Re: [spiers] Samples & Brochures
> In a message dated 2/9/05 10:57:29 AM, ds_tradingpartners@prodigy.net
> writes:
>
> <
> suppliers pictures or provide the sample and brochure (w/o pricing) sent
> by
> the supplier to the reps?>>
>
> I'd recommend no brochures whatsoever... perhaps pictures can be mounted
> on a
> password protected "customer only" website but at out level brochures adn
> catalogs are a waste of time and money.
>
Whether to use photos or samples depends a little bit on a variety of
factors, including the industry, the number and value and complexity of
products sold, the size of the retail organization making the purchase, and
whether there is value in actually touching the merchandise (e.g. clothing
and produce are different in this regard than BBQ sauce and souvenir
spoons -- however, for BBQ sauce and other gourmet foods, taste may be a
factor, so leaving a sample for EACH screened customer can be important.)
In my wife's rep business, she sells 40 lines, which range from five
products (specialty foods) to over 1000 products (souvenir company). Since
she lives out of her car from March through October, it would not be
practical to have a sample of more than one to a few of the more important
or complex items for each line. The next best alternative to samples is
GREAT pictures. For our industry, we use what could be called 'catalog
sheets' (color, 2-sided, 8 1/2 x 11", three hole punched), which go into a
three ring binder, in sections for different categories of customers. When
gift retailers are buying, they want to know, in order:
A) What is the product? (mustard, t-shirts, glassware, jewelry, etc)
B) What is the presentation? (probably most important) -- This is where
photos come in
C) What is the price?
D) What are the terms (credit cards, minimums, case lots, re-orders, first
order incentives, net 30, COD, etc)?
A purchasing decision or objection are typical at this point. Smart
retailers (fewer than you might think) will want to know what the best
sellers are, and what kinds of stores the line has done well in.
When using catalog sheets (8 1/2 x 11 format) in what we call our 3-ring
"pitch" book (which allows the rep and buyer to flip through the lines
quickly, together), we generally design our own sheets, with MS Publisher,
for a couple reasons. First, most of the smaller companies we rep for do not
have sales materials of any kind, so our alternative is to not represent
their products. If we like the products, we are loathe to do that. Second,
most companies, regardless of size, are clueless about how to design and
present a flyer that is effective for wholesale sales (they tend to use
retail/consumer style of copy and layout -- and too much fluffy
information -- which is very different than the needs for wholesale buyers).
If a company has a catalog which meets our needs, we will use it, and label
our contact information on the appropriate spot. Most important is that the
information be presented clearly (along with good, appropriate photos), but
fancy is not necessary, as you are selling with information more than image,
unlike consumer/retail sales where image is paramount.
We do expect any company we represent to supply good quality photos, which
are the backbone of the sales process for our industry. We usually ask them
to mail us a digital copy, or if in the (increasingly) rare case where they
have prints, we scan and use them. (PS We sell mostly to independent gift
retailers, and a couple small chains up to 5-10 stores, as well as
occasional museum shops, C-stores, florist shops, and tourist businesses.)
We print our flyers on a color laser printer for use in the "pitch" book and
offer b/w photocopies tucked in behind each sheet if the customer would like
to review the information later on a particular product or line. If the
buyer wants to see a sample (not usually the case, as they are quite busy),
Sandy will go out to the car and bring out the product, or more often, a
representative product in that category or brand. Occasionally, she will
have a sample shipped direct from the manufacturer or distributor (or
importer). As we grow, we are considering a newsprint catalog, which we can
print 1000 for about $500 up to 48 pages (8 pages color, rest b/w). The
downside of a catalog is that lines and prices change very often, and we
have found that buyers want photos and prices on the same page so they can
make a quick purchase decision. Separate price sheets can work, but they
really slow down the purchasing process in the gift industry, where the
visual presentation must be weighed against the cost. Anything that slows
the sales process or sales decision, reduces sales. We are also
investigating PDF catalogs which can be updated almost instantaneously, and
sent as an email attachment.
Remember that the sales process is quick and dirty. Reps offer multiple
lines, and buyers are busy and always short of time, so you must supply
materials which provide the correct information as succinctly and easily as
possible. (8 1/2 x 11" pages, portrait orientation work best... avoid the
traditional tri-fold brochure -- much harder to make a good presentation
with those, and retailers tend to toss them more quickly in our experience
as they are not standard notebook size.)
I will also say that gift reps do not generally use samples (or brochures)
to the extent that most manufacturers (or importers) think they do. Samples
are often sent, but for a lot of practical reasons (e.g. the size of a car
to travel in), simply cannot be taken along. A good photo is a much better
investment for us. We have an entire room of samples from various lines,
which we often ask them NOT to send... but they do anyway. Samples are
effective for new products, for educating new reps, and where touching the
product is critical to the purchase decision. However, buyers learn to trust
good reps, and if the rep says "For your store, this is a line (or product)
you should try", that is how reps tend to be effective, by looking out for
the retailers interest (i.e. recommending products that sell well). While
the rep may be contracting with you, their long-term success is dependent
upon how well they build the retailer's business (and trust), not on how
much of your products they push down a retailers throat.
We have probably worked at one time or another with nearly 100 companies
over our five years (of learning) in this business, and I can say that only
one company truly understood our needs. They printed color catalog sheets
with outstanding product photos, features and options in tabular form, terms
clearly stated, and a line about an inch from the bottom of the back page
that said "Represented in your area by:" and then left the bottom of the
page blank, for us to put in our contact information label. If everyone did
that, our lives as reps would be much simpler. (They also sent samples, but
for our market and because of the great photos on the sales materials, this
was a waste of their money and time.) Note that you can cost-effectively
include the prices right on the sheets with a system like this, only if your
pricing is fairly stable (e.g. subject to annual changes only). If prices
are included -- always best in our industry -- you would want to reprint
this type of sheet annually or whenever you were adding new products, or
changing the pricing structure. If each flyer is a new product or line, this
could also be a good system.
Last recommendation I can make is... ask your reps what they need from you
to be successful with your line BEFORE you start sending out samples OR
brochures willy nilly. This will reduce your costs, and may alter your sales
material development process. Reps are just another category of customer in
addition to being a business partner, so asking them what they really need,
is a key to your success if this is a market channel you intend to take full
advantage of.
Also, make sure you are using the appropriate type of rep. Reps differ
widely in the size and type of retailers we call on, the categories or lines
we are successful or specialize in, and our geographic saturation. ASK THE
HARD QUESTIONS! Note that our rep business sells mostly 'made in Idaho'
gourmet foods and fine gifts, and Idaho souvenirs (imported by a souvenir
distributor in South Dakota) to small accounts. We would probably not be
successful selling products developed under a business system emphasizing
the John Spiers model of innovation and design of new products in large
amounts. You would need to find reps (and there are lots of them) that
specialize in that type of repping, and work in more populated areas, and
call on larger and/or multi-store accounts.
Happy repping!
Malcolm Dell
Friday, February 11, 2005
Samples & Brochures
Is it common to charge Sales Reps for samples?
Re: [spiers] Is it common to charge Sales Reps for samples?
Will I lose the reps if I ask them to pay for samples? What is the best way to
do this?
A common and simple way to handle this is "memo bill" the samples... when you
send the samples to the reps, include and invoice showing the costs, freight,
etc, just like any other customer. The only difference is you never turn them
over to collection when they do not pay for the samples.
Over time, they either return the samples (unlikely) or you start deducting
sample charges from the commissions if the sample are not returned after you
drop an item from the line.
Now the samples aren't really a big deal overall, but the discipline of "no free
samples" is important, even if somewhat a fiction, becuase if samples are free
the reps will be telling you to send free samples everywhere and anywhere.
If they say, send somples of this to Sharper Image then you do so, and bill the
reps for the samples and the freight. This you do deduct from commissions on
the next commission check.
Of course all this should be in the contract to start... something I outlined in
my book... and I think I emailed to y'all last week where you can steal my book
on the net or actually buy it.
O, and buy the way, if you think I am nuts to tell people where they can
download a free copy of my book, it is turning out a free digital copy is a
powerful sales generator, reports coming in from many sources on this
experience. Seems to me another nail in the intellectual property rights
coffin.
John
Shipping to Russia
RE: [spiers] Shipping to Russia
Chris
Just to give you and idea.
You have to find a shipping company, which is not difficult, and determine
how many cars you are going to ship in order to find the best and most
economic way to ship them.
Also, when you ship cars by ocean, the tank of the cars has to be drained
and the battery disconnected. Also you have to provide the shipping company
with an invoice for the cars, and most important with the title of each car.
Also depending on Russian customs, you might need some additional documents
that the shipping company might ask you for. Once it gets into the port in
Russia, let your friends worry about duties and customs clearance.
I know somebody that works for a company that specializes in moving cars to
Africa, I can check if they offer service to Russia
Rgds
Fernando
>From: "CHRISTOPHER SIMMONS"
>Reply-To: spiers@yahoogroups.com
>To:
>Subject: [spiers] Shipping to Russia
>Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 21:04:58 -0500
>
>Hello,
>I Have some friends in Russia who want me to ship some used automobiles to
>them. Does anyone know how to go about it or
>know a shipping company that will ship from NY to Russia?
>Thanks for any help you can give.
>Chris
Is it common to charge Sales Reps for samples?
Re: [spiers] Is it common to charge Sales Reps for samples?
Samples, like sales materials, are part of the cost of doing business. A rep
that would pay for samples, is probably not worth the effort of selling it
to them. In the gift industry, samples usually must be returned if the
relationship sours or ends for any reason, and that should be in your rep
agreement if you have one. Some larger companies allow reps to keep the
samples after one year of service, as added relationship development (and
frankly, reps are so busy, its hard to get them to return samples anyway) --
also, if you are competing on design, the designs wear out, and you often
won't want the old (and worn) inventory back.
Malcolm Dell
Lewis Clark Gifts
----- Original Message -----
From: "D Low"
To:
Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2005 3:27 PM
Subject: [spiers] Is it common to charge Sales Reps for samples?
>
> Hi John and friends,
>
> I have a line of women's leather handbags that I'm looking for sales reps.
> The samples can get pretty expensive when you have multiple reps and
> multiple items. Is it common to charge sales reps for the samples? Sales
> reps probably don't want to pay for the samples. Will I lose the reps if
> I ask them to pay for samples? What is the best way to do this?
>
> Thanks,
> -don
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Re: Digest Number 353
Re: [spiers] Digest Number 353
Speaking as a retailer, folded nicely and unwrapped would be the way to go.
Merry Kindred
mbkindred@earthlink.net
Is it common to charge Sales Reps for samples?
Hi John and friends,
I have a line of women's leather handbags that I'm looking for sales reps. The
samples can get pretty expensive when you have multiple reps and multiple items.
Is it common to charge sales reps for the samples? Sales reps probably don't
want to pay for the samples. Will I lose the reps if I ask them to pay for
samples? What is the best way to do this?
Thanks,
-don
cold show shirts
In a message dated 2/10/05 9:34:40 AM, ben4sin@yahoo.com writes:
<
nicely and wrapped, or folded nicely unwrapped?
Ben>>
A fellow in one of my classes claimed he walked into nordstrom with his
Tshirts on hangars, showed them to a buyer who was working the floor and got a
trunk showing. It's a long shot, and I wouldn't recommend it...I recommend get
customers first, then make the product... but if someone has product first...
then get to the customers as soon as possible before one wastes any time or
money or both.
John
Wednesday, February 9, 2005
Re: Digest Number 353
--- spiers@yahoogroups.com wrote:
"the best thing to do is hope for a home run
> and go straight to the retailers you hope would be
> your customers, walk into the stores, and hand the
> first person there you garments and your card and
> say "please see that the buyer sees this, here is
> all my information. Then disappear."
My question, how should one present the clothing (for
example, imprinted T-Shirt line)? On hanger, folded
nicely and wrapped, or folded nicely unwrapped?
Ben
Samples & Brochures
Re: [spiers] Samples & Brochures
In a message dated 2/9/05 10:57:29 AM, ds_tradingpartners@prodigy.net writes:
<
the supplier to the reps?>>
I'd recommend no brochures whatsoever... perhaps pictures can be mounted on a
password protected "customer only" website but at out level brochures adn
catalogs are a waste of time and money.
Samples get the order, or not at all... what you are looking for now, and is
critical, is feedback... to offer a brochre is to allow the customer to think
about it...and you learn nothing. To show a samples is to get an order now,
or not, and know if this is viable...or what needs to be done now to make it
viable.
John
Tuesday, February 8, 2005
Samples & Brochures
Group,
I completed Johns class back in December of 2004 therefore, I am new in the
trading business. I have a company that would like for me to represent there
products here in the United States. They sent me a line of samples and
brochures. I was looking to provide my reps with the brochures that the the
company sent for customer presentation purposes.
Do you recommend that I recreate a brochure using my company brand and the
suppliers pictures or provide the sample and brochure (w/o pricing) sent by the
supplier to the reps? My husband and I are trying to decide which is best.
Tamera
Tamera Young
International Trade Manager
DS Trading Partners
16580 Plainview Drive
Markham, Illinois 60428
Business: 1-708-210-9791
Facsimile: 1-708-210-9574
Sunday, February 6, 2005
Signing up sales reps
Re: [spiers] Signing up sales reps
In a message dated 2/4/2005 1:04:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, danfickett@aol.com
writes:
I'm beginning a textile import business. many of the
>pieces of the puzzle are in place ( designer, contacts abroad) but I'm in need
of
>developing the marketing arm of my venture.
Now, of course, I teach to start the biz from the other side..get your customers
first. Without the names of retail store buyers ready to place orders for your
designs, everything else is going to be a lot harder.
>Working with marketing reps seems to be a logical direction to approach the
>various regions of our country. Any ideas on how I can locate good reps that
>would have an interest in my products? Is there some sort of marketing rep
>directory to reference?
***Yes, reps are best, yes there are directories, and yes, they'll all be glad
to look at your line, and then there will be much time and expense getting to
the point where they say "naw..not for us." And they won't be able to say quite
why, just "no". Now what?
better to experience a problem in clothes, get retailers to say it is a good
idea and does not exist, etc, what i lay out. But since we are not there, the
best thing to do is hope for a home run and go straight to the retailers you
hope would be your customers, walk into the stores, and hand the first person
there you garments and your card and say "please see that the buyer sees this,
here is all my information. Then disappear." If the buyer likes it, he'll
call. And you can ask for the name of a good rep. If the buyer does not like
it, you have 1/2 a chance the buyer will call and chew you out and demand you
come get the samples. And you can ask why not like, and perhaps get some
feedback.
the problem her eis you have a designer, and some contacts, but they may not be
the ones that can serve teh needs of your customers. On the other hand, once
you know the custoemrs and what they want, it is very easy to find the best
people to supply them.
Reps know nothing about what WILL sell, but they respond to retailer feedback.
There is no reason why you cannot meet your customers first, and in fact I think
it is critical. It is the step no one else teaches, except of course the people
actually thriving in business.
Get to those custoemrs now, and get direct feedback, and take it from there.
John