All Things Littleput

Littleputs' adventure in Wholesale Land, the end.

 

In case you missed them; Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, The Presentation and the results of day 1.

Yep. We spent another day at the beach, I really had intended on hitting shops in the 3rd town and of course, who really wants to go home from the coast?

So town 3. Not exactly what I had expected, pretty tourist-trap like; lots of shops with monogrammed shot glasses and whale sweatshirts. I found one shop with some very pretty art and home goods in it and when I approached the owner she said "I only do AUDITIONS."
Auditions?
Well I am very happy for her :).

I dropped samples in 2 other shops, mostly because I was there- and just as I was about to think staying another day meant going well over budget I found the coolest little gallery that loved (and loves) my work. Yes, galleries consign, (this one at %55 to the artist though) so I didn't get paid outright but she placed a large order and based on her location and the work in the gallery, I think I might have found the perfect fit.

And!!!

Also!!!

I haven't heard from the other 4 shops (yet) but last night a retailer from elsewhere popped into my comments section and said she'd like to order. (yay)

So, 3 shops, 3 days, lots of blog posts, a trip to the beach, shoes full of sand, time spent with Miles and a ton of new photos.

I'd have to say, all in all, my adventure in wholesale land has been a blast, hope you enjoyed the read as well.

Happy Happy Saturday all!

Littleput's adventure in Wholesale Land (the results are in!)

In case you missed them; Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, and The Presentation.

2 towns, 11 shops and....

The things I didn't factor:

1. You can only drag an 8 year old around so long.

2. Not having appointments means lowering your chance of meeting a buyer by 87%.

3. Finding buyers is harder when many of them are out of town, at gift shows. (research people, I never do enough)

That being said, here are my results:

2 shops kindly insisted that I didn't need to show them my catalogue, products, or open my mouth to speak; they just weren't into it.

3 shop assistants took my stuff but probably stuck it in the trash after I left.

4 shop assistants were excited about my work (at least they seemed that way). They asked questions, thumbed through my catalogue, wrote down notes and seemed to think the owners would be into it.

1 owner said she wanted to consult her husband, she won't. 

1 owner bought my pendants outright, gave Miles a piece of chocolate, made my day (and my story!) and I am certain (as is she) that she will be ordering more.

The end. :)

Okay, well not really.  I sent emails out to the 4 shops with promise and am almost certain at least 1, 2, 3 or 4 will order.  

If nothing else, I learned a lot, I would totally do it again (with appointments!) and I have enough stock left to make the excuse to stay one more day and actually get to the 3rd town tomorrow.  

I'll keep you posted...

And now presenting my (littleput's) wholesale presentation!

In case you missed them; Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, and Step 4.

I put a lot of thought into how I was going to show off my stuff. I know that presentation is more than half of making the sale.  I would have preferred to have my pendants in a basket but the cigar box will do, plus I can tuck it under my arm and if I am getting the "I'm not interested vibe", there it will stay.

Firstly, I printed out my favorite and most apropo photographs because what I really want to sell is the Blocks. If I find a shop that is interested in carrying these I will hopefully break out the images and have them order, right then and there.

In the shops that I think are the best fit for the penny pendants (and maybe blocks too) I am leaving behind (unless I sell outright)

1. Hand stitched copy of my wholesale catalogue.

2. My Littleput Flier

3. A sample pendant, with the wholesale price tag included.

The shops that are a maybe fit will get a copy of my flier and if I have enough, a copy of my catalogue. Everyone else gets a flier.

I'll be taking business cards with me to do follow up calls (much easier than cold calling, for me, anyhow) and hopefully leaving behind a good impression.

Off I goooo!!

I'm going Coastal!

 I'm going coastal! :)

All that hard work and we're on our way. 

I'll try to post some photos of my walk-in presentation tonight if I get the chance- 

Today is a day for sitting in sand, playing with Miles and hopefully getting some new photographs. 

Tomorrow, I'm hitting the shops.  I'm walking in, face forward, bag full of product (well cigar box or basket, whichever looks best) and the true belief that there is at least one shop on the Oregon coast that is a perfect fit for my work.  I have cautious hopes, but I am confident and put a lot of work into my sales pitch.  I think it shows and I hope it pays off.

Here's hoping I go home empty handed and pockets full :)

Wish me luck and have a great Wednesday!

 

Littleput's adventure in Wholesale Land (step 4)

In case you missed them; Step 1 and Step 2 Step 3

Unfortunately, I've only gotten one response from the 10 emails I sent (so far). I do much better in person than on the phone so it looks like I am going to be doing a lot face to face cold calling.

Many would argue that you should call and make appointments, and they are right. But since my time is limited and I am not familiar with many of the stores, I am going to use my tried and true method of walking around, with stuff. :)

Step 4: Preparing information about my work.
Not having appointments, my chances of meeting the actual buyers/shop owners are pretty slim. I have samples made to leave behind and printed out copies of my catalogue yesterday. I also designed the above flier (using Word- I imported the images and created a text box to go along side them). I printed them on glossy photo paper and will leave those everywhere I go, sample or no.

In addition, I made little cards to go with the Penny Pendant Samples. These simple cards state 2 things, the wholesale price and my email address. Buyers will always want the price; this card is a really cute way to let them know how much and how to find me.

I made plenty so I can leave these, the catalogue and a flier behind in stores that don't get a sample. Once again, not every shop in the towns I am visiting will be good fit, but now I can leave low cost information in all the "maybe yes, maybe no" shops too.

Today I am packaging up the penny pendants, printing out photographs from my Photo Portfolio and making sure to bring plenty of clean clothes for Miles.

Yes, this is a working vacation but the whole point of this adventure is to get us to the coast!

Step 5. Go!!

:)

Littleput's adventure in Wholesale Land (step 3)

If you didn't see them already, Step 1 and Step 2

Step 3. Preparing my product.

Going back to knowing your market, I am paying close attention to two things:
1. I am going to the coast and coastal shops sell lots of costal images.
2. It't almost spring so spring images (fashion) will be in high demand.

I have 2 goals with this trip.
1. To close at least 1 account per town, outright.
2. To leave samples in 15-20 shops.

So today I am gathering enough product to both sell directly and have a handful of samples I can leave behind.

Yes, doing it this way isn't cheap but building a good retail relationship with the right set of stores can lead to long term, steady profit.

The venue will dictate what I leave (if I can't make a sale outright). I'm only making Lucky Penny Pendants as samples. For the shops where I think the blocks are a better fit I am creating a small image flier (will post here tomorrow-ish) and will leave my catalogue behind.

I have a lot to do today, I'll be updating more tomorrow.

Happy Monday all!

Littleput's adventure in Wholesale Land (step 2)

In case you missed it, Step One

Step 2. Make contact. I spent a bit of time going through the Chamber of Commerce for the 3 towns I am visiting. Unfortunately there are a lot of small boutiques and shops that are not in the Commerce database, and many of those who are don't have a web page or email address.

I did manage to send out 10 emails and made a list of shops to call (if and when I work up the nerve.)

Prior to this I made myself a simple Wholesale catalogue. Something with set prices, a few sample images and a lot of contact and ordering information. I imagine there is a standard format for these things but being the artist that I am, I tend to wing it a lot. I hosted the catalogue online, so I can email a link, instead of a file

Here is a sample of the email I am sent out- I adjusted each one to make it as personal as possible but you get the drift:

Portland Artist Looking for New Retail in .....

Hello shop! 

My name is Ryan and I am a Portland Artist, coming to the ---- area this week. I'd love to make an appointment with the buyer for your shop. I hand-make and retail a variety of products, including Jewelry and unique photography block sets. (see attached photos)
I am looking for an exclusive contract with the right shop in -----, my work is special and I don't want to over saturate the market. <-- I added this because most stores in small towns look for products other shops don't carry and I am hoping to get shops to buy outright by promising them exclusivity. 

I've attached a copy of my wholesale catalogue and I have also included a link to my Etsy shop where many of my products can be found.
If you'd like to discuss an order in person feel free to call or reply to this email and I'll make sure to get you on my appointment calendar. I'll be in ----- Feb 17th and 18th.

Thanks so much for your time!
Ryan *girl
Littleputbooks.etsy.com

I included 2 photo samples in the email and sent these all out this morning. Now, I cross my fingers and wait.

Wish me LUCK and stay tuned!

Littleput's adventure in Wholesale Land (step 1)

My son has this week off of school so I've decided we need a trip to the Oregon Coast. While the main point of this outing is a mini vacation for Miles and I, it also puts me face to face with tons of little shops and boutiques that have never seen my work.

Over the next week I will be chronicling my steps towards landing a few (hopefully!) new wholesale accounts. If you'd like to keep up with my trials, errors and successes you can bookmark this blog or follow along on my Facebook Fan Page

This is something I've done before- both successfully and not- but this time I am setting a strategic plan and creating some goals for myself. If it works for me, there is no reason it can't work for you too.

Step 1. Today I will be searching the Chamber of Commerce from the three small towns I plan on visiting. I am hoping to find websites to shops and boutiques that fit well with my work. I'd like make contact with as many shops as possible and to have a set list of buyers and appointments before I arrive.

Step 1. part 2, a side note: Know your audience. Market yourself thoughtfully and focus your attention in the right direction. I could send mass emails to the 200+ shops in each town but something tells me the organic dog leash shop and the surf rental place aren't going to have a need for my Accordion Books. I am looking for specific shops that sell products in the same genre as mine and by narrowing down my target list I can:
A. Save time.
B. Spend more time on buyers who might actually want to talk to me.

Whenever you are trying to market yourself, define your audience beforehand and you'll have a better chance of closing the deal.

Wish me luck, follow along, take notes (if you want to try this too) and if you have any suggestions for me, please do post them below.

Bye for now!