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Permalink Reply by Apparel1 on January 10, 2008 at 10:39pm

Think about it as if it was you selling the garments to a buyer. What would you want to take with you when you meet with your buyer? Well, your sales rep would probably want the same things that you would want...

When I meet with buyers, I like to have samples of the product, images of other product that we have produced in the past, possibly artwork of future development (just to show the buyers we are progressive and have alot in the pipeline), swatches if presenting new fabric constructions, business cards, marketing tools such as brochures if available, etc. In my opinion, the more ammunition to impress the buyer the better.

The sales rep is an extension of your company. He or she is the person knocking on the buyers doors to solicite business. You will want them to have all the tools possible to impress the buyer and seal the deal...

What will a buyer ask of your sales rep? My guess, is that one of the most important question is "price". Therefore, do not forget to discuss pricing with your sales rep. Note: My suggestion is to never give the sales rep too much information about your suppliers or your cost price. Only give them the information that they need to know such as the price that you want them to sell your product to the buyer.

If you are hiring a sales rep, hopefully you have found a "professional" one.. If yes, I suggest you ask them "what do you need from me so that you can be successful when meeting with buyers on my behalf". Find out what they need and then give it to them... However, becareful to screen your sales reps. If they are new and you do not really know them too well, I would hesitate to invest too much in them until they have proven themselves. You will have to be the judge on that one. Good luck...

Note: I have never personally used an independent sales rep on a commision only basis. Therefore, I suggest you seek other peoples advise as well. Hopefully someone else on this network will also respond to your question based on their personal experience.

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Permalink Reply by D&Mo on January 12, 2008 at 9:04pm

Dont forget The order forms and Line sheets...
If you have some stores you want to target make a list and give it to them

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Permalink Reply by Ru-bee on January 14, 2008 at 12:37pm

thank you for your response... making a list is a great idea!

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