Last week we explored the first five reasons why a store would reject handmade products: You can read Part One here
Last Five Reasons Why Gift Stores Reject Handcrafted Products
- The sales presentation is ineffective. Remember that you need to look and
act as a professional. Wear a nice pair of dress slacks or work-style dress and make sure to arrive on time and prepared to sell your product. No need to give a convincing sales pitch! Just be yourself, and be considerate of the needs of the gift buyer and the store they are representing. - Unable to deliver products on a timely basis. Most gift store buyers expect products to arrive in around two weeks or less. If your beautiful crafted item takes two weeks to make and the buyer orders six of each, they will not be willing to wait three months to receive your products!
- The product doesn’t fit stores motif. Most gift shops have a theme of a niche line of products. Make sure your product will complement products already on the shelves. For example, intricately made jewelry would probably not sell well in a candle gift shop.
- The store is not Open-to-Buy. Many stores have a budget and/or a particular time that they buy for their stores. Should you arrive during a time where they are not buying or are not “Open-to-Buy”, it may be difficult to sell your products. In this case, it is best to ask when they plan to be Open-to-Buy and ask to return at that time.
- Store buyer personality may not mesh with your own. No matter how wonderful your product may be or how hard to try to sell it, some buyers may just not want to deal with you. Personalities can conflict in any form of business – unfair as it is – but you are best off just to walk away and spend your energies with a store buyer that is interested in you and your products.
What To Do When the Buyer Rejects Your Handcrafted Products
If, after reading through these points, you find your handcrafted item does not seem to measure up, don’t give up. You have several options:
* Ask for feedback from the gift store buyers as to what would make your product work in their store. You might be surprised at the advice you may receive.
* Ask the gift store buyer if there is another shop in the area that she could recommend for placing your product. Just because it did not work for one shop does not mean it would not work in another shop.
* And last, by not least, there are several types of craft shops, craft co-ops, or craft markets on the internet that would LOVE to feature your products!
I just want to encourage you to NOT GIVE UP after a rejection! I would hate to tell you how many “NOs” I received before selling my first product! Each time I was rejected, I was able to find out a bit more on how to improve my line, my presentation, or my approach to the different gift shops.
