How To Sell Your Fashion Line To Retailers

With the rise of the Internet, many new and independent designers are choosing to focus on their own webstore and forgo selling their line to retail shops.

However, did you know that there are over 286,225 brick and mortar fashion retail establishments just in the United States alone?

Think of how many people could have seen your brand?

And most of all, think of how much money you could have made selling your line to some of those retailers?!

But I understand....you may not know how to sell to a buyer or retailer....UNTIL NOW!

I'm a former fashion buyer who decided to create this course to teach you HOW TO SELL YOUR FASHION LINE TO RETAILERS!

Whether you're an independent designer or a new sales rep, this course will teach you:

• how to pitch, sell and believe in your product
• how to select the right stores to sell to
• how to get a sales meeting with a buyer
• what to know, say and bring to a sales meeting
• how to get your first order
• how to turn 1 order into multiple orders

By the end of my course, you'll have an extensive knowledge on how to sell your line to the right buyer at the right time in the appropriate manner. Getting all three factors right results in ORDERS!

This course was created from 2 sources:

1) The first - is ME! I am a former department store buyer (I used to work at Macy's, BCBG, Metropark, & Bebe) with over 11 years of fashion industry experience. I know exactly how buyers think and how they buy. I speak their language so you're basically getting first-hand information direct from the source.

2) The second - it's made up of multiple sources. I gathered up my fashion industry friends - some are buyers for independent boutiques, some are store owners who do the buying themselves, some are buyers for well-known retailers like Nasty Gal, Bebe, Lane Crawford, & Macy's. Some are sale reps and brand managers for brands like Puma, Nike, BCBG, & BB Dakota. So, it's safe to say that you're getting a well-balanced course from an elite group of retail and sales professionals.

Ready to get started?

Here's what the curriculum looks like:

Section 1: Is Your Line Ready For Retail? (2 video lectures)

Market Prep: We discuss what your fashion line needs to have before you even start to meet with retailers. The components we will talk about are Branding, Cohesion, Markup, Fulfillment Procedure, Marketing collateral, and Online Presence.

Section 2: Who Are Buyers (3 video lectures)

What buyers do & who they are: This lecture discusses who buyers are and what they do, as well as addresses the differences between department store buyers and boutique buyers.

What buyers look for: After you've made the initial contact with a buyer and the fact they've gotten a chance to see images of your line, it's now time to follow up for a sales meeting. This is what this video will teach you how to do properly and timely.

Where you find buyers: We reveal the different places that you can find buyers.

Section 3: How To Approach A Buyer (3 video lectures)

Timing, Methodology, & The 20 Second Pitch: In this part of the lecture, we discuss the best times & methods to contact a buyer when making your first pitch. We will also go over how to create an effective elevator (20 sec) pitch for your line.

Examples of Good & Bad Pitches: This lecture shows you examples of good and bad initial conversations with a buyer that do or don't lead to a sales meeting.

Following Up To With The Buyer: After you've made that initial contact with a buyer, this lesson will teach you how to follow up with them in a timely, helpful, and effective manner.

Section 4: Prepping For The Sales Meeting (4 video lectures + checklist)

Your Game Plan: This lecture teaches you how to create a strategy that will help you achieve your retail distribution goals. This section also includes a supplementary material (size breaks) that you can download.

Checklist: What to bring to a sales meeting (PDF document)

Typical questions buyers ask: This lecture lists the typical questions buyers ask during a sales meeting. It also teaches you how to answer those questions, ensuring that you remain knowledgeable and confident about your business.

Common hesitations of buyers: This video lists the common hesitations that buyers have, as well as how to address them. This will you give you the advantage to sway their decision in your favor.

The flow of a sales meeting: This lecture walks you through how a sales meeting takes place, making you familiar with the process and feeling prepared and confident! Check out the supplementary material that lists 10 do's & don'ts to watch out for during a sales meeting. These tips are from buyers and sales reps, themselves.

Section 5: What to do after the sales meeting (1 video lecture)

What to do if the buyer said no, maybe, or yes: This video walks you though the steps you need to take after you walk out of that sales meeting.

Section 6: What to do after you get an official order

Order Fulfillment - How to handle an order: This lecture will show you what to do after you get an official order so that you can deliver your shipments in good condition and on time!

What to do when your product sells or fails: We discuss the actions you can take if your product sells or fails once it arrives at the store. This will allow you to keep building a good working relationship with all the buyers you work with.

What to look for when hiring a showroom or sales rep (VIDEO)

How to prepare for a tradeshow (video)

How private label works (video)

What Goes In A Linesheet (PDF document): Here's a what to put in your linesheet, as well as some examples for you to look at.

Bonus recordings of 2 past live FAB Counsel events: Make sure to access the external resource page on this lecture as there is a link where you can watch recordings of 2 of our past live panels that featured Nasty Gal, Hautelook, and independent boutiques. These panels inspired me to create this online course. It's the perfect way to wrap up the program!

PDF files of all the video content. This comes in handy when you feel like you need a refresher on the material.