thread's not dead - doITlab

of selling anything, you need to prove yourself first.
It’s like a band trying to get signed to a major label
and play big shows when they can’t sell out the local
pub down the street.
Be retail-ready. This includes hang tags, custom poly
bags or packaging, printed shirt tags, etc. You need
to look put-together in order to be taken seriously by
retail stores. Johnny Cupcakes often reminds people
at his talks that those that pay extra attention to
these little details are the ones that stand out and
are successful.
Have a line sheet or lookbook. A line sheet is basically
a PDF of your t-shirt line with product info and
photos. Include info about your brand, the names of
the shirts, t-shirt color and specs, item number, prices,
sizing, and other specs unique to your product.
Do your homework. Find out what stores you want to
be in and get all the information you can about them.
Make sure your brand fits the style and will look good
with the rest of the products they sell.
Talk to the buyers. Find out who makes the buying
decisions and set up an appointment to show them
your samples. The employees at your local retail
shop are not likely the ones making decisions.
Talk to other brands who have made it. Learn from
their experience! Walk into the stores you want to be
in and write down the names of the brands you find.
Do your homework and look up contact information
for them and introduce yourself. Be polite and see
if you can set up an interview with them to discuss
their experiences. If you have trouble finding information
about a brand, it might be because they’re
a store brand under a different name. For example, I
saw a brand called Aces & Eights at JCPenney once
and couldn’t find a damn thing about them online.
From what I gathered, it was just JCPenney putting
out a line of tees under that name.
THREAD’S NOT DEAD • Jeff Finley
Mark Capicotto started Glamour Kills in his basement, and
is now selling tees all over the world.
Go to Trade Shows like Magic or Pool. You can meet
a lot of retail buyers and talk to brand owners and
consumers alike. You can really get a feel for what
the current trends are at these events. Eventually,
setting up your own booth should be on your annual
to do list. There are others like Agenda, ASR, and
Threadshow.
Hire a Sales Rep. Find someone who has experience
selling apparel to retail buyers. They do this for a
living and are likely better at it than you. They also
already have the contacts that everyone wants but
doesn’t have. Some stores already have relationships
with certain reps and buy from them often.
Bring samples. Retail buyers and sales reps like to
be able see the actual products before they make a
decision. It makes sense right? They like to feel the
garment and test the quality and fit. This also gives
your buyer a chance to notice all of your attention
to detail!
Be professional yet personable. This is common
sense in the industry. Buyers are attracted to people
that know their product inside and out and can
speak about it with passion and conviction. They
buy from people they are comfortable with. If you
can’t manage to clean up and persuade someone to
want your tees, then get a sales rep.
Be persistent and follow up. When you contact a
store, rep, or buyer, don’t be surprised if you don’t
hear back. These people can have hundreds of
brands trying to get into their store! Make a spreadsheet
of all the people you are contacting and when
you need to follow up. Make sure you follow up and
be persistent. Just don’t be annoying and if they say
no, it usually means no. Don’t nag anyone, you don’t
want to damage your reputation.
Going Big-Time 77