| KATHY KATS© Personal thoughts on the stationery industry, based on my experience and listening to others: Few artists are business people - (the fabulously successful designer Flavia is married to a marketing wizard) - but we can learn. Someone wrote that the number of companies making a profit on the Internet is equal to the players on Chad's water polo team....but why not have a site of one's own? It's not a big cash outlay, and you never know....the more your product is out there the better. There are three important annual stationery shows - Chicago, San Francisco, and New York. Seattle's too, has grown, welcoming buyers from Canada and Alaska. It's worth the investment and the effort to exhibit your wares at one show once. Wear comfortable shoes! I didn't break even on costs for the New York show, but I'm glad I had the experience...got three reps and a few orders - and orders months later from shop owners who took my brochure at the booth. It's good to be in the industry atmosphere. If you can share a booth with another designer or two - even better. Schmoozing with others in a 'hands on' environment is a great way to learn. Sales representation is a thorny issue, and it's why so many small greeting card companies fold up their tents each year. Finding reliable, professional sales representatives to take on your line has to be your #1 goal starting out. They are essential to your company's good health and growth. Stationery is definitely a person-to-person business. Retailers overwhelmingly prefer dealing with a rep to mail order. A reliable rep has loyal, on-going relationships with dozens of retailers. In the New York, New Jersey/Connecticut area there are zillions of shops that sell cards. Part of the frustration is the rep who agrees to take your line and then produces no sales at all. I have a graphic artist friend in Vermont. Nine of his reps have been complete duds, while five are selling very well. It's a case of trial and error for the designer/manufacturer. If your reps aren't selling within the first 3 months of taking on your line, talk to them, find out why and if necessary replace the rep with another. In addition to having clients like Barnes & Noble and Borders, you want to have solid, professional reps in all the big metropolitan areas - Dallas/Fort Worth; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Washington, DC; Los Angeles; Boston; Chicago, et al. They must show small lines and not let yours get lost at the bottom of their portfolios. The rep has to sincerely like your work to sell it - he/she is, after all, competing with Caspari and Portal and Avanti and Recycled Paper - the big guns. Then again, your rep may be representing these lines! The Greeting Card Association, in Washington, DC, offers a rep list for a fee; and if you'd like to advertise your line in the Association's industry magazine (GREETINGS), call (973) 895-3300. OASIS, 602-230-1237 is an Arizona trade publication that takes inexpensive ads for artists seeking sales reps in the southwest. Jill Ford's Rep Registry charges an initial fee of $50 and another $175 if you take a rep she finds for you. FAX: 714-493-2627, Ph: 714-240-3333/P.O. BOX 2306, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624. Ask retailers for the names of good sales reps they deal with. Reps themselves are often helpful. If your line is not for them ask for recommendations of others - or perhaps he/she knows reps who cover other territories. Selling one's own work is a personal choice. Some retailers enjoy meeting artists. Others won't take the time to look at just one line. Don't make appointments for Saturdays, a retailer's busiest selling time. You may want to place your own advertisement in your local paper for sales reps - however you get them - get them - and stay in touch with them. You should have a contract, no matter how informal, stating the rep's responsibilities as well as yours. For instance, you may want to pay for a portion of the fees for trade shows. If you get involved with reps' showrooms, they pay for the space, not you. You also agree to ship orders within 48 hours of receipt. If a customer asks you to provide racks or 'spinners' for your line, do so. You want to make your rep look good! A rep will generally help you - back you up - when it comes to collecting bad debts - put that in your contract. Stay away from offering discounts - unless it's a matter of really big volumes. The rep may want to offer your line as an 'exclusive' to a shop. Again, follow the rep's lead. Chances are the rep knows the territory better than you do. Your reps will want 'decks' - your line - and brochures if you have them. And reps like to have new designs to show - at least every year. Christmas presents entirely different aspects of the industry. Last year boxed Christmas cards did not do nearly as well as single cards...breaking a decades-long pattern of boxed card preference. Whenever you see a likely shop, drop in to peruse the racks. Check out prices and new trends. Price your cards competitively. Individually hand-crafted cards would be priced higher than those printed offset - and they might require different outlets, such as art galleries or craft shops. Be imaginative about outlets - gift boutiques, shops specializing in products for women (93% of the market), hospital shops, and of course avoid Hallmarks or discount stores. A thought to remember: Other than Christmas, the `everydays' that consistently outsell all others are Valentines and Mother's and Father's Day cards. Thank Yous are big, too. Whether or not to offer "greeted" cards or blank notes? - a personal decision entirely. It's up to you whether or not to require a minimum order. In the interest of making new retail friends who want to 'try you out' you may not want to. On the other hand your reps need to make a living, too, so go with their advice for their customers. Net 30 Days is pretty much a formality for small companies just starting out. Customers pay shipping costs (we use UPS) unless an order is pre-paid. It's unusual to receive payment with an order and your paying the shipping charge is the traditional way of saying thanks. Otherwise just enclose a copy of the order as a bill with the order, adding the UPS charge to the total. No CODs. Onward and upward - Excelsior!
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