References and Samples

On Jun 30, 2011, at 8:40 PM, S  wrote:

I have some additional questions regarding suppliers and samples. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm in touch with a number of suppliers that I found on HKTDC. I'm seeing that some of them have never sold to the US (instead, they've sold to Europe, South America, Middle East, Asia). Right now that doesn't seem to be a problem for me as I will rank them based on their level of professionalism as well as the quality of their samples. Should I be concerned that they've never sold to the US? Even though it's just a logistical issue, does it really matter?

***Does not matter, the quality of their references, does matter though...***

In my initial letter I mentioned that I would like to meet with them if they were ever in town. All replied that they regretfully had no plans on visiting the Bay Area but would be glad to meet if I was ever in China. Now, I had no plans on visiting China. My question is...should I start making plans? You've mentioned that in this business, relationships are everything. Am I delusional to think that I can do this without making a trip overseas? Is it common to do this with just email and phone?

***In my book I mention a fellow who had a successful 30 year career without ever visiting the factory... not delusional, but a fun part of the lifestyle...***

Regarding samples from various suppliers...you've suggested that its not important what we think, rather what the customer thinks of the product. Is it uncommon to introduce samples from different suppliers, for the same type of product, and then see which one gets enough orders to cover the suppliers minimum? Its just a thought that came to mind.

***Not at all, Zac Posen has a 50% failure rate of his samples (no interest), they come from various suppliers, and last week in a class an employee of a fashion house (Max Mara) chuckled regretfully and said "...sounds about right..."***

My last question is a little off topic...regarding patents. I was just curious...if I were to sell a product and then someone came in and patented it, can I get sued even though there's proof that I sold the product before it was patented?

***I believe you are right on this... but by the time your product gets enough notice you've made your money on that design, and are moving on to new designs, based on customer feedback, anyway...  Drucker says all products are solutions to problems, and there is no solution that cannot be improved upon... the rip-off artists take far longer than people think (several years), and you make changes far faster that you anticipate (couple years).  Your safety is in the market, your marketing.***

John

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