How Kristen did it: Approaching a retailer with your jewelry line

Here’s what she did to get me to buy her line. She wrapped up a pair of her earrings like a present, beautifully packaged. She mailed it to my Lincoln Park store. Along with the gift – and it really looked and felt like a gift – she included a hand-written card. Neither Kristen or I can remember the exact words, but the note went something like this:

“Dear Jane,
Please enjoy these earrings as a gift and I hope you like them! If you have a chance to wear them and you find yourself getting compliments. please give me a call. I’d love a chance to stop by and show you my full line.
Sincerely,
Kristen Amato
K.Amato

What happened next… My shop manager got the box and called me to the front of the shop, telling me I had received a present. I was in the back room but I came right out because who doesn’t love presents? I opened the package and thought, wow. These are really cute earrings and clearly this Kristen woman knows what my shop is like and wants to sell to ME. What she sent was so far from a sales form letter (the kind that make a buyer’s eyes glaze over) that it intrigued me enough to pick up the phone and call her.

We set up an appointment and the rest is history. 10 years later Kristen Amato is killing it with her line. And all because she did something DIFFERENT in the sales process. She didn’t look around at what other designers were doing and copy it. She took a risk – the risk of being herself and personalizing what she did. And it worked. Check out Kristen Amato’s website and tell me you’re not tempted to buy something!

So my question to you is this… What are you currently doing to sell and market your line? How much time are you spending a week on sales and marketing? Could you do something different when you approach the selling process? Take a risk, perhaps?

Are you falling victim to “I have my website up and I sent them an email” syndrome?

If you’re struggling with how to get your product into stores, I recommend the How to Sell Your Line to Boutiques Online Course. It walks you through the step by step process of approaching a retailer, what to send, what to say, and how to get over your fear of selling.

Remember, I deigned my line for over 14 years and I know how hard can be to sell your own stuff! I also owned a boutique for 14 years so I know what it’s like to be on the other side of the counter too. Hop on over and see what the Sales Bootcamp can teach you. I’d love to see you in the program! https://fashionbrainacademy.com/blog/e-learning/bootcamps/