ACCESORIES STORE : how to make sales

The one dilemma I hear every single day from my private coaching clients is how to get more sales. There is definitely a shift in our industry away from showrooms as showrooms are hesitant to take on new lines without an established buyer list. Trade fairs are expensive and there is no guarantee that one will break even besides those sites are an investment for someone starting out in their business. I do advocate that if you want to increase sales you start doing sales yourself. I advocate every single one of my clients to spend a portion of their day doing sales. Yes I know there are tons of ‘tasks’ which take one away from doing sales – social media, sampling, sourcing, production issues, staffing issues..yes, these issues are very important. But, sales and cash into your business make everything much easier. If you have a sale come in, then you have money to hire someone to handle your social media or you can figure out how to reinvest the money back into your business. So, if you work a 6-hour work day I would like to see you spending a solid 2 hours doing sales. Do not let anything interrupt your concentration. Keep an excel sheet with the details of who you emailed/called, date and the outcome. When they respond, notate that on your spreadsheet and track your follow up. My advice is simple, but it is effective. Get in front of buyers. Call them. Email them. Friend them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and reach out through those avenues. Keep on pushing to get your product out there. There are so many amazing designers who create products and it never gets seen! Your product needs to be seen! Get it in front of the buyers. If you have created a product that fulfills a need, then it is needed. If you have an accessory line that people stop you on the street and comment on, then your product needs to be out in the world.