Time is slipping by and we are getting closer and closer to the largest sales season, and the most important time to develop a holiday marketing plan. Most producers generate 50% or more (about 65% on our Tastes of Idaho…
Working in the business of wholesaling to retailers for over 15 years, I think I heard the following question more frequently than I remember: “I am just starting out wholesaling to retailers. What do I do?” (or something along that…
A new ruling on collecting sales tax for online purchases has recently been put into effect. According to the MSN website: U.S. states could reap billions in online sales tax revenue and buttress their budgets after the nation’s top court…
As a wholesaler who sells to retailers, finding new stores is always a task to implement on a regular basis. But what about the wholesale accounts you already have? The value of a repeat customer — especially a wholesale customer…
Do you struggle with the age-old question: Should I concentrate my efforts on selling my products to retailer buyer (wholesale) or am I better off focusing my efforts on selling retail — online direct to consumers? Making the decision to…
When I started my business as a sales rep, I traveled to my retailers to show them my new products and take their orders. When I narrowed my sales territory to Idaho, I visited each area at least twice a…
Creating your products is just the beginning of having a thriving product-based business. Marketing, which is the next important component in your business, encompasses a wide range of techniques and tips that I will not go into here. Let’s just…
The first quarter of every new year is probably the best time to plan new product releases. Retailers are always looking for new items — which does not mean they plan to replace their best sellers! Buyers are constantly on…
Website and web marketing has exploded in the 16 years since I created my first website! At that time, web templates were expensive and greatly limited to those, like me, who did not want to hire a webmaster. Today, most…
I’ve read tons of information on-line on why to have an email list and how to write a good email, but what about how to get visitors to your website to sign up for your email list. Artsy Shark offers…
Promoting your website, along with your products or services, is a number one prioirity for small business. In the sea of wholesale/retail, a small producer can get lost among the ‘big boys’ of retail. Long gone are the days of…
The most effective way to contact buyers is through personal one-on-one appointments. Traveling sales reps, trade show reps and gift mart reps typically use a variation of this approach. But for the rest of us, this is not always the…