Doing Wholesale Shows

[genek]

There are two things that one needs at all wholesale shows.
1. Ordering forms
2. Brochures

One should have enough ordering forms ready and waiting for wholesale buyers. I maintain 3 to 4 clip boards loaded with Ordering blanks. This way if I am tied up talking to a buyer, other buyers can fill in the needed product, and leave or give it to you. By doing this You gain more sales. Buyers time is limited, they have to move in and out of your booth in less than 10 minutes in order to see all the booths. By keeping order forms handed you will see a increase in sales.

Brochures with pricing and contact info. This is handed out to buyers that do not place an order at that time. Sometimes buyers come into your booth and intend to come back but forget or lose your location and never make it back. Every buyer that leaves your booth without placing a order you need to hand them a Brochure.

Here is our prototype of our order form for the 2015 year.
Our brochure is a one page two sided that fold three times, easy to hand and easy for the buyer to hang on too.`The Brochure was to large to post.

[genek]

Here is the Brochure I changed the Format and it allowed me to up load

[scottp55]

Thanks Eugene, Forwarded to Dad:)

[genek]

Thanks Eugene, Forwarded to Dad:)
Scott you are welcome

[genek]

TINA AND I WILL BE OUT OF TOWN STARTING JAN 12TH THRU THE 23RD. WE ARE GOING TO WASHINGTON D.C. DO DO THE AMERICAN MADE SHOW. We will be traveling I-64 to I-95. if you live near these routes and would like to meet up let me know. You can e-mail me contact info to eking1953@yahoo.com OUR PHONE NUMBERS ARE TINA'S CELL IS 606-422-4298 MY CELL IS 606-205-4120 AND THE TRUCK PHONE NUMBER IS 606-616-0841.. THOUGHT I WOULD LET everyone know in case you would like to meed up or come by the show. We will be staying at the Marriott Marquis Washington D.C.

[GeneMpls]

Mary is spelled wrong twice on page two BTW. Gene

[genek]

Mary is spelled wrong twice on page two BTW. Gene
That was caught... This is something to do with our new spell check... we have had to correct certain words over things like this... we actually had to add the correct spelling.
thanks for letting me know. Luckily it was caught before it went to the printers Friday.

[genek]

With over 200 buyers on the coast. You Better believe I am taking a carved barrel top with a Vector Art 3/d Pattern of a Lighthouse carved into it with me.. I also just learned that one of the big on line Catalog companies will be shopping, plus one company with over 85 stores along the eastern coast will be there. This could be the biggest and best show that I have ever done.

[GeneMpls]

I have been thinking about barrel tops lately- I assume you make your own
and age them? I would like to do the ends of the barrel staves as well. Gene

[genek]

I have been thinking about barrel tops lately- I assume you make your own
and age them? I would like to do the ends of the barrel staves as well. Gene
Gene these I made. I just took white oak, glued them up Planned them down smooth. A normal barrel top is 21 inch diameter. You will need a router table to route the edges to the correct angle. The bit I matched at WoodCraft, it has to have a bearing on it. Not sure of the angle. will let you know this week. I will be back in woodcraft and see what bit I bought. Sometimes I use real Barrel tops... You do not have to age them...

by the way... to get real barrel tops you have to pay for the whole barrel.. and right now they are wanting over $300.00

[genek]

Here is the Lighthouse Barrel top.. Right now it just has a sealer applied.. Will be tomorrow before I can sand and finish.

[David Iannone]

Looks great

[joe]

David,

Here's the hill to climb in this market. I don't wholesale anything.
http://www.winebarreldesigns.com/gallery/

[genek]

Doing wholesale is not that hard. You set the price you have to have. The best part of wholesale is You get orders of multiples Rather than one's and two'es. Your customers buy the product and re-sale it at a profit. I have customers that are re-ordering every 3 to 5 weeks. The actual hill to climb on wholesaling is finding the product that moves and moves fast enough so that you have re-orders every 3 to five weeks. I have customers That will order 100 to 150 of one item and they do this every other month... for me to retail that many of one product would take me six months. I find it better to wholesale and move lots of product than to sale a few of each product each month retail. It is all on how one looks at the market. I tell those that are just starting out, to decide if they want retail or wholesale. You can blend them but you must be careful some retail customers do not want you to sale your product other than wholesale.
The pricing is up to the wholesaler...

[genek]

Loading our trailer today and tomorrow. We are just taking 1 to 5 of each item that we are offering for Wholesale ( look at the order form.). We still will have over $4,765.00 worth of product with us not counting our display's and other items needed for the show. Totally re-doing our display has ate up time and money. We ordered new Skirting, pictures, roll up banner, lighting and display covers to meet this shows requirements. We figured that we have sunk over $1,500.00 in our new display. We should be pulling out Monday morning and dive most of the way to D.C. Monday and then Arrive at our Hotel Tuesday Morning. Looking forward to being back in the Maryland area again. Wanting some boiled crabs and fresh sea food.
Will post pictures of the new display... The booth will have 4 pictures hanging from the curtains, three showing me working at different tools, and one showing the shop bot cutting a sign and dipping out spoons.
Then the skirting for the tables will have our logo and a saying on them. (Finely Crafted From Natures Best) all the product will set on a stepped display with a tan covering over the wooden steps. Our bistro table will have a full length skirt on it. On the bistro table there will be brochures and order forms on clip boards. Then the roll up banner will have our company logo on it and a picture of Tina with the Appalachian Mountains in the background. Hopefully we will have more orders than I can fill so that I can farm out some of the work to those who have bought our patterns.

[jim_vv]

I'd love to hear what you think you can sell the barrel tops for. Especially, your "wholesale" price.

[joe]

Jim,

Congratulations on your outstanding website and true craftsmanship. The attention to detail comes through.

Wish everyone would visit your site and look over your blog.

Joe

[joe]

Eugene,

You would be dollars ahead by dropping the Website. It doesn't show the products you have to offer. If I were a prospective customer and visited the website bells and whistles would go off not knowing if you were really in business. If you hand out business cards with that website, it's going to cost you business.

Lets say you can't get around to listing all the knives, forks and spoons but what would help are photo's of your shop and the process of making the products. Photo's of lumber, machinery and fabrication would be helpful. It's obvious you haven't give this much thought so I'd suggest getting a good website developer to help along. That shouldn't cost very much and would go a long way in the advertising process. Look at the outstanding website in the previous where he shows his product and even has a blog to back it up. Now that's what I'm talking about.
I'm sure you make good products but come on. Websites are extremely important in the wholesale trade. Perhaps even more important than the retail business.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[genek]

eugene,

you would be dollars ahead by dropping the website. It doesn't show the products you have to offer. If i were a prospective customer and visited the website bells and whistles would go off not knowing if you were really in business. If you hand out business cards with that website, it's going to cost you business.

Lets say you can't get around to listing all the knives, forks and spoons but what would help are photo's of your shop and the process of making the products. Photo's of lumber, machinery and fabrication would be helpful. It's obvious you haven't give this much thought so i'd suggest getting a good website developer to help along. That shouldn't cost very much and would go a long way in the advertising process. Look at the outstanding website in the previous where he shows his product and even has a blog to back it up. Now that's what i'm talking about.
I'm sure you make good products but come on. Websites are extremely important in the wholesale trade. Perhaps even more important than the retail business.

Joe crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)


Joe the web site is for patterns only... I do not offer the products on line for sale. Web sites for wholesale is a no no... Customers do not want you having a web site where people can go to and order. That web site like I said is strictly for patterns not products.

[genek]

I'd love to hear what you think you can sell the barrel tops for. Especially, your "wholesale" price.
I get $150.00 for the barrel tops that I wholesale.. I have no problem with sales on them.

[genek]

I'd love to hear what you think you can sell the barrel tops for. Especially, your "wholesale" price.


Jim I get $150.00 easy out of barrel tops in Ky.. Without machine time I have about $7.00 in the wood. I can cut four barrel tops a day... with the cnc. At retail shows I get $350.00 per Barrel top... The big sales are on those that have either Tasting Room on it, or Man Cave.. Where I am not near the Coast I have not done any with coastal scenes till this show. You can make your own Barrel tops. I make mine it is cheaper and easier than trying to clean up a used top. I do carve the used ones, mostly for Bourbon companies that we have here in Kentucky..

[jim_vv]

I find that hard to believe. Congratulations, if you are actually able to pull that off! I hope others are discerning and don't get false hopes.

[joe]

Eugene,

You gotta be kidding. One only needs to search on-line to find lots of wholesale wood products like this and they include prices too.

http://www.pacificmerchants.com/acacia-wood/hardwood-plates-1.html

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[jim_vv]

Joe, thank you for your kind words. My family works very hard to offer a high quality website, product, and experience to our customers. I very much appreciate your wisdom and often prod the sign shops for whom I cut to follow your example.

[genek]

I find that hard to believe. Congratulations, if you are actually able to pull that off! I hope others are discerning and don't get false hopes.\

Jim sorry you find it hard to believe...However I make a good living off of my cnc... I only do wholesale and a few retail shows . I have orders all the time in the 1,000 dollar range.

By the way what is your web site that you mentioned.

I have customers all over the United States. Most I have never meet. They see our product some place and end up ordering. I have done strictly wholesale since 2003 and each year my sales have gone up... I paid cash for my cnc with wholesale orders. You get out of anything what you put into. it.
I am a juried artist and I consistently seek new wholesale customers. You can make all of the product in the world but if you do not hustle and get the sales it is useless. I have to maintain 100 to 200 of all of our product in stock to keep up with the flow of product going out.

[genek]

Eugene,

You gotta be kidding. One only needs to search on-line to find lots of wholesale wood products like this and they include prices too.

http://www.pacificmerchants.com/acacia-wood/hardwood-plates-1.html

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

Joe you have never done any wholesale. You go posting wholesale prices out there most retail stores will not touch you. You Start retailing You will lose your wholesale accounts. Most retail stores prefer you not do any retail or have a web site.
We were developing a new hang tag for our customers to use. We put our logo on the Hang tag, we did not put any contact info just our logo. most of our customers that got to see the preview sent us a e-mail telling us that they did not want our logo on the hang tag. so we had to drop our logo off.

Their are millions of retail stores throughout the United States.. They look for locally and American Made products. I can be higher than the Chinese made products and still get good sales.
There is good money to be made making products for retail stores... They have to buy product somewhere.

[genek]

Joe, thank you for your kind words. My family works very hard to offer a high quality website, product, and experience to our customers. I very much appreciate your wisdom and often prod the sign shops for whom I cut to follow your example.


I found your web site. I think you and I have meet. Shortly after you moved back to Kentucky from California I think... Don't worry there are plenty of customers out there... Go to Berea Artisan Center you can see some of My work. I also make products for Berea College for the Students to finish. I don't do ones and Two's very often... Mostly I mass produce products.
I do shows in Lexington like the Ky Crafted Market, and the Incredible food show. Plus dozen other Juried shows..

[genek]

I find that hard to believe. Congratulations, if you are actually able to pull that off! I hope others are discerning and don't get false hopes.
By the way.. I have not seen any of your work out in any of the stores In Kentucky ,,, do you have any Wholesale buyers in or around Lexington... You should develop some stores Your work is good.

[genek]

Eugene,

You gotta be kidding. One only needs to search on-line to find lots of wholesale wood products like this and they include prices too.

http://www.pacificmerchants.com/acacia-wood/hardwood-plates-1.html

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

Like I said Joe you do not deal with wholesale customers. I deal with them on a daily basics, Like I said they do not want their supplier retailing or showing wholesale prices. Here is one e-mail I got back from a customer over the hang tag please note the part about our logo.
This message contains blocked images.



Hi Eugene,

Congratulations on getting into the DC show! Its a big accomplishment.


I like your hang tag. If it’s not too late, have you thought of saying:


Handcrafted in the Appalachian Mountains, USA


rather than just made?


And I’d would not use your company name. Many retailers will not use any tags with the artist’s company name or full name as customers will google them to buy directly.




Also I would not use all caps. It’s always more difficult to read and it also stops the flow of the message (and now with all the texting, people associate it with shouting).


If you could, make the back side a care message from you. Something like this maybe:




Thanks for buying my work. Please hand wash only, don’t leave in water or put in dishwasher. If the piece looks dry coat with mineral oil only.


<img id="yiv74418785331BE0181C-3D75-487E-9F72-36E511007F65" height="277" width="182">


And then rather than the line for a SKU, I’d have your signature. As a retailer, I’d use this as it adds value to the work. We have similar tags on all our items. But we very rarely use artist supplied tags as they often contain identifying information. Some artists have two sets of tags, one when they sell at shows and another when they sell wholesale.


Anyway, my two cents worth!




Take care and happy holidays!
ann

[joe]

Eugene,

Look, it's close to insane to go on the national market without entering the internet. It can be done but why? This makes no since.

It's true you can't put your name on the products but that doesn't have anything to do with the topic at hand. Well DA.

"Made in the USA" might be a good tag.

For the life of me I can't understand the reasoning for NOT enter, a much larger market the internet offers, and give up on these time consuming, expensive shows.

Can anyone, other than Eugene, explain his reasoning? Why not get free international exposure on the Internet. Where's the down side to that kind of advertising?

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[gc3]

Like I said Joe you do not deal with wholesale customers. I deal with them on a daily basics, Like I said they do not want their supplier retailing or showing wholesale prices. Here is one e-mail I got back from a customer over the hang tag please note the part about our logo.
This message contains blocked images.



Hi Eugene,

Congratulations on getting into the DC show! Its a big accomplishment.


I like your hang tag. If it’s not too late, have you thought of saying:


Handcrafted in the Appalachian Mountains, USA


rather than just made?


And I’d would not use your company name. Many retailers will not use any tags with the artist’s company name or full name as customers will google them to buy directly.




Also I would not use all caps. It’s always more difficult to read and it also stops the flow of the message (and now with all the texting, people associate it with shouting).


If you could, make the back side a care message from you. Something like this maybe:




Thanks for buying my work. Please hand wash only, don’t leave in water or put in dishwasher. If the piece looks dry coat with mineral oil only.


<img id="yiv74418785331BE0181C-3D75-487E-9F72-36E511007F65" height="277" width="182">


And then rather than the line for a SKU, I’d have your signature. As a retailer, I’d use this as it adds value to the work. We have similar tags on all our items. But we very rarely use artist supplied tags as they often contain identifying information. Some artists have two sets of tags, one when they sell at shows and another when they sell wholesale.


Anyway, my two cents worth!




Take care and happy holidays!
ann



interesting...caps comment and change to hand made...not use company name...

nothing goes outta this shop without company name somewhere on what we make...caps, yeah she is right...handmade with cnc be better stated on the "tags"

[David Iannone]

I sell cheap vinyl signs on eBay at wholesale prices. I do wholesale cnc cutting for a local fellow sign shop I have become friends with. I sell retail also to customers who walk in to my store location. I also do a lot of magnetic signs for Charter Communications contractors at wholesale prices. So I am mixing it up. But locally I have an agreement with the other company that if we quote against the same job, we let the other know and sync our prices. I think we should make more alliances with those in the same trade.

Years ago in DE I work for a fast signs franchise for many years starting by entrance into signs. This was back when the Gerber 4b plotter was cutting vinyl. Their mentality was to put everyone else out of business. How dumb? It was only when I got out on my own I realized sometimes your competition is not always "the competition"

Dave

[genek]

Eugene,

Look, it's close to insane to go on the national market without entering the internet. It can be done but why? This makes no since.

It's true you can't put your name on the products but that doesn't have anything to do with the topic at hand. Well DA.

"Made in the USA" might be a good tag.

For the life of me I can't understand the reasoning for NOT enter, a much larger market the internet offers, and give up on these time consuming, expensive shows.

Can anyone, other than Eugene, explain his reasoning? Why not get free international exposure on the Internet. Where's the down side to that kind of advertising?

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)
`



Joe you are a sign Painter... You do not make the products that I make. I am doing great the way I run my business.

[genek]

interesting...caps comment and change to hand made...not use company name...

nothing goes outta this shop without company name somewhere on what we make...caps, yeah she is right...handmade with cnc be better stated on the "tags"

Gene with your type of work which is very artistic You should have your name on it somewhere, some work should always have your name on it. But kitchen product that I make, does not warrant our name on it and our customers do not want it on there. I have a old wood burning stamp that we used to use years ago till we found out we were losing good customers for having our name on the products. We wholesale only and do very few retail shows for fun and to pick up new customers.. This show is strictly a wholesale show.

[tri4sale]

But locally I have an agreement with the other company that if we quote against the same job, we let the other know and sync our prices. I think we should make more alliances with those in the same trade.

Dave

Have to be careful with that, could get you in serious trouble. You just described price collusion.

http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/guidelines/211578.htm

[David Iannone]

Thanks for the link, that's why I don't name names. :cool: