âď¸ Invite a Boutique
STEP 3: Prepare to meet the boutiques
Once satisfied with your first collection(s), you can start preparing your sales meetings!
Samples
We canât buy what we canât see. Samples are often required to close a sale with a boutique.
You may already own samples from previous orders. You do not need a sample for every product in the collection, but you should have a piece of each silhouette and artwork. For example, imagine a collection with fi artworks placed on five shapes. The collection may contain 25 styles (5 x 5), but you need five samples to show off the whole group.
To prevent owning too much stock, you can consider including your samples in your deliveries.
When choosing your samples, keep the following in mind:
Think about your favorite piece of art and your preferred silhouette. Start there. It will be a great conversation piece as itâs already so close to your heart;
Select different items. Variety will help you gather more information and start on this journey;
Think about outfits. Products that fit together will increase the number of units per transaction;
If you have added solid-color products to your collection, you might not need to have them as samplesâor fabric swatches, to the very least.
Extra knowledge: The window piece, the dog, and the runner
Product performance can take a lot of work to predict. At Le Galeriste, weâve been selling wearable art for over a decade. Yet, we have often been surprised by products that performed way better (or worse) than anticipated.
THE RUNNER is a product that sells itself for some reason. Whatever the market. Whatever the time of year. Brands and designers learn over time (and feedback) how to increase the share of runners in their collections. Knowing what will sell is not an exact science, but itâs precious.
THE DOG is the opposite of the runner. A product may be beautiful, well made, inspiring, priced right, etc., and still not sell to its full potential. Understanding why and how not to have dogs in a given collection requires time and insight.
One advantage of pre-booking is removing dogs from the orders before going into production (and perhaps exchanging them with runners). Boutiques are often grateful for such cancellations or swaps.
THE WINDOW PIECE is often a collection's most original or provocative product. Of course, no one expects to sell tons of those. But Window Pieces get clients through the door.
Your store may ask you to share which are the runners, the dogs, and the window pieces in the collection. Sharing that information (if you have it) will help your clients plan and order.
Book Meetings
Walk up to the store, pick up the phone, and ask for a sales meeting. Donât be timid. Meeting new designers is a part of a store owner's job to keep their product lines fresh and appealing. As mentioned in this series, we strongly recommend starting with your favorite store.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Dress the part. You should wear your product when you meet a buyer. It will be your most valuable asset in generating curiosity and interest;
Walk into the store with confidence. Youâre evaluating their location & clientele as much as they will evaluate your products. There has to be a fit;
Act like a pro. The staff there should be able to tell that you mean business. Read the labels. If you see a product out of place or that needs to be better folded, go ahead and fix the issue before walking to the counter;
Head to the counter and ask what you need. âI am an artist and designer. My products fit here. Iâd like to talk with the buyer or owner. Can you help me?â ;
Leave something behind. Leave a business card, a fabric swatch, and a catalog. Anything you can leave behind with your contact information will help.
Be ready for a meeting. You have a 50-50 chance that the person at the counter is the buyer. Itâs always a good idea to have your samples closeby (psst: we love these garment bags)
Follow up. Book a time and date for a meeting if you can. Schedule a time for a call back if you canât.
Move on. Buyers are humans. Some wonât be able to provide a clear âno, I am not interestedâ. After a month, you can move on to your number two store on the list.
Prepare for the meeting
Know your story
What artwork are you presenting and why?
How did you get into fashion?
How are your products making people feel?
Donât give out your life story. But itâs important that the buyer knows (and feels) whom they are buying from. Your stories will inspire the buyer and them to sell your products later on.
Know your math
What are the retail prices for each piece?
What markup will the boutique make?
Have you decided on a minimum number of units per order?
If these questions feel foreign to you, you should take a moment and read this series.
Have your material ready
Print your collections. Buyers may need them to take notes or for further orders;
Prepare order templates to write down their orders;
Make sure you have your samples on hand before booking the meeting.
Get yourself a business card;
Are you just starting? Look around your house and see if you have any garment bags around. Not only it looks more professional, but it will also keep your products neat. You can also order one or two that are relatively inexpensive here.
A professional garment bag will be a good investment if you need to show more products. If you need a few, consider purchasing rolling racks.
Ok! You have a product and a buyer. Itâs paperwork time! Now letâs move to Step 4: Securing your first order.