would be obvious!
And you know what I do with the emails I receive from these folks? Yup, you guessed it — I delete them!
Follow the tips above from Indie Retail Academy and you will be on the right track to being successful in selling wholesale.