0
»

Simple tip to get a mini-salesperson to work for you for FREE!

Hey there!

Do you like selling? It’s okay if you say,”No.” Most people don’t. Here’s the secret: the secret to selling is to not approach it as selling. Stay with me. The key to selling is to figure out what the end experience will feel like and speak to that point first. Most people make the mistake of talking about the features of their product (i.e. color, ingredients, dimensions..etc) and not the end result. Although it is relevant information, your customers need to feel the connection first before they can buy from you.  Leading with the benefits and for whom the merchandise would be a good gift will help the customer connect to you and your product.  People want to hear the end result of an experience, in this case, finding a gift their recipient will really appreciate.

Do you have your own retail space OR showcasing at a marketplace this holiday? This technique can be applied to signs around your store (or booth) as well. It will be like having a mini-salesperson working for you for FREE. Instead of just listing the name and a few dry facts about certain merchandise, list those you think would love to receive it as a gift, and the unique qualities they’d value.

For example, instead of just listing the various scents or ingredients of these amazing Saipua soaps we focus on:

* Knowing that they’re hand crafted right around the corner with special care and affection really gives these great smelling soaps a fantastic uniqueness.

* Beautiful packaging instantly turns these into a decor piece

* Smell is the sense that triggers the strongest memories, so anyone that you share a very special memory with. They’re also the perfect gift when visiting someone’s home or a small token of thanks to your mom, grandmother, or friend.

 

  So your sign may look something like this:
saipua

Pick your top 10 best selling KEY items for the holidays. Write down some of the benefits and who it would be good for and lead ALL your selling conversations with that first. I would love to hear your ideas here.

Here’s to Selling… the FUN way!

xoxo,

Grace Kang
Your Retail Product Mentor

p.s. A BIG, warm welcome to all of the new readers who joined our community! You are going to love the resources you will find here to help you make your product retail-ready… Enjoy!

image by saipua

    

 

Are you joining us to get your product RETAIL READY?

Why play the guessing game when you can learn exactly what retail buyers are looking for? You will have an opportunity to ask Grace your questions LIVE after the teleseminar on Tuesday, November 22nd at 12pm EST. Sign up here to reserve your spot and enjoy your bonus! The BONUS alone is worth the investment!

0
»

what is at your core?


Hey there!

I have a question for you. What is at the CORE of what you do? Why is that important to you? When you know the WHY in what you do, it inspires you to move forward each day, pushing through troubled waters and keeping you focused while riding the waves of success. For companies such as TOMs shoes and Happy Blankie, it’s the knowledge that they are making a calculable difference in the lives of children.

There are many reasons these two brands are successful, but I want to focus on their similar models and how you can adopt a couple of their practices. For those of you who aren’t familiar with them, both Happy Blankie and TOMS shoes operate on a “One for One” model. Happy Blankie donates one blankie to an orphan for each blankie purchased, while TOMS shoes donates one pair of shoes to an impoverished child in countries around the world for each pair that is purchased. This one-to-one exchange is not only very generous but also simple for customers to understand. There’s no percentages donated to figure out and the customers know exactly what their money is going towards. It’s a more tangible result that the customer can understand.

The other smart thing about these two companies is how they name each of their products. Whether it’s “chase the happy dog” Happy Blankie, or the “Kenya Stripe” shoe, both brands know how to draw the customer in. The names make the products come alive in a way “dog blankie” or “grey striped shoe” never could.

When you are feeling overwhelmed with your business or just want to throw in the towel, think about WHY you started your line to begin with.

Think about your CORE:
Commit to
Organize
Respect
Embrace your mission [or values]

What was it that inspired you in the beginning? When you are able to dig deep and can get to the core of this question, you will be able to sustain the highs and lows of your business and KNOW that you are doing it for the better good. You need to not only think about the people you have helped, but also those out there who could still benefit from you. When there’s a deeper purpose and meaning behind your brand, you will find it easier to keep moving forward… with a smile :)


I would love to hear your mission and what drives you easy day! Post your stories here.

xoxo,

Grace Kang
Your Retail Product Mentor

p.s. A BIG, warm welcome to all of the new readers who joined our community! You are going to love the resources you will find here to help you make your product retail-ready… Enjoy!

p.s.s. Are you creating your own posse? Giving and receiving support is crucial when you are running your own business. Post your Facebook Page here and let’s support each other :).

0
»

do you have a posse?

retail recipes

Happy Wednesday!

Relationships have always been the most important thing in my life, be it romantic, friendship, or family. Surrounding yourself with loved ones, and making sure they know how important they all are to you, should be top priority! With similar passions and interests, we support and encourage each other in our various endeavors with enough laughter to make anything fun :)

The more support you’ve got in your corner, the more you feel like you can do anything in the world. The same goes for your business. Surrounding yourself with your customers, fans, friends and family members who rave about you will not only bolster your confidence, but also make you more appealing to the outside world, potential retail partners. When they see that you have build a strong community of followers, they will want to “get to know you” to see what the buzz is about. Hopefully, some of your followers will become followers of the store if they decide bring in your product line.

If you are looking to grow your community, there are a few important things to keep in mind:

1. First of all, creating a facebook fan page opens you up to the millions of facebook users. If you don’t have one yet, go create one. It’s easy as 1-2-3. Once you have 25 likes you can even create your own vanity URL (i.e. facebook.com/pinkolive)
2. Secondly, your friends and family count! They can spread the word just as well as anyone else can. Plus they can vouch for your personality and history.
3. And last, but certainly not least, don’t forget to reward them! Giving special gifts and offers to your posse is important, after all they are in a special group!


Do you have a posse? Post your facebook page below and let’s support each other!

Happy
xoxo,

Grace Kang
Your Retail Product Mentor

p.s. A BIG, warm welcome to all of the new readers who joined our community! You are going to love the resources you will find here to help you make your product retail-ready… Enjoy!

Do you want HAPPY clients?
Give them an unexpected gift… and thank them for being your client!

Creating that WOW moment is so important when you’re giving a gift to a client and we make gift-giving a cinch. We take pride in finding the greatest hidden treasures and working one-on-one with customers to create the perfect awe-worthy gift.

With years of experience, and a knack for finding one-of-a-kind gifts for even the hardest to shop for, our professional gift specialists will be at your beck and call for each of these moments. Whether you are looking for a unique baby gift, housewarming present or a “just because” for your favorite client, friend or family member, let us take that off your hands!

Sign up before October 31st (you have only 6 days left!) and get your first full month for only $1. Monthly costs are only $19 thereafter, or a yearly cost of $197 (hey, that’s almost two months free!) of with a host of awesome benefits:

*FREE shipping
*FREE handwritten cards (seriously, we will hand write all of your cards!)
*FREE gift-wrapping
*GO-TO dedicated gift specialist
*Unexpected surprises throughout your membership…. and did we mention, NO MORE HASSLE in finding that perfect gift! :)

Purchase one year of our VIP membership and we will donate 100% of the proceeds to our new feedforlife.org charity program, benefiting children in need.

Bring the joy of holidays, birthdays, and gift giving of any kind back by letting go of the stress that can come from trying to conjure up that “perfect” gift.Leave it to our specialists to do what they do best: supplying you with a curated list of gifts picked out to your exact specifications. All that’s left is to sit back and enjoy the gift that giving can give to you.

Pink Olive VIP membership program is perfect for: busy professionals, small business owners, corporate HR, busy moms and gift lover! We think it’s the perfect gift in itself too. But don’t hear it from us, listen to what our customers & clients have said here!

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions!

SO…. are you ready to get some VIP treatment?
Email concierge@pinkolive.com.

image credit: knot & bow

0
»

Are you retail ready? It’s not what you think….


Hey there!

Are you Retail Ready?

People ask me all the time – How do I make my product retail ready? How do I get into more retail stores? That’s the million dollar question. I hate to break it to you but it’s not an easy task and there is no quick fix. It is a process of understanding the basic tools to honing assortments, maximizing sales opportunities, and understanding buyers’ open-to-buy system and overall mentality to expand to more retail stores.

There is no shortcut around these crucial steps but I believe in making things simple. Are you ready?

1) Eat your veggies (the absolute must do things that you can’t survive without): 

* Do your homework! – Visit the store you want to be in (or at least check out their website) and see what their assortment is like before contacting the buyer. (You’d be amazed how many people skip this simple step).
* Be sure to having that compelling story behind your brand that I have mentioned before. Buyers want to connect with the person behind the brand and hear their story.
* Professional looking website & email – The first thing a buyer will do when they hear about a line is google their website. Make sure that it is professionally put together, reflects your style and is easy to navigate. Your presence on the web will show the buyer that you take your business seriously. It’s also a great way for buyers to “preview” your collection before meeting with you. 
Also, no janky emails!
* Have a linesheet – Buyers are inundated with product submissions every day. Stand out from the crowd by having a linesheet that has all the necessary components that buyers need to write a purchase order: product shot, style number, wholesale cost, suggested retail and delivery. If you have a clothing line, it helps to have a lookbook as well as a linesheet.
* Know your competition – It helps to know who your competition is so that you can be competitive with what’s already out there, speak confidently about what makes your line different, and how it fills a void in the market.

2) Add a little sugar (the extra little things designers can do to sweeten the deal when trying to get in stores)
* Send samples – Depending on the nature of your product, you can either “show” samples or “leave” samples for the buyers to try. Buyers like to see a production sample in person so that they will know exactly what they will be getting in shop.
* Give an incentive – With the nature of the current economy, every dollar helps the margin. Give a 10% discount for new accounts or free shipping with an opening order. This is the kind of incentive that might push a buyer from “maybe” to “yes!”
* Be open to do consignment – This is a great way for stores to “test” your line without having to commit to buying the inventory upfront. It can be mutually beneficial because it gives you an opportunity to sell your product in the store (that you want to be in) while gaining feedback and exposure.

3) Create a buzz (ways for designers to garner interest with public)

* Stores want to know that you are doing your part in getting the word out about your line. The secret that many designers may not know is that buyers are looking for new vendors as much as each vendor is looking to be in stores. You need to get out there with your product line to increase their chances of getting picked up by a store or media.
* Participate in local craft fairs and flea markets (ones that are relevant to your business) – It is imperative for designers to get direct customer feedback on their line. (For example: the two designers from Foley + Corinna started selling their vintage dresses at a flea market in chelsea. They now have a thriving multi-million dollar wholesale and retail business.
* Use social media outlets to create your own posse – Be relevant to your customers and engage with them for feedback and support. Create a facebook fan page and twitter accounts and use them as if you are networking at a cocktail party.
* Pitch to editors and bloggers to obtain press mentions – Customers, as well as stores, love press mentions! Post them on your website and have tear sheets to show to prospective stores.

This may seem easy for some but overwhelming for others. If you want to learn how you can implement these strategies into your own business, please share below. I would love to keep you accountable and take more action in the next 60 days!

 

Here’s to getting your product retail ready!

xoxo,

Grace Kang
Your Retail Product Mentor

 

0
»

look who’s talking?

Happy Wednesday!

According to an old wives’ tale, when your ears are burning that means someone is talking about you. Luckily for us, technology has advanced in recent years and we now have a much more reliable source: Google Alerts! If you don’t already have an alert set up for your name, and business name, get to it! It’s incredibly simple:

–       Go to http://www.google.com/alerts
–       Create an alert
–       Enter your, or your business, name (you can create separate alerts for each if
you’d like), your email address and how often you’d like to get a report in your
inbox
–       Voila! You’ll start receiving alerts immediately.
Google Alerts are incredibly helpful not only for finding out how often you’re being mentioned, but also what specifically is being said about you and who is saying it. Whether it’s a rave review that makes your day, or more constructive criticism that you can take and utilize, knowing what is being said is an important tool in growing your business. It can help you figure out who your ideal customer base is and where you are most popular. As you’ve heard me say before, feedback is always a welcome thing :).

Here is a piece that caught my attention one morning as I got my google alert. Who would have known that she loves Pink Olive? Made me smile :)

Go to Google Alerts and create your first alert! Let me know what you find! :)

Happy Alerting!

xo,

Grace Kang
Your Retail Product Mentor

p.s. A BIG, warm welcome to all of the new readers who joined our community! You are going to love the resources you will find here to help you make your product retail-ready… Enjoy!

image credit: google.com