When making your first (and subsequent) wholesale sales call, you want to define your wholesale terms in an easy precise manner. You don’t want your potential customers to be confused or misled causing a stumbling block to ordering from you and/or your company.
Wholesale in a Box compiled a list of mistakes you may not think of when preparing your sales materials.
Following is a summary from their article:
5 MISTAKES YOU MIGHT BE MAKING IN YOUR WHOLESALE TERMS (THAT WILL COST YOU SALES)
- Using difficult language or legalese. I once worked with a lawyer who developed a line of products she wanted me to rep. Her sales materials and terms were so legalistic sounding, it scared me from working with her. And if it was scary for me. think how her potential buyers felt!
- Using unnecessary terms. Along with the point above, don’t create unnecessary terms before agreeing to sell. The point is to make it EASIER for buyers to buy; not creating stumbling blocks.
- Lack of clarity on how to order. Once again, confusing ordering terms will scare away your buyers. Your terms and conditions for ordering need to be clear and concise — easy to read and easy to follow.
- Strange pricing structure. Most retailers will double your wholesale price to create a retail price. If you create your sales materials and terms listing the retail pricing and tell the stores to cut the price in half, not only do you sound like an amateur, but you will confuse your buyers. List full wholesale pricing and leave the retail pricing up to the store.
- Difficult to find your wholesale terms. List your wholesale terms on one page (whether in your line sheet or on your website) in an easy-to-find location. And titled them clearly, as Wholesale Terms (and Policies).
Wholesale in a Box concludes their article with the following comment:
Ultimately, fantastic wholesale terms are common sense: be friendly, be straightforward, make it easy to order from you, and make yourself clear. It’s a way of handling terms that will protect you the best, not get in the way of sales, and start your stockist relationship on the right foot.
Find more articles on creating wholesale terms here:
If you are looking for 1-on-1 help in this area, check out my Creating Wholesale Materials Coaching program (which includes a mini-guide). During our session, we can go through your terms in detail, making sure they are complete and make sense!