How to Become a Salesman for Custom-Designed Purses
So you've fallen in love with a certain line of custom-designed purses and know that you could make a good living selling the bags. Once you learn the basics of sales and develop the ability to close a sale, the skills are transferable to most products and services, from new cars and management services to home improvement and custom-designed purses. The trick now is in landing the territory and accounts that purchase your products. With enthusiasm and drive, you can find innovative ways to become a salesman for custom-designed purses.
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Instructions
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Get a college degree in business or in textile manufacturing. While there are no official requirements in the industry, sales candidates with four-year degrees usually stand out from the crowd. While any degree offers a desirable advantage, a degree that provides you with industry knowledge such as one in textiles or manufacturing processes can tip the scales in your favor even more while providing you with important information that can help to increase your sales success.
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Spend some time in the trenches working in a retail environment, perhaps while still attending college, to get invaluable experience in the industry. You can learn buyers' tendencies, consumer habits and product information while working in a store that sells the custom-designed purses that you want to sell.
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Receive additional training and earn certifications to prepare you for the role as a manufacturer's rep for a custom line of bags. The Manufacturers' Representatives Education Research Foundation offers training and testing for sales reps to become a Certified Professional Manufacturers' Representative (CPMR) or a Certified Sales Professional (CSP).
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Approach the company that you want to represent and apply for a job. Many large accessory manufacturers only hire sales reps who already represent other lines and have a developed territory with established account relationships. If you've chosen one of these companies, send applications to smaller accessory distributors to begin to build your territory and reputation before approaching the company you really want to work for again.
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Enroll with a placement service such as Manufacturing Representatives that specializes in finding jobs in the industry. In addition to job leads, a specialized job board or staffing agency may have leads in related fields. Since many designer purses are manufactured overseas, you may need to work through a national distributor or may need contacts that can lead to direct contact with the foreign producer.
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Tips & Warnings
Look for a home-based sales opportunity that allows you to sell a line of handbags through home parties and individual representation, such as Purse Party.
While there are salaried positions available through some manufacturers for their sales force, the majority of manufacturer rep positions are commission only, requiring reps to run their own business as an outside contractor.
