Packaging Your Products The “Green” Way

Wholesalers and retailers impact our environment a great deal. It’s fair to say most American consumers do, as well. While it’s nearly impossible to avoid waste and environmental impact, it is  possible to help reduce it.

One way to consider your impact on our Earth is through product packaging and packaging of products after purchase. A few ways to do this include:

1. Evaluate the need for packaging. Is it a must? Is it decorative? Is it to provide safety to the item (avoid breakage, etc)?
2. Use as little material necessary. Reducing materials to package items can not only help the environment, but also save you money. It should be a goal to design a package so that minimum amounts of material provide necessary packaging while also meeting any packaging guidelines (based on product).
3. Eliminate toxic ingredients. Very simply, you want to avoid additives, adhesives, coatings, and inks that get added to the package that are not safe for human health and the environment.
4. Try to use recycled materials. Reuse of anything is a good thing since one time usage impacts our environmental footprint greater. Challenge yourself and your business to reuse what you can, therefore recycling materials for the better of our Earth.
5. Support recycling. Educate your consumers on what they can do with your package once they no longer need it. To avoid waste in packaging for purchases all together, offer cloth, reusable bags for sale – even if bags aren’t your thing. Then offer a percentage of purchases when these bags are used. It’s a win-win for the environment and your business.

What are your green tips that help your business thrive and Mother Nature? Let us know! Please comment below.

Writing Product Descriptions That Count

If you have an online presence for your retail store or write your own product descriptions for marketing materials, then you know how difficult it can be to write descriptions that they really express what the product is. Yet explaining what the product is makes up only half the battle. You also need to express why customers want to buy the product you are describing without saying so in actual words. Have I lost you yet? Take this for example:

A woman’s plain white t-shirt could be described as “Plain, white t-shirt in cotton blend.” Or, you could describe it like this, “Classic, white, capped sleeved t-shirt with 98% cotton and 2% spandex for a perfectly fitted wardrobe essential that shapes you in all the right places.” By describing this t-shirt with more detail, you offer a more vivid image for the customer to envision what this shirt would be like in their own closet and on their own body. Sometimes it can be more effective to list the details of a product while also providing a catchy title that will entice your audience. Using the t-shirt as an example again, you could write, “Perfect Silhouette T-Shirt: 98% cotton, 2% spandex, 2” capped sleeves.”

Based on your product and your website layout, you should decide which product description style is best for you. Make sure to be consistent, though, and offer your customers a trusted source of information for each item you sell. Don’t leave one product short on detail and yet give another product to much detail. Your audience wants to trust each item will be described just as effectively as the next.

Another tip is to request descriptions from your vendors. They are often already described to help guide you in selling it successfully. If you are still struggling with getting your descriptions written, consider hiring support for this. Smart, shopping savvy copy can literally help you gain sales versus lose them, so don’t dismiss this scenario too fast! Finally, don’t let your words get stale. If  your products expand or change, make sure to take the time to update your new descriptions. Words are powerful when you can’t touch products – along with your images, they are your selling tools.

For information on how Retail Minded can support you in your  copywriting needs, please contact nicole@retailminded.com. 

A Wholesale Checklist to Becoming Retail Ready

Time and time again, people’s dreams of launching a product line come to life – therefore jumpstarting a million steps towards landing on retail shelves. Many wholesalers – whether designers themselves or vendors sourcing their product - miss vital steps along the way that create barriers for their brand to effectively position themselves at retail. Others take each careful step with consideration as to how it will lead them to the next. All steps have one goal in mind, however - gaining customers from retail sales.

To help prepare you for your own steps towards retail, consider the questions below.

1. At what pace (turn around time) can you support orders placed? Do you have shipping plans prepared for bulk deliveries and multiple deliveries, or are you paying traditional mark up for shipping? If you are paying traditional mark up, you are losing money.

2. Speaking of shipping, what are your packaging plans for this? Do you have boxes and all the packaging goods you will need to safely and securely ship your goods? Retailers don’t want broken pieces or loose garments arriving to their stores.

3. Of course, before you ship you need to gain sales. What is your sales strategy for reaching out to retailers? Door to door only goes so far. Trade shows, social media, sales reps… there are so many ways to go about this.

4. Do you have a Buyer’s Packet prepared to support retailers?  This is a must. Pitching to retailers without effective marketing / selling tools make you look unprepared to be retail ready.

5. Are you prepared for the time it takes to create sales? If you aren’t good at sales, what is your back up? Remember – good work costs money. Experienced support cost more.

While there are many more steps involved in reaching the retail market, the above checklist will help get you on track with the right steps you need to take. And if you happen to be in the middle of your path and not sure how to get on the right track, take time to review and analyze. It’s okay to step backwards if you trust it will get you moving in the right direction.

Need more support? Retail Minded is available for one on one phone consultations to help support your unique business. Additionally, we offer Buyers Packet creations at affordable prices to help position you to reach out to retailers. Learn more by emailing Retail Minded’s Nicole Reyhle at nicole@retailminded.com.

Tips On How To Create Effective Line Sheets

There are many roles a store owner has and likewise, there are many roles a designer or wholesaler has. Surprisingly, one of the roles that overlap is their use of line sheets. Though their purposes are different when using them, their desire to have effective line sheets are typically the same.Both retailers and wholesalers benefit when using effective line sheets. Unfortunately, not all line sheets are created equally and as a result, many retailers and wholesalers struggle to review them, often resulting in decreased sales, poor marketing presentation and time wasted.

Based on countless conversations with successful retailers and wholesalers, their top three line sheet must haves are:

1. Line Sheets should be visually appealing, making them easier to read.

2. Line Sheets must offer  detailed information in a concise format.

3. Line Sheets should have great images, preferably floating without lifestyle details getting in the way of product.

Visual Appeal

Line sheets can be a cluttered mess. There is a lot of information to sort through and images to match, so formatting these details can be overwhelming both mentally and visually. But visually, it’s an absolute must to get this format clean and crisp in appearance. Horizontal versus vertical formatting is used less, though both offer the opportunity to be effective. The key is to be consistent in what details you offer per product, how you format these details, and the size / layout of the image included. Make sure to use matching fonts and font sizes, as well. Typically, three items in one row on a horizontal page is good to go. Based on your image size, you can likely get at least nine items on one page. Sometime more, sometimes less. This said, every product has unique circumstances so create a few options to determine what visually looks best for your business. And always remember who your audience is – retail buyers.

Details Matter

Without effective details, the visual layout means nothing. What to incorporate into the visual layout are necessary details that wholesalers and retailers alike need to know. This includes, but it not limited to, your product name, wholesale price, retail price, availability, size options, color options, style options and case pack details. Remember that every product and every business is unique, so your line sheet must represent these unique features for everyone to feel as if they have been communicated with effectively.

Image Impressions

First impressions leave lasting impressions. This isn’t a  surprise to anyone. Yet surprisingly enough, line sheet images aren’t always that great… though they should  be. The images you use in your line sheets are often the first time a buyer has seen the product, so make sure the images look good. No – correction – make sure they look amazing.

Floating images, where the product is the only image and has no background to blend with it, are typically the best received image from a buyer’s perspective. This is because it allows the buyer to really see the image without other things getting in the way. Often a front and back view of your product are necessary in communicating your product details effectively. In addition, make sure they are strong in color. Black font is okay, but your product images should always be in color. If this isn’t your forte, hiring a photographer may be a good idea.

Lifestyle images do wonders in creating an overall image for products and brands. But lifestyle images aren’t best suited for line sheets. Instead, use them on your cover page, throughout other areas of your buyers packet and in various other marketing materials.

An effective line sheet will take time to prepare but if done correctly, will save you time later. Updates and changes from season to season will be easier to insert as you move forward, so really it’s just that first time that can be daunting. The time invested will be rewarded with appreciation from retailers and with the right product, sales as well.

Have other tips on how to create a great line sheet? Let us know! Please leave comments below.

Need help on your line sheet? Retail Minded offers customized creation of line sheets and editing of your own line sheets, as well. Complete Buyer’s Packet creations are available, also. Contact nicole@retailminded.com for more information.

Creating an Efficient Home Office

One of the many challenges wholesale and retail business owners face is finding a space to effectively work. Often, this place is their  own home since – let’s face it – budgets aren’t overflowing in the retail biz. Luckily, there are many advantages to working from home that can even outweigh the disadvantages (depending on how you look at it, of course). Whether you need to reorganize your existing home office or want to create one to help you in your business responsibilities, below are some pointers on how to efficiently manage your home office.

1. Find a space that is solely dedicated for your business needs. Even a small counter top in the middle of your chaotic kitchen can do the trick. An ideal spot would be tucked away from the chaos of family life, but the goal is to simply identify one spot – wherever that spot may be. Once this spot is picked, don’t let anything else get in the way of it. Kids toys, house bills, grocery lists… If it’s nothing to do with your biz, get it out of the way. It will just distract you.

2. Get organized. Once your unique spot is identified, spruce it up with some great organizational tools to help aid you in your day to day business needs. A file tray (or stacked tray for many files) is always effective. A “to-do” list that’s in sight and easy to check off is a must. Bulletin boards help in so many ways… even if just to provide inspiration with beautiful or meaningful photos tacked to them. Creative containers add organizations and charm to your work space, keeping things tidy while looking good. A win win!

3. Make it pretty.If you like where you work, you are more likely to want to work. Plus, you will likely do better work in an environment you feel good about. You can add a nice potted plant to the corner of your desk, add a beautiful throw pillow to the back of your chair, introduce  a colored leather day planner to your organization method or put a gorgeous new paint on the walls. Pretty to me may not be pretty to you, so whatever your pretty is – add it to your work space!

There will likely be days when you sit down at your desk and wonder what it is you need to do next, knowing your list of things to do is way too long. Don’t let this distract you. By simply taking the time to create a space for you and your business that is solely dedicated to this, you can help your business thrive by being effective in the time you spend working on it. The best part? You may just have fun doing this!

Rejected By a Retailer? Ask Why.

A lot can be learned from why retailers say “no” to your product. Often, it may simply be they have no more room in their open to buy dollars. Other times it could be that your product does not compliment their existing product assortment. Then again, it may be because they – dare I say it – don’t like your product…. or possibly even you (yes, this does happen). Whatever the reason, it can help you to know why your product isn’t right for them.

[tweetmeme]When pitching retailers, it’s obvious going into this scenario that not every retailer will want your product – at least not right away! But when “no” becomes a trend and “yes” is a rare exception when communicating with retailers, it’s important to understand WHY this is happening.

The key to asking retailers for their explanation of why they didn’t want your product in their stores is to:

1. Respect their time

2. Be professional in your approach 

3. Avoid an emotional reaction

4. Listen but don’t try and convince them otherwise

5. Learn from what you find out

Over time, you may find repeated reasons from a variety of retailers as to why they did not purchase your product. While you may not enjoy what you learn, you can in fact learn from retailers who aren’t your current customers. Really listen to what they have to tell you and respect that they are giving you a chance to communicate beyond your sales pitch. In time, you may get ahead in your game from these lessons and realize that a few “no’s” is what it took to get you many more “yes’s”.

Spring Cleaning Ideas For Retailer & Wholesalers

What better way to get recharged and ready for Spring then by cleaning! Luckily, we aren’t talking sweeping and washing the windows here… though you should probably do that, too. Instead, Spring is the perfect time of year for retailers and wholesalers alike to get busy “cleaning” their businesses.[tweetmeme]

1. Clean off your desk or work area. This includes your cash wrap station.

2. Take the time to file, file, file all that cleared up paperwork on your desk. It’s not fun, we know. But it’s essential in staying organized and maximizing your business potential.

3. Speaking of files, clean up your computer files by deleting anything you don’t need and backing up everything you want saved.

4. If you didn’t start one at the start of the year, make sure to have a calendar conveniently accessible for your business responsibilities. This includes daily tasks, weekly goals, meetings, trade show dates, vendor appointments and all other important details to keep you on track with your business needs.

5. Review your retailer / vendor contracts. Reach out with any questions and mark your calendar with dates you need to remember per each contract.

6. Review and back up your social networking accounts. Update your profile details, as well. If you don’t have social media accounts, open them. Facebook and Twitter are key for retailers and wholesalers.

7. Change your passwords for everything. Email, social media accounts, computer access and anything else you have a password to.

8. Make a list of anything you want to learn about it. Whether it’s new software, a trade organization or a new product line, make it a priority to check off at least one thing from this list as each week passes.

9. Review your business expenses. Call your phone providers, internet providers and all other sources of communication networks to see if you can get a better deal than what you currently have. Cancel anything you don’t need.

10. Pay all unpaid invoices and write checks in advance for anything you will owe in the near future. Mark your calendar with reminders as to when you need to mail invoices out. Bonus Step – Evaluate your associates. Having reviews at least once a year is important. Twice a year is better. Spring is a great time to do this. Spring cleaning doesn’t need to feel like a chore. Approach these steps with the attitude that it will help and maximize your business – therefore making it more fun along the way.

Planning For The New Year By Reviewing The Last

The start of the new year is a great time to assess what is ahead as well as what you just accomplished – or lacked to, for that matter - in the previous year. Joining you in this should be your employees. To jump start this important review process, a few questions are outlined below to help engage your thoughts, provoke new ones and lead you towards accomplishing new goals in the year ahead.

1. What was the single biggest accomplishment for your retail store or wholesale business in the past year? This accomplishment does not have to be reflective of dollars, but instead it can represent opportunity, steps  taken or anything else you truly believe made the largest impact on your business. Make sure your employees have the unique opportunity to give their individual thoughts on this, as well.

2. What do you believe you failed to accomplish in the past year that you had hoped to? Again, make sure your employees can share their opinions here. Take the time to listen to their thoughts and together, you can evaluate both the strengths and weaknesses of your business in an effort to do better in the coming year.

3. What were the top selling items of your store or brand in the past year?Do you think  they will continue to trend as top sellers in the new year? Either way, did you anticipate they would be top sellers? If not, how did you react to their sales to provide proper inventory? How can you learn from this to do again in similar situations?

4. What items do you think may replace your top sellers from this past year? Are you prepared to chase any items that sell well from a financial perspective, or have you already eliminated wiggle room in your buying budget?  

5. Is your sales team at the level of performance you want them to be? What do they believe they can do to improve their sales and overall work for your business? What do you want them to do to improve? How will you communicate, educate and inspire them to be stronger performers?

6. What new marketing initiatives can you make to gain visibility for your store, your business, your website and your overall brand / store image? Are you prepared to take the extra steps to do this? What are these extra steps?

7. Did you reach your target market in the past year?Who is your target market? Do you believe your audience may have changed since you opened your store or business and if so, how can you react to accommodate that?

8. Are there new layers (new product, new branding, new marketing, etc.) to your business that you plan to add in the coming year? What are they? How will this impact your employees? You? Your time? Your budget? Make sure everyone necessary understands the process.

9. Do you have to give up anything to get ahead this year? What? Are you willing to make this sacrifice? Are you employees prepared? What do you each need to do to prepare for this?

10. What goals do you have for yourself and your business that need support from outside resources? Whether they are vendors, contractors, consultants, photographers or anyone else, make sure you have scheduled times to work with the necessary parties so that you aren’t left chasing them last minute.

Hopefully these questions can help engage you and your entire team to jumpstart the year ahead with excitement and energy to reach the goals you have set for your business. Make sure to take the time to really evaluate last year in an effort to do better this year. Learn from both your mistakes and successes and when necessary, learn from others. Retail continues to be tough, so it’s okay to not be able to do it alone. Work together and hopefully 2010 will be the year you plan for it to be – or better!

Attracting Buyers When You Are A New Wholesaler

First you had the idea, then you developed the product. As challenging as that ride can be, it is often even more challenging to land your product into retail stores.

Buyers across the country and around the world get introduced to new products nearly every day and as a result, can be overwhelmed with the decisions of what to buy and what to pass on. Favoring products they know will sell when it comes to what to bring into their stores often works in their advantage, however most smart buyers also know that introducing new products to their store assortment can also be to their advantage. Luckily, this brings you into the picture. Now the challenge is to stay on their radar so that when decision time comes, it’s you who gets the sale.

A few things to help leverage your product and brand from the enormous amount of competition that is also trying to gain the eyes of retail buyers includes the following:

1. Present your product professionally and with confidence. Make sure that you are prepared to present a polished buyer’s packet to all perspective buyers. It should include your product information, company details, designer details if applicable, retail and wholesale price points, opening order terms, delivery expectations and re-order details. Including photos that are professionally presented within this packet is essential. Color and sizing information as well as case packs are also critical depending on the product you are selling. Many new wholesalers speak up too soon when it comes to reaching out to buyers and as a result, their product is dismissed from the interest of buyers. Don’t let this mistake be your fatal failing.

2. Communicate effectively with buyers without wasting their time. Remember that buyers are very busy people between attending trade shows, shopping their competition, placing orders and re-orders, managing budgets and so much more. It’s extremely important that you respect this so that you can value the time you do have with them, whether it’s face to face, on the phone or via email. In doing this, many buyers will respect your attention to their time and as a result, you just may have an edge in their attraction to your product, as well.

3. Be in the right places at the right time. Attending trade shows is a great way to get introduced to retailers who would not know of you otherwise while also giving you an outlet of communication that may be hard to obtain through phone calls and email. But don’t jump onto the trade show bandwagon too late in the game. If you want to be in retailers for Holiday 2009, you are already late. Become familiar with the trade show calendars of your particular industry and make sure you plan to attend both national and regional shows to help launch your product. In addition to trade shows, scheduling in store appointments is an ideal way to get a buyer’s attention. Not all buyers will give new wholesalers this time, though, so make sure to stay confident and keep on trying despite a lot of no’s to your appointment requests. Sending your buyer’s packets via email (PDF files work best) or via snail mail is also a great way to get attention. Just make sure you are on time with the buying calendar. It never hurts to give your product some cushion time, too, since your product is new to the market. Following up on all outlets is essential, as well.

4. Network with everybody and anybody that will listen. You never know where your next account will come from. Be professional and always stay focused on your brand identity, direction and goals so that you don’t get lost in networks that aren’t leading you to your intended purpose. But do take the time and the chance to reach out and meet new people. Chamber of commerce groups are a great way to meet retail owners and buyers as well as national and global organizations, such as the Fashion Group International, that are directly dedicated to your industry. While this takes a lot of time, the amount of people you will meet can greatly impact your brand recognition and interest.

5. Stay focused on your long term plans despite short term temptations. As a new wholesaler trying to position yourself in the marketplace, it can get tempting to set your expectations lower or settle on something just to feel like you are making progress. While compromise and change should be expected, it’s important you don’t lose sight of your brand’s vision along the way. Sometimes saying no, passing on certain retailers or having to change your plans is the best thing you can do in an effort to get the right buyer’s attention. Remember that where you position your product will be important for buyers to know, so make sure you only put it where you think the buyers you want will approve of.

It can be a long and bumpy ride for new wholesalers emerging in the marketplace, but the ride is worth it if you see it through and continue to believe in your product. Be patient, be professional and be prepared in an effort to let buyers know you are ready for business!

Retail Minded Founder Nicole Leinbach Reyhle originally contributed this article to www.Nolcha.com. For additional support with your business needs, contact Retail Minded at nicole@retailminded.com.

Ensuring Success For You and Your Rep

There are many key factors that influence why sales reps choose to represent your brand. These include:

• Good marketing; Branding
• Exclusivity of product
• Appropriate price points
• Focus
• The “It” factor

These points focus on your product. Some other key points that influence why a rep might work with you, or might continue to work with you, focus on, well… you.

The Rep Relationship

Build a strong relationship with your rep, to ensure that you communicate well. Think of it this way: you’ll want to keep in touch with your rep to see how sales are going with your brand. She’ll want to keep in touch with you too, to see what new products you have in the pipeline, share customer feedback and discuss selling strategies. You might talk or email daily, or at least several times per week. That dialog tends to be easier, and more fun, if you genuinely like each other.

Consistent Communication

A point that goes hand in hand with this is that reps sell more for you when you return their calls and emails. Not in a week or two weeks but within 24 hours. I often hear the “excuse” that family life has spun out of control and there just wasn’t enough time in the day…blah, blah, blah. A buyer who needs an answer from a rep won’t wait two weeks to get it. The buyer simply buys from someone else—probably your competitor. Likely your rep has been working hard to close the sale and if she loses that sale, in part, because you didn’t have time to call back with the answer on when the new shipment of goods will arrive, you’ll have one peeved rep on your hands…

You don’t have to wait for your rep to call you either. Call, check in and say thank you for the sale. Reps tend to be praise-junkies and just saying thank you will often increase your product’s sales.

Professionalism

This leads us to professionalism. When dealing with reps, fall back on the courtesies of friendly professionalism. In addition to returning calls and emails promptly, respect and trust what your rep can do for you. Understand that sales might not happen overnight—especially in this extremely competitive economic environment. Being a professional partner means success for you, your brand and the rep.

Learn The Industry

Another part of professionalism is learning the industry ins and outs so that you are better able to support your rep’s sales efforts. Take the time to understand the timing of the 2 major selling seasons and the dates of all the national and regional markets that are appropriate for your brand. Plan your product development according to those dates. Your Spring Summer 2010 sales materials should be ready to go—and en route to your sales rep now. If you show in Atlanta, materials should have been shipped out two weeks ago, since that show runs July 8-15th.

Sales Materials

Reps need stuff to sell your brand—catalogs, post cards, line sheets or sell sheets, a good website, order forms, show specials, samples and even freebie product. Create them, supply them and update them often. Imagine attending a networking event without business cards. You probably won’t add that many people to your network, since they won’t remember who you are—or have a way to contact you. Sending a rep out on the road without sales materials is pretty much the same thing. We meet and greet, we sing your product’s praises and, unless we leave your catalog, we probably won’t ever close that sale when the account “has open-to-buy dollars in August.”

Commission

In addition to being praise-junkies, reps respond well to commission checks. Set up a system for paying commission and stick to it. Half a dozen of the brands that I rep pay religiously on the 1st or 15th of every month. Their checks come with statements and a scrawled Thank You! I’m not likely to resign a brand that cares about me enough to worry about my financial needs and ensures that I am paid promptly and consistently for the work I do. I am however, very likely to sell those half dozen brands to my top accounts before I show any of my other lines.

The take-home here is that a rep is an ancillary but very important part of the success of your organization. Communicate consistently and professionally, understand the industry, provide sales support and financially incentivize your rep to increase your rate of sales success. It’s a win-win for both of you.

The article above was completed by guest contributer Lara Brynildssen. Lara owns and is the primary sales rep for LJBryn&Co., a Midwest-based independent rep group specializing in children’s gift, toys, gear and apparel. Learn more by visiting www.LJBrynAndCo.com.  

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