Retail and boutique expert Sarah Shaw, joined us today, to tell us about Drop Shipping - maybe your new way of selling through retailers.
Drop Shipping has been around for years, and used to be one of the ways the "indie" designers got their goods to market, without having a retail store take a risk on them with a wholesale order. It's when a retail shop lists a designer as a brand they sell - but they don't pay up front for it. They pay the designer (or producer of product) when an order is made. Then the designer ships the product from their base.
Today, drop-shipping is done by Amazon, Wayfair, and others. It's big business, and in the time of coronavirus, an even less-averse way for retailers to connect their customers with brands like yours.
Or - maybe you run a shop and are looking for new products and designers to sell, with less risk of carrying inventory.
Today, we talked with Sarah Shaw, retail expert who has been working in this space for years.
Topics We Covered:
Pitching retailers with the drop ship option - how to pitch them.
Terms to consider.
What percentage is “normal.”
What percentage should be normal? We don’t want to live too low if we don’t need to.
Return policies and experiences.
Packaging.
If defective, who to call?
Pricing. Is your own retail pricing high enough to absorb the wholesale.
Sales: what’s the norm on putting product on sale at your own website if your drop shippers or wholesalers aren’t.
Is this a trend that is growing?
When is it time to stop? When is it too much of a pain to deal with?
What to watch out for?
Payment terms: what should you push for to get paid. We don’t want people waiting.
HOW TO WATCH
Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for premium members and the public.
MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE (FREE)
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NON-MEMBERS ($65)
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What do you need to know before investing in a tradeshow? How do you know what to bring, how to act, how to attract retailers and more? What are the biggest mistakes small business owners make before, during and after a tradeshow? Most importantly, how can you guarantee the entire experience is worth your time?
How to determine the best tradeshow participation for your brand.
Best approaches to tradeshows to build sales if you've never attended one. From research to "walking" the tradeshows.
Types of pre-show marketing activities.
How your tradeshow exhibit staff can help your brand get the most out of the tradeshow.
How to inspire and direct your sales team beore the tradeshow begins - your court-side pep talk!
What your booth can and should look like.
Realistic budgets for designing and building your tradeshow booth, and how much if it you can DIY (do it yourself).
The MUST HAVE items that you need on your tradeshow to-do list.
What goes into your “tradeshow go kit” (Scissors? Extension cord? Candy?)
The tools you'll need to lock in the orders and sales at the tradeshow.
Tips for generating booth traffic and legitimate prospects.
How to deal with shipping charges to purchasers who choose to order your products while at the tradeshow.
Your press strategy about your brand's involvement with the tradeshow, and dealing with press who "walk the floor" at the show.
Lists of what stores/buyers will be at the show.
Proper tradeshow etiquette, including approaching buyers and press walking the floor to invite them into your booth. The moves that could kill your brand at the show.
Recommended follow-up moves after the tradeshow.
Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for Premium Members and the public.
MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen. Press play and start taking notes! Not a member yet? You really should be...
NON-MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play!
The kick off of the holiday shopping season is nearly here! That's right, the days are ticking down to Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, and if you get your PR, social media and marketing plan organized with us now, you'll be reaping the benefits - and the sales - next month.
On this week's live training we're going to give you proven marketing strategies, PR story angles, and social media must-dos that we have seen work powerfully for businesses like yours. Imagine spending the next month following a buzz building checklist that takes away the pressure and stress of promoting your business and your sales. Now imagine connecting with current and new customers and clients because you took the initiative - and took a chance on your self and your business - and got the word out about your business in this season of spending.
Story angles that TV producers and newspaper reporters will be looking to cover this season.
How you can turn your Small Biz Saturday sale into a press story.
What every business needs to do to their social media feeds during these shopping holidays.
Plan Now, Do Later: What items on your buzz building checklist you can work on long before Thanksgiving is here.
A checklist of the must-have PR and social media strategies you'll want to incorporate during this season to drive web traffic and sales.
How to use Thanksgiving shopping season pitches to grow long term relationships with the press.
How to get your products in a Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping story.
Don't pitch the wrong people! What press will and what press won't be covering this type of story? Do you know the difference?
Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for Premium Members and the public.
MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen. Press play and start taking notes! Not a member yet? You really should be...
NON-MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play! Learn about Tin Shingle's Membership Program to see if it is a fit for your business and to get free access to this TuneUp.
Sabina Hitchen is the co-founder of Tin Shingle and the President of Red Branch Public Relations. She has been practicing, teaching and lecturing on all things public relations for over eight years and specializes in lifestyle public relations for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Sabina's clients have appeared everywhere from the Today Show, Good Morning America and CBS This Morning to Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc.com, O the Oprah Winfrey Magazine, People StyleWatch, E! News and more. She is a true believer that "it's PR not ER" and that every small business given the right skills and tools can excel at managing and understanding their public relations campaign.
From working with national brands like Capital One Spark to your favorite local insurance company or flea market, Tin Shingle co-founder Katie Hellmuth Martin will walk you through each step of the way for finding and signing a new sponsor or advertising partner.
Researching Part 1: Which business would be a good fit, and why.
Researching Part 2: Who is the right person within that business to pitch your sponsor or advertising idea.
Pitching The Contact: Best approaches from calling, to emailing.
Following Up: Ways to follow up with the contact if you do get a response, and following up if you don't get a response.
Closing The Deal Part 1: Getting a meeting in person or over the phone.
Life In Between: Keeping your relationship fresh if it was an informational meeting.
Closing the Deal Part 2: Getting the sale and sponsor locked in.
Negotiating Prices: From offers of modified prices to offers of trade.
Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for premium members and the public.
MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen. Press play and start taking notes!
NON-MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play!
Katie Hellmuth Martin is co-founder of Tin Shingle and publisher of A Little Beacon Blog. Since 2005 when she hung her own shingle as a designer of websites and accessories, Katie has worked with businesses of all sizes to grow their digital footprints using newsletters, company blogs, user experience, social media, and a creative look at SEO performance. For Tin Shingle, she is lead designer, community membership nurturer, columnist, and director of partnerships and advertising.
Erin Bickley and Jenny Greer were two moms with dreams of tight butts, so they invented pants that made that happen called Hold Your Haunches. A few years later, they pitched Shark Tank, got on the show, landed the deal, and weathered the #SharkTankEffect. Their email list went from 800 subscribers to 10,000 overnight. They sold 3,700 pants with 4,000 requests to be alerted when more came in stock. So how’d they do that? Was it that easy? Heck no! It involved lots of pitching, travel, re-scheduled vacations, and RV trailers. Erin and Jenny reveal inside information about their experience on Shark Tank on this TuneUp.
The Application: What happened after Erin and Jenny filled out and sent in the Shark Tank application. Did they sit on their haunches and wait for an answer?
Connections: Why connections are everything and can be worth stalking for, but is not the final answer to getting onto Shark Tank.
Audition: The audition process that took months and months and many Friday Night Training Sessions.
Geek Out: Why geeking out and obsessing over getting onto Shark Tank can make or break you getting onto the show.
Videos: Videos and their impact on a producer’s decision to even entertain you as a contestant.
Homework: Why Homework isn’t dead in the world of pitching TV or magazines, and the type of homework that Jenny and Erin did to get onto Shark Tank.
#SharkTankEffect: The realness of #SharkTankEffect on Hold Your Haunches website while they were on the show, negotiating the deal, and days after.
Website Preparation: What you can learn about prepping your website for the #SharkTankEffect from Jenny and Erin’s website traffic storm.
New PR and wholesale opportunities that happened for Hold Your Haunches.
Life after Shark Tank and how it changed the business.
Anyone can watch a Tin Shingle TuneUp from their computer, mobile phone or tablet. The process is different for premium members and the public.
MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Stream any TuneUp Webinar anytime with your Tin Shingle membership. No need to purchase it, this TuneUp is ready to play from this page! When you are logged in, you will see a big screen. Press play and start taking notes!
NON-MEMBERS OF TIN SHINGLE
Once you buy a TuneUp, you own it forever. The video or audio recording will appear on the TuneUp page that you just purchased from, and all you need to do is press play!
Erin Bickley and Jenny Greer are the brains behind the behind-enhancing body shapers we lovingly call Hold Your Haunches™ Shapewear. They are two busy moms juggling everyday responsibilities like cooking dinner, chauffeuring six kids around town, oh – and running a high-end shapewear business – all while looking fabulous.
“The truth is, before we invented Hold Your Haunches™ Shapewear, we both struggled with feeling unhappy with our bodies, and especially our backsides. We figured we weren’t the only women dealing with these feelings and just knew there had to be a way to make getting dressed every day a little more fun and not so depressing.”
The result of their efforts has made getting dressed and feeling confident a truly fun process! Hold Your Haunches™ Shapewear is the ultimate simplifier for your wardrobe because you know you’re going to look great in them every time you put them on. These body shapers are the great looking bottom for a great looking bottom. Try them for yourself – they work!
FREE
$65.00
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Melissa Hall is a GENIUS when it comes to all things marketing, branding, merchandising and tradeshows. Melissa has over eight years of retail experience from sample sales and pop-up shops to tradeshows of every kind ranging from fashion shows including 
Sabina Hitchen is the co-founder of Tin Shingle and the President of Red Branch Public Relations. She has been practicing, teaching and lecturing on all things public relations for over eight years and specializes in lifestyle public relations for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Sabina's clients have appeared everywhere from the Today Show, Good Morning America and CBS This Morning to Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc.com, O the Oprah Winfrey Magazine, People StyleWatch, E! News and more. She is a true believer that "it's PR not ER" and that every small business given the right skills and tools can excel at managing and understanding their public relations campaign.
Katie Hellmuth Martin is co-founder of 
Erin Bickley and Jenny Greer are the brains behind the behind-enhancing body shapers we lovingly call Hold Your Haunches™ Shapewear. They are two busy moms juggling everyday responsibilities like cooking dinner, chauffeuring six kids around town, oh – and running a high-end shapewear business – all while looking fabulous.
