Psssst. Over here.
I’m going to whisper something in your ear, okay? You don’t have to answer – just nod your head if you agree. Here goes:
Would you like to sell your work to shops?
Ah. Since you’re nodding vigorously and giving me the thumbs up, I’m going to take that as a yes. That’s great news!
You might be wondering why we’re whispering. Well, let me fill you in. Selling your work to shops is probably something you’ve never done before. It involves learning lots of new skills like pricing for wholesale, scaling up production and pitching your product to retailers.
It means taking your business to a whole new level. That’s potentially quite a scary thought, isn’t it?
Come on, you can tell me. Are you a teeny bit scared by it all?
Yep, I thought so. That’s why we’re whispering. The idea of starting a wholesale business can be pretty intimidating when you say it out loud. It’s enough to wake up all of your monsters. You know, those little fuzzballs who sit on your shoulder saying things like this:
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“Are you kidding? You can’t do that!”
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“You haven’t got the first idea about how to approach a retailer!”
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“Who do you think you are? It’ll never work out and you’ll lose loads of money.”
They only say this stuff cause they don’t want you to get hurt, but it’s not exactly helpful or encouraging, is it? Unfortunately, telling your monsters to get knotted only makes them shout all the louder, so here’s what we’re going to do.
I’m going to tell you how to turn your next craft fair into a mini trade show.
With a few easy tweaks, you can take something you’re already comfortable doing and turn it into a showcase for attracting retailers. As far as your monsters are concerned, it’s business as usual. There’s no reason for them to get excited because you’ve done craft fairs lots of times before.
That means they can stay snuggled up in their little monster beds while you lay the foundations for a thriving wholesale business.
Want to know the best part?
The things that attract retailers ALSO attract paying customers, so you’ll sell more too.
Sound good?
Here are my four steps to making it happen.
1. Pick some retailers and write a friendly email
Okay, you’ve got a craft fair coming up. You can use this event to get on the radar of potential stockists in a very easy, non-scary way, simply by inviting them to come and see you.
So what do you say?
Let’s use my shop as an example. Here’s the kind of craft fair invitation I’d like to receive:
Dear Clare,
I’m Julie and I own Snowflake Designs, a stationery design company. I make screen printed cards and notebooks with a bright, botanical style – please have a look at my website here
I’m exhibiting at the Magpie Craft Fair at The Hub in Edinburgh from 11am-4pm on Sunday 17th March. If you’re free that day I’d like to invite you to come along and visit my stall.
I’m a huge admirer of what you’re doing at Plaisir – it would be wonderful to meet you and perhaps get your thoughts on my latest designs.
Hope you can make it and thanks for your time!
All best wishes,
Julie Russell
That’s it! Feel free to mix things up and make it your own, but keep it friendly, relaxed and straightforward.
2. Lay out your stall like it’s a shop
The next two steps are going to help you to draw in paying customers as well as potential stockists. Here’s what they want to see:
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The name of your business.
Make it visible and readable.
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A simple but polished backdrop
Don’t lay out your precious things on an old tablecloth. The one thing you always, always want to communicate with your display is quality. You need buyers to feel that your stuff is worth spending money on, so invest in some high quality, creative props that compliment your work.
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Your prices, refund policy and contact details.
This one’s a cinch. Simply show that you’ve got all the hallmarks of an established, professional outfit. As a buyer, this makes me relax, and when I’m relaxed, I spend.
3. Make eye contact
This is my own personal little bête noire. When I get on this subject I tend to get very SHOUTY, and I don’t want to shout at you. You’re lovely. So I’m going to try to keep a lid on it and simply say:
When I come up to your craft fair stall, LOOK ME IN THE EYE!
What? No, you must be mistaken. That wasn’t shouting, it was just an admirably forthright tone of voice.
Seriously, if there’s one thing I want you take away from this post, it’s this. When someone comes over to browse your stall, look them in the eye and say hello. It’s polite, professional and it’ll help you sell more. Easy, right?
4. Have a casual chat
When a potential stockist arrives at your stall, be relaxed and friendly. It’s okay to feel a bit nervous, but remember this is just a general chat about your work.
The shopkeeper might express an interest in stocking your work right away, without you even having to ask. If that happens, you need to know how close you are to being ready for retail. If you’re at an early stage make that clear, give them your business card and say you’ll be back in touch when you’re set.
If you’re pretty much ready to go, you should have things like your line sheet and wholesale pricelist available. Alternatively, you might just get some expert advice. When the fair’s over, go back to the drawing board and think about how you can use that advice to improve your product.
So what do you think?
Four easy steps and you could be on the way to banking your first wholesale order, and all while your monsters are napping.
Sounds like a plan to me.
Got a question or a worry about selling your work to shops? Sweetie, that’s what I’m here for! Let me know in the comments and I’ll do my best to make the scary go away.
Clare Yuille — Indie Retail Academy
Clare Yuille is an award-winning indie retailer and writer. She’s the founder of Indie Retail Academy, a place where artists and designers learn how to sell their work to shops. She aims to take away the eeeek! and replace it with aaaah.
For more on using craft fairs to attract potential stockists and getting your creative biz ready for retail, download her free Indie Retail Starter Kit.
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what a clever idea! i’ve been wanting to dive into the world of wholesale & this seems like a natural way to start the process. do you have any tips or links to share on making a line sheet? thanks
Hi Lynn,
I’m so glad you’re digging this post – it’s my first one for Handmade Success and I’ve been a little nervous about it! Delighted to be here though
I certainly do have a post about putting together a line sheet – check it out right here: http://tinyurl.com/ct3jjdn
Best of luck with your wholesale adventure.
Clare x
This is such great advice…sometimes (always!) we need a little reminder about easy ways to promote our businesses! Thanks.
This post was just what I needed — as I am now at the point in my business of finding retailers. I have several consignees but not one wholesale. Thanks for the awesome advice and keeping the monsters at bay…
As an entrepreneur, I have first hand experience in this dept!
If you’re really adamant about getting your products into a store, the best way to do it is to prepare a line sheet with your wholesale prices, and then pick your stores, and call them up telling them who you are, and what you have to offer. Most of the times they either want an email sent with photos/website, or an in person meeting to see the products in person. Making a cold call can be scary, so I suggest sending them a quick email with some photos, and a link to your website, and then mentioning you’ll follow up with a phone call in a few days. This way, when you call, they’ll most likely have seen your stuff and will be ready to let you know if they’re interested or not. If they give you an objection (our store is full – no thanks), don’t hang up, try to find something to say to get them to try out your product. Consignment isn’t a huge commitment for the store, and they can see whether or not your product will sell.
Either way, it’s not scary, and it’s faster than setting up a pretty table at a craft fair and waiting for business owners. Plus, doing it the phone way takes less time. Not all business owners go to craft fairs to stake out new suppliers.
I hope that helps.
Thank you so much for this awesome post Clare! Your humor and experience is so helpful when it comes to this daunting task! I really like how you took an opportunity that people might already be doing like craft fairs and showed us how to make it even more productive!
I know we will all be looking forward to your posts each month!
Hi Claudia, Emily, Melanie – thanks so much for reading!
Melanie, the route you mention certainly is the traditional way to approach retailers about stocking your work. It’s pretty much the kind of approach I recommend over at Indie Retail Academy, in my starter kit and at my own boutique.
I’ve suggested this craft fair idea because many of the artists and designers I work with do find the idea of approaching stockists very intimidating. This idea is a way to ease into wholesale, to dip your toes in the water and see if it’s for you, without putting a lot of pressure on yourself.
It’s definitely not for everyone, but it does provide a way for some designers to start building a relationship with local shopkeepers. We’re always looking for great new items and a warm, friendly invitation to a craft fair is a lovely, helpful thing to receive.
Thanks so much for your comments!
Clare
Claire-
Thanks so much for this post! As someone who’s been taking safe, baby steps for many years, this method seems perfect for me. I have two craft fairs coming up in the fall and will definitely zero in on a few boutiques to invite to the show.
Hal. le. lu. jah. Thank you!
I’m just at the point now where I’m getting up the courage to approach ye olde brick-n-mortars and while I’m not necessarily scared, per se, I’m just…confused? Overwhelmed? A little doubty-mcdoubterson?
These tips were great and I am willing to bet there is more where that came frommmm…. ::tip toes over to Clare’s site::
My first time going out in the field as a sales person representing myself I got a little tipsy…;o)
Being in the wine industry I put together my paperwork, order forms, sample glasses, business attire and such. Drove to several winery’s and gift shops doing “tastings” while I was trying to close deals. By the time I got to the last winery of the day I was so “relaxed” and that was my biggest sale!
Im now up to 23 stores who sell my wine glasses.
Hi Kerry, Tatiana, Lesley and Judi,
Thanks so much for your kind words, I’m so delighted you’re finding this post useful
Judi, what a great story! Getting a little squiffy (as we sometimes call it in the UK) before you approach potential stockists might not be a long-term strategy, but I think there’s an excellent take-away here. Whether you’re pitching your work in person, over the phone or via email, the more relaxed you are, the better your chance of a great result.
When you’re relaxed you’re really, truly YOU. And everything gets easier when you’re being yourself
Thanks again!
Clare x
I am so happy that you all found this post so helpful!!!
I love your story Judi – it is fascinating that depending on what you make or design the process of getting into shops can so different! Congrats on 23 stores!
@tatiana – Glad this post came in time for you to scout out some shops before your next craft fair!
@lesley – I know you found tons of goodies on Clare’s site and I hope everyone else takes a peek too!