Social Networking is a rather new phenomenon in the internet world, but an excellent way to market your business.  Having your products or websites “talked about” on a social networking site or group is taking ‘word of mouth’ advertising... »

Originally, I intended to post about Social Network to build your business.  Instead,  I stopped to reflect on Thanksgiving and realized how thankful I am for what has transpired over this past year. So in honor of this special day,... »

If you are looking for a more personalized website other than an Etsy or Artfire store (as described in the last post), you will want to look into starting a blog. Blogging has changed dramatically over the last years.  Whereas,... »

Don’t feel overwhelmed or daunted by the thought of marketing on the internet.  Applications have changed so much over the years … When I first dabbled in internet marketing, I needed to work with a computer techie who knew... »

With all the interest and competition for selling wholesale, it is critical for professional crafters and producers to have a presence on the world wild web!  Sadly, with the economic climate in the state it is in, more and... »

Over the last couple of years, I have spent time on the internet finding resources for professional crafters and gift producers.  Below is my personal list of websites and resources that I would recommend to anyone entering the gift... »

After several months of posting about selling wholesale to gift shops, I thought you might like to know more about my business. Currently, I am a semi-retired sales rep – semi-retired because I have limited my road travel and moved... »

After working for nearly nine years as an independent sales representative to the gift industry, I could share plenty of interesting stories about producers and gift shops.  I doubt that I have “seen it all”, but there are some... »

The first system to implement when working with sales representatives is a standardized or template sales agreement form.  A template where you only need to change a few of the details is very handy when using more than one... »

Working with a sales rep or sales rep organization to sell your products will give you the freedom to work on your business and make more of your unique products.  However, there are a few things you will need... »

In Part One, we talked about different referral methods to find sales reps.  In this part, we can talk about where we can find different sales reps and sales rep organizations.  Most of these options allow you, the producer... »

The most frequent question I receive from producers is “where can I find a sales rep for my products”. Of course, finding where sales reps “hang out” is as illusive as it sounds.  But there are places where you... »

A Manufacturer’s Representative, also called manufacturer’s agent, manufacturer’s rep, sales representative, or sales rep – or more commonly, just “rep” – is a self-employed salesperson who contracts direct selling and marketing services to one or more related, but normally... »

Deciding to sell your products to gift stores can be overwhelming if you are not familiar to the roles and ‘players’ in the industry.  For example, should you hire a sales rep or a wholesaler or a distributor to... »

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... »