Marketing Help Needed!!

[TommieGirl06]

My mother has started a handmade, all natural soap company. She makes everything and I market it. Currently we are in several wholesale accounts at natural food stores, but I'm looking to expand to gift shops and boutiques.

I'm finding it much more difficult to get these people to give me the time of day. When I look at the local soap makers/competitors websites, the only wholesale accounts they have are at gift shop/Boutiques. I live in a very large metropolitan area and there are many more gift shop/Boutiques that our competitors are not in but how do I get my foot in the door?

With the natural food Co-ops I have found it best to cold call and try and set up an appointment with the buyer vs just randomly stopping in. Does anyone have any good marketing strategies when it comes to selling to gift shop/Boutiques?

 

[kellyc]

Id like to know the answer to this too! Can anyone help us?

 

[Deda]

Have you tried joining any retail sellers associations? There are gift show conferences and expos all over the country. These can be a great way to get your name out there. There are also trade magazines, usually free, that are specifically geared toward people who run/own/manage boutiques and gift shops, along with natural/health food stores. They have smaller circulation numbers, but reach a specific target. Ad space in these types of publications can be money well spent.

 

[Lindy]

There are a couple of things you can do that may help you. Phone to set up an appointment with the buyer/owner to have a coffee. Your first appointment is to get to know the person you are meeting and what their needs are. Find out what, if any, experience they've had with hand-made soaps. Bring a couiple of samples with you to leave with them as well as create a brochure (tri-fold) to leave with them. If you have a website, then make sure it's on your business cards as well as brochure.

Do not try to sell them anything on your first appointment - this is an introduction/get to know you visit. You want to tell them that you'd like them to try your product for themselves and that you'll check back with them in a couple of days. Make sure that you call back when you say you will.

The biggest mistake a lot of sales people make is pulling out all the junk from the trunk on their first visit. What that means is that before they've even begun to develop a repoire, or find out anything about the business, they're selling eveything they've got not even knowing if it's wanted, and if not - why not.

Good luck!