Depending on what you are manufacturing you probably need to give a good sampling of products to your sales reps that will be on the road. It may help to look at what tools your competitors are selling with and how they are doing currently with those tools.
If you are showing at market, discuss the amount of room you have to show and what is best to show in that space. Think best sellers. Think anything new.
Sales reps generally do not want to lug around a bunch of samples. However, they do want the newest, latest, greatest products to show. If that means sales sheets, catalogs, samples, you need to determine this. If you are lucky, you may friend some sales reps who give you good advice in this area. It is always much better to be perceived as being generous with your samples versus being stingy. If you are perceived as being too tight fisted, you actually might cut off communication from sales reps and customers that could potentially be big orders!
It is important to arm sales reps with whatever you can before they go to market. EDUCATE them with emails or letters directly to them. Once they get to market every other company will be trying to get their attention. If you can, consider Early Bird Specials before market for businesses that make appointments or place orders before market begins. If they order prior to market, allow them to continue at the Early Bird Rate when they get to market. Naturally, have a market special also.
If you do not show at market you definitely need to look at show dates anyway! It is even more important to be creative and get your "NO MARKET" specials out well before the show dates. Consider it a market before market. If you do not do this, those dollars will be spent on items shown at market.
In general, do not give one of everything you have to sell. Reps need best sellers. If those come in various patterns/colors, choose one pattern per style. Personally, I would get together a group of people in your home town to help choose the samples. Do not just do this yourself! Have a varied age and ethnicity group to choose. Best of luck to you!
Providing marketing tools and communication assistance needed for sales representatives to maximize their efforts.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
How to Choose a Showroom
Once you decide that your product line needs market representation you need to set aside time to choose which showroom, carefully. If your products have strong marketability they will want you as much as you want them to represent you. The larger your product line, the more space you will garner in their showroom.
Many showrooms are multi-line showrooms where your products will be presented along with numerous others. Start out by contacting stores in your region. Ask them which showrooms they like the best and why. You should end up with several showroom names. With these names in hand, contact the owners/managers of those showrooms and ask if they are accepting new lines at this time. If not, move on. If they are, then you should plan a visit to the showroom. Do not just drop in, schedule the visit if possible.
You need to do some reconnaissance work. Find out what type of mix of product lines they represent and generally what type of stores purchase from them. Then, get three customer references from them. Ideally find companies who are similar in size to you. You will want to reach out to them to understand the Showrooms strengths and weaknesses. We all have them. You need to marry theirs to yours.
You want to know:
- Sales force - Are they great order takers or full service sales reps? Do they go "on the road"? What do they need to sell? Be specific to each sales rep/region. Do they make appointments or usually get drop-ins? How do they handle new product lines the best?
- Shows - Which shows will you be shown at? What type of space will you get? Can you do a spiff to the sales reps? Can you have a little time to educate and enthuse them? Should you do an Opening Special? Will they want you there? Are their days that are typically better than others?
- Press - What does the showroom do to get people to their showroom? Social Media? Emails? Postcards? Can you be featured on any of it? Will it be an additional cost?
You may find that many showrooms are not terribly communication savvy. The actual market will have access to lists of previous attendees. Consider hiring your own market staff that can create BUZZ before you get there. It would be beneficial to your new showroom and definitely to you. Businesses like to go with winners. Go in like a Winner.
But note that some showroom managers have egos, large egos. Anything you want to possibly do, you need to lay on the table before you ever agree to sign with that showroom.
See how organized they are. Upfront you should get a checklist of when things are needed, including your payment. Being in a showroom is about selling product. Just having a showroom take on your product means nothing if you don't sell things.
Many showrooms are multi-line showrooms where your products will be presented along with numerous others. Start out by contacting stores in your region. Ask them which showrooms they like the best and why. You should end up with several showroom names. With these names in hand, contact the owners/managers of those showrooms and ask if they are accepting new lines at this time. If not, move on. If they are, then you should plan a visit to the showroom. Do not just drop in, schedule the visit if possible.
You need to do some reconnaissance work. Find out what type of mix of product lines they represent and generally what type of stores purchase from them. Then, get three customer references from them. Ideally find companies who are similar in size to you. You will want to reach out to them to understand the Showrooms strengths and weaknesses. We all have them. You need to marry theirs to yours.
You want to know:
- Sales force - Are they great order takers or full service sales reps? Do they go "on the road"? What do they need to sell? Be specific to each sales rep/region. Do they make appointments or usually get drop-ins? How do they handle new product lines the best?
- Shows - Which shows will you be shown at? What type of space will you get? Can you do a spiff to the sales reps? Can you have a little time to educate and enthuse them? Should you do an Opening Special? Will they want you there? Are their days that are typically better than others?
- Press - What does the showroom do to get people to their showroom? Social Media? Emails? Postcards? Can you be featured on any of it? Will it be an additional cost?
You may find that many showrooms are not terribly communication savvy. The actual market will have access to lists of previous attendees. Consider hiring your own market staff that can create BUZZ before you get there. It would be beneficial to your new showroom and definitely to you. Businesses like to go with winners. Go in like a Winner.
But note that some showroom managers have egos, large egos. Anything you want to possibly do, you need to lay on the table before you ever agree to sign with that showroom.
See how organized they are. Upfront you should get a checklist of when things are needed, including your payment. Being in a showroom is about selling product. Just having a showroom take on your product means nothing if you don't sell things.
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