Pitching to a major retail store

When I got to Belk’s Headquarters I was beyond ready.  I'd spent the last month and a half preparing for this one
moment.  I designed a complete collection, traveled to my manufacturing company in New York and went straight into sample production.  Everything was riding on this one moment.  As I waited to receive my samples back from my production team I literally tossed and turned at night wondering if I'd chosen the right leathers, shades, and if my measurements were right on point. The sample process is very expensive so there was no room for error.  When I got them they were perfect and I was 100% ready to present them to Belk.

I was at fedex kinkos until 11:00 the night before to be sure that I had a complete line-sheet in color & spiral bound for each of the twelve senior executives. I wanted them to have something to walk away with that would remind them about my brand and myself.  I had my talking points, and I was ready to give it all I had.  Arlene Goldstein Belk’s VP of Trend Merchandising & Fashion Direction introduced me to the twelve senior executives. Among them were Belk’s corporate handbag buyer Pam McElroy and John Thomas the Executive VP of Private Brands.

As I described the brand and my spring collection they all appeared to be very pleased. Questions came from all around the room “What is your hardware made of?” “Are you carried in any other retail stores?” “Where are they produced?” I answered, they nodded their heads and John Thomas gave me a thumbs up at the end of my presentation. I walked away feeling great. I didn’t know it at that moment but this was just the beginning of a very exciting journey.

A few tips to use when pitching to a major retail store

1. Research their customer

I knew that the senior executives liking my designs was only half the battle. I researched who Belk sees as their customer so that I could be sure to mention different key points about the brand in my presentation that would tell them why their customer would buy my product. Example. "This is a great office companion, it's also large enough that it can be used for the mom seeking a baby bag, but looking for something more fashion forward."

2. Research their price points

 I physically went into different Belk stores and looked at the price points of their handbags.  Designers often sell different designs to different retailers at totally different prices so I would need my price points to fall in line with majority of the designer bags in their store.

3. Merchandise your product

I brought in my own fixtures to display my product so that they could see my vision. I only had ten minutes to get my point across so I had to do whatever I could to get them to understand my brand. 

4. Represent your brand

I wanted to make sure that the Belk executives could envision who my customer was. I chose to wear something that fell in line with the same aesthetic as my brand. Classic structured silhouettes with dramatic details. Example. A simple A line dress with a dramatic cap sleeve.

 

So in a nutshell, nothing I did to prepare for this presentation was done halfheartedly, I thought through each detail so that it would be extremely hard for them to tell me no.

Subscribe to Behind the Brand