How to Market Handmade Jewelry to Stores
Selling your jewelry to stores is a great way to get your jewelry business started. It is also a smart way to develop new contacts and to advertise your business name. Be sure to have a business plan ready, and don't be afraid to make cold calls. You must have great business and professional social skills to market your jewelry successfully. With careful planning and a little salesmanship, you can get your jewelry business off the ground by marketing your products to stores.
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Instructions
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Determine how you'd like to sell your jewelry. Decide if you would like to sell as consignment, let the store receive a percentage of sales, or sell your jewelry to the store in bulk for all one price. You might also leave yourself open to suggestions and come up with a sales agreement that works for you and the store together. Type out your plan on your business letterhead to take along with your business card. Make sure that it looks professional and is easy to understand. Have friends who are in business read over your plan to make sure it looks good.
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Visit a store where you'd like to sell your jewelry and ask to speak with a manager. Find out if there's a convenient time you could come back to talk about your jewelry. Have a few sample pieces that you can leave behind along with a business card. If a manager is unavailable, leave your business card and a few of your jewelry samples.
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Call the store again at a later date if the manager was unavailable. Ask the manager if she'd be interested in setting up a time to speak with you about your jewelry. You already left samples, so she knows what your work is like.
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Dress appropriately and arrive a few minutes early to any appointment. Present the manager with your business plan or agreement. Speak with him about your jewelry and why you would like to sell them at his store. If he's interested in your work, but doesn't agree entirely with your plan, ask him what kind of arrangement he'd prefer.
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Present samples of your jewelry in plastic, glass or acrylic displays. When deciding on the right type of display holder to showcase your jewelry, things to look for are necklace boards or busts, earring holders and card racks, bangle displays, bracelet ramps and humps, and T-bar displays. Jewelry displays can often be purchased at jewelry supply stores and craft hobby shops.
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Contact stores about selling your jewelry during summer time or winter holidays such as Christmas. During the summer, especially in smaller towns, higher tourist travel means more people are looking for unique souvenirs or gifts. Winter holidays are, of course, another high shopping season for those looking for something special for friends or family members.
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Tips & Warnings
Be ready for rejection. Some business owners just aren't interested in taking in new products.
Sometimes a business doesn't allow managers to make decisions because they are run by a larger corporation. Don't let this get you down; just keep trying!
Resources
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