tips on selling to shops please?

[smyth]

hi every1, i was just wondering if any1 has any tips on selling to shops? ive read a few bits and pieces on different websites but was wondering if any of you could give anymore advice. I wanna try and be as prepared as possible before i start trying to sell next week which is gona be so daunting , failure is my biggest fear lol .

what kind of clothes should i wear ? should i wear a shirt and tie or can i be more casual aslong as i look clean and smart?

have i got to ring the shop before i visit or if im driving past somewhere that sells cards can i just pop in and ask for the manager?

also , if a shop makes an order , then you print/make the cards and deliver them to the shop can i collect payment in cash there and then? or do i have to give them an invoice and wait for them to send a cheque?

sorry for all the questions lol but hope some of you can help also if u have any other tips i havent asked about that would be great too

thanks alot,

Craig.

[removed10]

It drove me nuts dealing with shops - everyone had their different way of doing things...and one place I went to LOVED my soaps and wanted to carry them SO BAD ... if I rpackaged them the way they wanted them....so I said (stupidly) okay, I can do that...went and spent money, got it all re-done - threw away the wrapping I already had on there...take them back to show them.,...no, it's not quite what they ahd in mind....grrrrr. I said I really could redo it as it was very expensive and wasteful, so they said well never mind. Hmpf.

I printed out purchase agreements...they always preferred their own....

Most places seemed to want me to come back and pick up checks on the 5th of each month...lots of driving...finally got one place to send me a check each month, but sometimes they didn't...said none had sold, but when I would go in, I would see that there were not many left...

Quite frankly I found it to be a real mess and decided to stick with fairs and markets.

I hate to sound discouraging...all this misery is probably because I'm real wishy-washy...not a real strong business type personality...things might go really well for you n shops, so best of luck and go for it! But make some decisions ahead of time about how YOU want to handle the deal...and present it that way with firmness and confidence. Custom packing/repackaging should cost extra....and only with a deposit.

[smyth]

hey cosmic grammie, thanks for the reply ill deffo remember that about the packaging, id ave done the same if a shop had been really interested in my stuff, so now ill be prepared see its little things like this that u only learn from experience or forums like this

i think id rather go pick the cheque up myself as i kno alot of companies will put off sending the cheque for as long as possible so if im there in person it puts pressure on em. im still a bit wary of not collecting cash when i deliver the cards tho, im just thinkin if some1 makes a big order and i pay to have them made and then deliver them, then the shop could go out of business or something and close down before they make payment and id have lost alot of money.

it does sound alot of hassle and i can see there bein alot of problems but ill give it a go and see how it goes, i think im gona try and do the markets aswell so ill see which is worth doing and which isnt or if both are.

thanks again,

Craig

[jessw]

Tips for seeling to shops

Hi Craig
I've recently got some of my cards into shops. Initially I thought it best to make an appointment but have found that independant shops don't seem to mind being approached cold. I mostly wore casual clothes and sometimes even had my children with me but made sure I was organised and to the point while there.
It's important to carry sample cards and business cards to leave behind and if the buyer is not there get their name so you can follow up your visit with a call. If you have an emailable catalogue or a weblink it's a good idea to email the buyer too before your follow up call.
Most don't seem to mind paying cash on delivery tho some will prefer invoicing.
I also found that in small towns, most traders choose not to stock anything that their fellow traders stock to avoid conflicts. So it is important to decide who to approach first so that you end up being stocked by the best trader for your product.
I hope some of this is helpful!

[smyth]

thanks for the reply jessw, thats good that shops dont mind being approached cold without ringing, altho to save on petrol ill prob just look through the yellow pages and ring as many shops as i can to try and make an appointment. I have got my website on my business card so if i do pop into a shop and the manager isnt there ill just leave that behind so they can check my cards on my website if they want. Ill keep that in mind that usually shops dont stock what other shops stock in the same small town, but i suppose if u can get a decent order from one shop in every small town thatd be quite good.

thanks again for the tips, theyre much appreciated

Craig.