How do successful small businesses begin to share their passion with independent retailers and get them passionate about it too?
Small business owners are already overwhelmed with the running of their brand on a daily basis, and selling wholesale to independent stores can be an extra challenge – even when there are enough hours in the day! We asked Therese from Small Business Collaborative for some guidance on behalf of our customers. Here’s what Therese came back with:
I spoke to Antonia Sanches-Toomey, founder and owner of Tailor Made Living with a successful independent store in North London. During our chat, she shared a few tips on how to get noticed in the world of wholesale.
Aesthetically pleasing content
When you started to build your brand and your story, you will have had a clear vision in your mind of how you wanted it to look – is this still relevant and are you keeping on top of this? When independent retailers check out your Instagram page and website, are you showcasing a cohesive look or a mish-mash of different styles?
Additionally, when you approach an independent retailer for the first time, take the time out to research their social media and website to see if your brand will fit into their style. It can be a waste of time to spend hours writing emails and sending DMs if your product does not align with the aesthetic they already have.
Retailers cannot say yes to everybody so do your research, clean up your content, and make the best first impression that you can.
Be flexible!
Independent retailers are often bricks and mortar stores with high overheads; they need to pay rent, staff, utilities etc so buying stock on top of this can mean cash flow is tight. When you sell to an independent retailer, bear in mind that they only have space for a limited amount of stock and probably a low amount of storage space.
Brands typically have payment terms for big retailers but ask smaller businesses for payment upfront, but why not offer payment terms to an independent store that you love and have been admiring? It’s all about working together and helping each other as small businesses. They build trust in your brand to supply great products and you trust them to place regular orders with payment terms. Of course, this isn’t feasible in all cases but could you shorten your payment terms to two weeks instead of 30 days to help the retailer and start building a strong relationship?
Minimum orders are also very normal to put in place but once again if you are keen on selling in a particular store, can you make an exception? You never know how one trial order of 10 units could spiral into 100 units the next time if your product sells well for them.
Is your stock readily available? Having stock ready to send within a matter of days is highly attractive to buyers. For example, in the run-up to Christmas, if you are selling a candle but your lead time is 6 weeks, the buyer is never going to wait until January, they will simply buy from another supplier, maybe even multiple times in the lead up resulting in a relationship being built and stock being shifted quickly.
Being flexible will result in a strong and solid relationship with the buyer, leading to repeat orders and mutual respect.
Price points
So you have an amazing product but you are being turned away because of your wholesale price, why?
As previously mentioned, independents have high overhead costs, so in order for them to make money, they need to carefully consider each product margin – and don’t forget VAT.
Can you hand-on-heart say that you can offer your product to a retailer at 50% off the RRP including VAT? If a retailer can’t claim back the VAT on your products, the margin is tighter and they will find it harder to push the products out the door.
Being VAT-registered will not only help you secure wholesale orders, but it will also benefit you in the long run as you will end up being able to claim back VAT on your material costs as well.
Take some time to reflect on your pricing before approaching retailers, as it really can make or break their decision.
Communication
We all know that communication is key and this is no different when selling to an independent. If you are serious about building your wholesale strategy, then block time out each week to reach out to your current stockists, and potential stockists to check in. You may not get a response, they may tell you to call back in 3 weeks, or you may jog their memory and you secure an order they’ve been meaning to send you for a month.
When approaching new potential stockists: independent retailers can receive at least 3-5 pitch emails a day, how will your email and your content stand out? Be clear about your message, if you are eco-friendly, shout about it! If you have a life-changing product, tell them why they need it! Clear messaging and well-structured content will go a long way and make the decision for the buyer a lot easier.
