Original Article Written By Carolyn Edlund Q & A on Breaking into the Art Market A reader named Marcus recently posted a comment on this blog to an article titled “Interview with Artist’s Agent Samantha Levin”. Samantha followed up with a message that I felt was so on-point and instructive, I’m posting it here...
Why You Should Hire Sales Reps?
Original Article Written By Carolyn Edlund Many creative entrepreneurs would jump at the chance for a sales representative to take their product line on the road and sell wholesale into retail stores. What an opportunity! Or is it? Having a sales force can be an immense boost to your business growth, which is why...
Closing the Sale with Gift Buyers
Talking about products and taking an order are two distinct different functions. Most sales people give professional presentations, but forget ask for the order! If you don’t ask the buyer if they would like to order product X today, most likely, they will not call you to place it later. Gift sales are often...
Margins Vs. Mark Up
When working with new producers, I notice there are many questions around margins and mark-up. Many people are confused, and use the terms interchangeably, but there is a difference. Mark-up is how much a retailer “marks up” a product from the wholesale cost. For example, if a retailer keystones, she or he is doubling,...
Pushing the Envelope: Working with Sales Reps
Of all the questions I get asked, where or how to work with sales reps is at the top of the list. A good question as hiring a sales rep is probably the best first step in expanding your wholesale sales to retail outlets. Most producers I have known over the years, love working...
Defining Selling Seasons
The gift industry is segmented into two primary buying seasons: The winter/spring buying season (for purchase of summertime and travel industry inventory) The summer/fall buying season (for purchase of holiday inventory) As a result, you will see lots of activity in the industry centered around these two periods. For example, large wholesale gifts tradeshows...
Will My Products Sell?
Last week I received an email for a producer asking me if I thought her product would sell. Since this is a question on most producer’s minds, I thought I would share our communications. Her note said: I have a question if you could help me: I’ve attached pictures of a sampling of my...
Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up
If you asked me what the most important step is to selling to gift shops, I would tell you follow up! Simple as that sounds, I found (now that I am a store manager again) that the follow up system you use can make or break a potential sale. Most buyers are very busy...
Start Small, Finish Big
When I took the step from working in corporate America and joined my husband in starting our own business, I needed to change my mindset from being an employee to become an entrepreneur! A very big step, and a very necessary step. You and I may be in different, but similar businesses … yet...
What is a Credible Product Line to Present to Buyers?
New producers often start with one or two products that sell successfully at craft fairs or flea markets. A customer or store buyer may show interest in the product which gets the producer thinking about wholesaling. But how does that transfer into the wholesale arena? One or two products often constitute a crafter peddling...
Ideas to Launch Your Products
Discovered this wonderful post on Selling Locally to Launch Your Product that has some great ideas for selling to gift shops. Start Selling Locally to Launch Your Product For thousands of years, craftsmen have created a product by themselves or with the help of a few employees and sold the products out of their...
Season’s Greetings
Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Sandy and Malcolm Dell
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