Vendor Manuals
Since we spoke last I’ve had a few things going on. Friday I had an interview with the local paper which will run Tuesday. It’s called “West Of”. It’s a great, very small local paper and they are doing a pretty in-depth article along with some fun pictures and great exposure. I’ve signed on a few new stores as well as 1 big online store. (The online store is big, but the initial order isn’t but I have high hopes for future business) I’m sure they will do great as they are a HUGE online outlet, but you’ve got to start somewhere! One thing I am learning quickly is that for every large company you work with, you have to be ready for a good few hours worth of studying their vendor manual. This company is very very organized and I guess the reason why they are so organized is because their requirements are so uniformed and strict. I have a vendor manual that’s 50 pages long that I need to go through so I know how to pack, how to ship, how to invoice, how to contact, the list goes on and on! The buyer is fantastic to work with, I’m just scared of the reading I have ahead of me. I have a few days before the “ship date” so I’ll probably bring my manual to the gym on Monday and do some reading on the treadmill. I don’t think my web guy has this store on my store locator, but if you ever want to keep track, you can just go to my site and click on “store locator” to see where how I’m doing on my goal of being in all 50 states by the end of the year. It’s looking a little scary but I’m not giving up yet! As a side note, one thing I have seen for those of you thinking about putting off the UPC code thing is I am finding that UPC’s on your packaging, whether it be printed on the packaging itself or stickers after the fact, are required if you hope to be in any store other then a small independent, locally owned boutique.
I also received an email from a company in the UK that wants to distribute my product in the UK and eventually
Europe. There are a lot of negotiations going on and I’m not sure if we will be able to make the numbers work and still have it be a good deal for both of us, but that’s what we are trying to find out now. There are the basic pricing levels (wholesale and retail) but eventually you are going to probably have to add distributor pricing in there also. Pricing is an art that I have still not mastered. I guess I won’t know if I have a successful pricing strategy until I succeed or fail, so stay tuned! Everyone wants a piece of the pie so you have to make sure you have enough to go around!
Leslie Haywood, Founder and President of Charmed Life Products, Inventor of Grill Charms™ www.grillcharms.com
