Re: RE: [spiers] Re: Started an import based on your book!
In a message dated 2/5/03 12:37:56 PM, CR2538@sbc.com writes:
<
Cedric Ross SSM
Ofc 213-975-0363
Fax 213-482-3745>>
What?! Did I fail to pitch my book to the list!? Last year my book was
published, I thought I mentioned it... well, if not, you can see it at
http://www.johnspiers.com/Write.html
and if you want a copy, order it there. O! And they are coming out with a
hardcover edition in about a month... if you want a hardcopy edition, it is
$10 more... and you'll get it first if you order the hardcopy thru me.
John
How Small Business Trades Worldwide
Your Guide to Starting or Expanding a Small Business International Trade
Company Now
by John Spiers
Format: Paperback
Size: 6 x 9
Pages: 384
ISBN: 0-595-19955-0
Writer's Showcase Press,
Price $25.95
Wednesday, February 5, 2003
Re: Started an import based on your book!
Re: Started an import based on your book!
RE: [spiers] Re: Started an import based on your book!
Did I miss the boat, I am unaware of the BOOK. Was it in one of your
e-mails?
Cedric Ross SSM
Ofc 213-975-0363
Fax 213-482-3745
-----Original Message-----
From: wileyccc@aol.com [mailto:wileyccc@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2003 5:48 PM
To: ysingie@cablespeed.com
Subject: [spiers] Re: Started an import based on your book!
In a message dated 2/4/03 2:54:23 PM, ysingie@cablespeed.com writes:
<<
Your book said that there's a quiz I can take and join a group of
importers like myself on your web-site. I couldn't find the link.
***Your note below tells me you'd pass any quiz...so I put you on
automatically...***
I designed a line of contemporary high quality porcelain tabletop that
will be manufactured in Vietnam. I went to several manufacturer's reps
to get feedbacks and see if there would be demand for the product and if
they would want to carry the line. The respond has been pretty
positive.
***Good...but going to retailers first would have been even better...***
1) You have advised using manufacturer's rep.
***Best way to organize, but what is typical in furn biz?***
Why not distributors who
take title of product?
***becasue you ought have control and profits...***
Now, I have to take warehousing (which I'll do
from my house in Seattle), packing material and the time spent sending
all the small orders to these retailers.
***No, you could have public warehouse do this...***
Also, being tabletop, the
packing material for delivery (my cost I assume) and the freight cost
for the retailers will be high (being heavier items) and cut into my and
their profits,
***Customer pays freight from warehouse to store... ***
Also, I was told that warehousing in Seattle will NOT
be attractive to reps. outside of the Northwest region,
***right, so get a public warehouse in Sparks, NV***
as the shipping
cost will be high to ship to let's say New York or Miami, and further
cut into the retailers' profits.
***Public warehouse also get 50% + discounts from truckers and UPS, which
saves your custoemrs money... but don't worry about your customers'
profits..just worry about yours. REtailers can take care of themselves.***
How do I solve these problems? What
about direct marketing to people who do house parties sales or some kind
of an affiliate program or network marketing? Please help!!
***All a waste of time...market too small and too much time..***
3) How do I expand beyond the Northwest reps.? I asked for referrals
from the reps here in Seattle
***yes...***
but I feel like it is too much to ask for,
and the reps. hesitantly say that they will work on that and let me
know.
***exactly, until they know if it sells... which they have no idea yet...
nobody knows... which retilers in the seattle area do you think will sell
your items? this is the start, always, customers first, then reps, then more
customers...***
I haven't heard from anyone so far.
***I am not surprised...***
How have others expanded and
grow? I am not ready to do a trade show yet.
*** customers first, then reps, then more customers... the reps will
automatically put you in their booths in their trade shows, so you will
NEVER
do your own trade show.***
2) You have also advised against taking inventory. According to
several reps., these independent and specialty retailers want their
products asap.
***Yes, and the reps want their commissions asap... ***
These retailers are not like the big departmental stores
where they will order stuff for following season. 2 months is about the
longest they will wait. If I don't already have the product warehoused
it would be difficult for them to sell my product. I feel like being in
a catch 22 situation. Again, how do I go around this?
***your value is "new" and your product is new in 2 months or six months.
Everyone will try to get you to take risk...smile, and explain... your value
is "new" and your product is new in 2 months or six months. They sell
nothing, they get orders... one reason you MUST do "customers first, then
reps, then more customers" is you have to get the right reps, the reps
retailers love... that is in the book... the reps retailers love can get
custoemr to wait 6 months... I've made people wait a year...***
Your book has been great and allowed me to take this big step. I hope
you will be kind enough to help me further here. I am trying so hard to
start and the logistics are making me quite nervous.
***Mon plaisir, just take no risks...don't buy anything until you have the
orders to cover them..they will come...tazke your time and get the first
deal
right...***
Also, feel free to post these to others who can help me or perhaps who
are in the same situation as me and can use the answers. Let me know
where I can find your message board.
*** d'accord!***
John
Cow Theory of Government
Cow Theory Of Government
DEMOCRAT
You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being
successful. You vote people into office that put a tax on your cows,
forcing
you to sell one to raise money to pay the tax. The people you voted for
then
take the tax money, buy a cow and give it to your neighbor. You feel
righteous. Barbara Streisand sings for you.
SOCIALIST
You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.
You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
REPUBLICAN
You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?
COMMUNIST
You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk.
You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.
CAPITALISM - AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
DEMOCRACY - AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows. The government taxes you to the point you have to sell
both to support a man in a foreign country who has only one cow, which was
a
gift from your government.
BUREAUCRACY - AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows. The government takes them both, shoots one, milks the
other, pays you for the milk, and then pours the milk down the drain.
AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on
the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You
are
surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts
stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up.
FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to
lunch.
Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an
ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on
unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow
school.
GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of
beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour.
Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.
ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While ambling around,
you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You have
some
more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them
again and learn you have 12 cows. You stop counting cows and open another
bottle of vodka. You produce your 10th, 5-year plan in the last 3 months.
The
Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.
FLORIDA CORPORATION
You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking
one. Some of the people who like the brown one best, vote for the black
one.
Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't
figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state
tel
l you which is the best-looking one.
NEW YORK CORPORATION
You have fifteen million cows. You have to choose which one will be the
leader of the herd, so you pick some fat cow from Arkansas
Tuesday, February 4, 2003
Re: Started an import based on your book!
In a message dated 2/4/03 2:54:23 PM, ysingie@cablespeed.com writes:
Your book said that there's a quiz I can take and join a group of
importers like myself on your web-site. I couldn't find the link.
***Your note below tells me you'd pass any quiz...so I put you on
automatically...***
I designed a line of contemporary high quality porcelain tabletop that
will be manufactured in Vietnam. I went to several manufacturer's reps
to get feedbacks and see if there would be demand for the product and if
they would want to carry the line. The respond has been pretty
positive.
***Good...but going to retailers first would have been even better...***
1) You have advised using manufacturer's rep.
***Best way to organize, but what is typical in furn biz?***
Why not distributors who
take title of product?
***becasue you ought have control and profits...***
Now, I have to take warehousing (which I'll do
from my house in Seattle), packing material and the time spent sending
all the small orders to these retailers.
***No, you could have public warehouse do this...***
Also, being tabletop, the
packing material for delivery (my cost I assume) and the freight cost
for the retailers will be high (being heavier items) and cut into my and
their profits,
***Customer pays freight from warehouse to store... ***
Also, I was told that warehousing in Seattle will NOT
be attractive to reps. outside of the Northwest region,
***right, so get a public warehouse in Sparks, NV***
as the shipping
cost will be high to ship to let's say New York or Miami, and further
cut into the retailers' profits.
***Public warehouse also get 50% + discounts from truckers and UPS, which
saves your custoemrs money... but don't worry about your customers'
profits..just worry about yours. REtailers can take care of themselves.***
How do I solve these problems? What
about direct marketing to people who do house parties sales or some kind
of an affiliate program or network marketing? Please help!!
***All a waste of time...market too small and too much time..***
3) How do I expand beyond the Northwest reps.? I asked for referrals
from the reps here in Seattle
***yes...***
but I feel like it is too much to ask for,
and the reps. hesitantly say that they will work on that and let me
know.
***exactly, until they know if it sells... which they have no idea yet...
nobody knows... which retilers in the seattle area do you think will sell
your items? this is the start, always, customers first, then reps, then more
customers...***
I haven't heard from anyone so far.
***I am not surprised...***
How have others expanded and
grow? I am not ready to do a trade show yet.
*** customers first, then reps, then more customers... the reps will
automatically put you in their booths in their trade shows, so you will NEVER
do your own trade show.***
2) You have also advised against taking inventory. According to
several reps., these independent and specialty retailers want their
products asap.
***Yes, and the reps want their commissions asap... ***
These retailers are not like the big departmental stores
where they will order stuff for following season. 2 months is about the
longest they will wait. If I don't already have the product warehoused
it would be difficult for them to sell my product. I feel like being in
a catch 22 situation. Again, how do I go around this?
***your value is "new" and your product is new in 2 months or six months.
Everyone will try to get you to take risk...smile, and explain... your value
is "new" and your product is new in 2 months or six months. They sell
nothing, they get orders... one reason you MUST do "customers first, then
reps, then more customers" is you have to get the right reps, the reps
retailers love... that is in the book... the reps retailers love can get
custoemr to wait 6 months... I've made people wait a year...***
Your book has been great and allowed me to take this big step. I hope
you will be kind enough to help me further here. I am trying so hard to
start and the logistics are making me quite nervous.
***Mon plaisir, just take no risks...don't buy anything until you have the
orders to cover them..they will come...tazke your time and get the first deal
right...***
Also, feel free to post these to others who can help me or perhaps who
are in the same situation as me and can use the answers. Let me know
where I can find your message board.
*** d'accord!***
John