One of the readers of this blog, who I converse with quite a bit, is starting up a boutique of her own and asked me about one the most daunting (and crucial) parts of being a buyer; contacting sales reps. For those of you who have been reading this blog since the beginning of the year, you probably remember all of those horror stories I mentioned having to do with sales reps. Most of that turned out to be hearsay, but sales reps can be hard to get in touch with. Which brings us to….
How do I get a sales rep to take me seriously if I don’t have a location/website or even a business card? Yeah, good question. I was in this same place right about this time last year. I was sending out emails to showrooms and I probably had about a 65-75% reply rate. Not awful, but I was flat out ignored by plenty of reps, and even now that I’m established I still get the cold shoulder from time to time.
Now, I’m not saying there’s a particular art to contacting a rep for the first time, but there are certain things I think should be included in that email. Here’s an example of what I sent:
Hello [name, if you know it]! My name is Kimberly and I’m the owner of OohLaLuxe.com, a new online boutique that will be open [whatever date], and will be based out of [location]. I would like to receive more information about carrying [line name]. Could you please let me know what the minimums for the line are, and if you would be able to send me the Spring 2009 linesheets, and lookbook, if available, that would be appreciated! Thanks, and I look forward to working with you.
Sincerly,
[full name]
[title, business name]
Now let me break this down line for line and explain why I included all the information I did…
Providing your full name always sounds more professional. And even when I wasn’t sure of my boutiques name, I used a working title.
I think it’s good to list your opening date, even if could get pushed back (which isn’t unlikely at all).
Saying where you’re based is pretty important because just about every sales rep asks this. Part of it has to do with reps representing certain territories, but once again, it makes it sound like you really are in the planning stages and not just trying to leak out the linesheets or working on a school project.
Minimums! It’s pretty important to know this, especially if you’re on a budget, because a collection that has a $5000 per delivery minimum probably won’t fly for new businesses on a budget. It also shows that you know your lingo. You might want to follow up and ask if there is a per style minimums (for most lines, it’s four separate garments per style) because most reps don’t volunteer this information (I guess it’s considered common knowledge).
Ask for linesheets, obviously, you can’t really do much without them. It’s also a good to request a look book if they have one because the clothes will look vastly different on models, not to mention the fact that so many line sheets use flat sketches, something I can’t stand.
Closing with your full name, and your business info, once again, just looks more professional.
From what I’ve seen, I’d say expect a reply within 48 hours from most sales reps. But give them time because most are extremely busy, and if it’s market week or they’re traveling for a trade show, it will certainly take long. If they don’t get back to within a week go ahead and give them a call. I had one rep email me back with line sheets a full three weeks after I requested them! Unfortunately for her, I had already found a different handbag line for Fall.
But whatever you do, don’t burn bridges because sales reps are the most important contact you have in the industry.
