How Do Reps Decide What Lines to Sell?

Lately I get calls almost daily asking me to rep a line. Most often, my answer is “No Thanks,” followed by a genuine “Good Luck!” This response leaves a lot of frustrated designer/manufacturers out there who often hang up the phone maybe feeling a little bitter at yet another refusal.

Sales reps — especially the really good ones — are often inundated with requests to rep lines. Most reps don’t have the time, sample storage space or appropriate contacts to successfully rep every line they’re offered. Most reps also have a product focus or philosophy that helps guide what lines they sell. It is primarily a business decision and not a personal one when a rep elects not to sell your products.

These are some of the things I evaluate when I look at a new line:

• Is this a mom sewing products at home or a full-fledged, multi-tiered business with marketing support for its independent sales reps?
I always have a few super-small businesses where I do a lot of marketing and networking to grow the brand, but the products have to be super-special and very unique for me to take on the brand and nurture it like it’s my own company.

• Does the company produce everything from its own tees to its own exclusive fabrics?
Or,
• Does the company use fabrics and tee shirt blanks that are generally available to other similar designer/manufacturers?

Most boutiques want exclusive-looking products. It becomes a problem, for example, if every graphic printed tee-shirt line a boutique buys is printed on the same blanks — like those made by American Apparel. Many new tee shirt companies use American Apparel blanks instead of manufacturing their own. These tee-shirt lines often have great graphic designs, but they don’t have the “exclusive” look boutiques constantly seek.

If a designer/manufacturer uses the same fabrics as everyone else — like Amy Butler — the line loses the uniqueness that makes its bibs, burp cloths and blankets desirable.

• Many small mom-owned companies’ products are more expensive, but around the same quality, as a bigger company’s similar product.

Imagine we’re taking about that bib and burp line that uses the Amy Butler fabrics. A mom — or local co-op — may be cutting and sewing that line essentially by hand. Small batch, one-at-a-time production like this generally has higher costs than a similar factory-made product and thus the wholesale/retail prices are naturally higher too. In general, boutiques don’t want expensive product that has a different brand name but looks similar to dozens of other brands.

In a nutshell, generic products are hard to sell, especially when they are expensive!

• Is the line TOO big?
If a company manufactures a ton of different products, it’s difficult to get a good feel for what is special about that line. Sales reps need quick, effective sales pitches to successfully sell their brands. If I say to one of my buyers: XYZ Company makes this and this and this and this and this and this, the buyer gets bored with me and ultimately stops listening. And they usually don’t buy the line after they hit the boredom point.

A really large line can also feel unfocused. Often mom-made bib and burp lines are very large. These products tend to be very simple and easy-to-sew. They often don’t have a succinct list of features and benefits that make them superior to the next mom-made bib and burp line.

Brands that focus on designing and manufacturing ultra-special bibs are an easier sell—and command a higher price too.

•Most sales reps don’t want excessive crossover with their other lines.
Many entrepreneurs ask me to rep tee-shirt lines, bib and burp lines, stroller “soft accessory” lines and blanket lines. I already rep most of those product categories so, unless it’s a very special product, I won’t take on another line in the same category. My buyers come to me for new, different and special things. It’s important that I can meet their needs. I can’t do that if all I rep are tee-shirt lines.

• A brand has to have that “It” factor.
If I look at your products and think Wow!, I know my accounts will buy your line. It’s as simple as that.

The lines that I choose to rep all have these qualities:
• Good marketing support; Great branding
• Exclusivity
• Appropriate price points
• Focus
• “It” factor

There are many other important factors that are key to assessing whether a brand and a rep are a good fit. More to come next week …

Lara owns and is the primary sales rep for LJBryn&Co., a Midwest-based, independent rep group specializing in children’s gift, toys, gear and apparel. www.LJBrynAndCo.com

Comments

velvetandtweed

Thanks for the post!

Great information, thank you for sharing these inside tips!
Best wishes,
 Tina

Velvet & Tweed
www.velvetandtweed.com

larabryn

Thanks for your comment!

To die for clothes on your website!

Lara Joy Brynildssen
LJBryn&Co.
www.LJBrynAndCo.com

T 847 736 2711
F 847 202 9431

Heartstring Babys Companion

refering reps?

Awesome post!
As part owner of a business, I truly appreciate the reasons that you have chosen to list your deciding factors in choosing a line. They make perfect sense.
It appears that you rep mainly baby clothing/apparel. Any advice on how to find the right rep for your product? We manufacture Heartstring Baby’s Companion breastfeeding aides. Any suggestions?
Warmly,
Danica Surette

larabryn

Here's a thought...

To find the right rep for you, use the web to research products in the same category, i.e. bother reastfeeding aides, and then visit the stores that carry those products. Ask the store owner who reps the line that is similar (but not the same as) yours. Ask her if the rep is effective too! The store owner will likely give you the name of her favorite rep and you can use the store owner as a reference when you call the rep.

It might be a nice idea to gift some product to the store owner as a thank you too. (Don’t gift in a sales-y way, just as a heartfelt thank you).

Lara Joy Brynildssen
LJBryn&Co.
www.LJBrynAndCo.com

T 847 736 2711
F 847 202 9431

jannuzzi

Well stated. Thank you.

Definitely good advice for any company, no matter what the size. We had difficulty finding a Rep in Los Angeles due to the overlap factor that was mentioned in the article. As we do clothing, blankets, burp cloths, gift items, etc. it was nearly impossible to find a Rep that was willing to take our whole line. As a result, we ended up opening our own corporate showroom last month. We’re really happy with this decision but the key is that it is close to our corporate office…I don’t think we could do this quite so easily in other parts of the country.

larabryn

What a great idea Chris

I have a friend who is in a showroom co-op that enables her products to be in several major market center showrooms for minimal cost. If you can’t afford to own - or staff - your own corporate showroom farther from home, it’s a great idea to network with other small manufacturers and see if being in a co-op showroom is another solution for your company.

Lara Joy Brynildssen
LJBryn&Co.
www.LJBrynAndCo.com

T 847 736 2711
F 847 202 9431

Diana van Ewijk

Thank you for sharing this…

Thank you for sharing this inside story on how sales reps choose what brands to represent!
For me (an European kiddies label) it’s mind boggling to even think about how to enter the American market.
Your blog (and the comments from others) give me something to hang on to and to start with once I want to make that step.

So thanks again!

Diana van Ewijk
…………………………
everyday solutions for parents and kids:
www.ozowiezo.nl
 …………………………

larabryn

Thank you for reading Diana

And good luck entering the American market!

Lara Joy Brynildssen
LJBryn&Co.
www.LJBrynAndCo.com

T 847 736 2711
F 847 202 9431

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