There's one simple thing that all businesses require to be viable, and that's sales! Without them, we don't have a business. This Masterclass focuses on how to thrive "going it alone". As you'll soon find out from the founder of Field of Ponies, entrepreneurs today can truly challenge the status quo and single-handedly take on retail giants.
We discuss the avenues you can take to get your product to market, and hear tips from those who have been there and done it. You'll also discover how to overcome your fear of selling and what to do to perfect your sales technique. We've also included not one, but three invaluable downloadables containing places to pitch your wares to, and checklists for setting up an online shop and physical bricks and mortar.
In this Masterclass you will learn:
- The pros and cons of setting up a physical shop, along with steps of how to get to launch
- Tips for visual merchandising
- How to get in front of your target market
- An overview of franchising
- Different types of sales strategies; retail, wholesale, made to order
- How to combat the anxiety around selling and your competition
- Customer purchase habits, and how to use them to your advantage
- Working with e-commerce platforms like Shopify
- Advice for setting up pop-up shops
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Introduction to How & Where to Sell with Francis Love
with Francis LoveSummary
Today, there are hundreds of sales channels available for creatives. So it's no surprise that both established and emerging designers often find it challenging to choose the right avenues to sell their products. However, choosing the right sales channel is crucial. Without them, it can be a fast drain on both your time and money. Thankfully, the design duo behind Francis Love, Deborah Lynch-Shyllon and Julie Middleton, are on hand to demystify the topic, with their introduction on how and where to sell.
Deborah and Julie began their business with a bricks and mortar homeware store in 2014 and now run an interior design consultancy covering commercial and architectural design under the same name. They have incredible, first-hand experience of setting up a store retailing goods for the home using sustainable materials and working with independent designers and artisan.
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Launching A Bricks & Mortar Interiors Shop with Francis Love
with Francis LoveSummary
With so many different business owners in The Sustainable Fashion Collective, we were delighted when the fabulous design duo from Francis Love agreed to impart their wisdom on their experience setting up an interior homewares shop in Surrey, England. There are some amazing gems of advice in this video so get your pens at the ready!
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Launching A Bricks & Mortar Fashion Boutique with Ilona Marasea, founder of Ilona Anthony
with Ilona MaraseaSummary
We dive into the world of setting up a bricks and mortar fashion retail store. Having already taken a look at the runnings of an interior home furnishing shop, Ilona Anthony gives us her insight into launching her beautiful fashion store in Melbourne, Australia. Ilona is a true inspiration as a granny entrepreneur and shares brilliant tips on how she set up her store and attracts her ideal client.
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Running a Bricks & Mortar & an Introduction to Franchising with Wendy Batten, Front Porch Mercantile
with Wendy BattenSummary
We had the pleasure of interviewing Wendy Batten, founder and director of Front Porch Mercantile, a retail store in North America selling beautiful, reclaimed furniture which you can buy fully upcycled with their own ethical paints, or, you can join in one of their workshops to learn how to do it yourself (among many other things). An incredible nose for business, Wendy is also a coach and works with two of the biggest ethical paint lines in North America. But even more impressive, is that just five years in, Wendy has franchised the business and is currently opening store numbers three and four!
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Conquer Your Anxiety Around Sales
with Melanie BrooksSummary
The fear of not being able to sell your product can be overwhelming. After all of the hours, money and love you've invested creating your product - the thought that your customer might not like it is scary! But, guess what - it's completely normal.
The key is to not let the worry paralyse you. To teach us how to combat anxiety around sales, we have this Masterclass from the brilliant Melanie Brooks!
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Understanding How Your Customer Buys to Increase Your Sales
with Christine KnottSummary
This is an in-depth 37 minute presentation from Christine Knott, the founder of Beyond The Box. This retail training and field marketing business was founded in 1999, and by 2018, Christine's company was one of the top training businesses in the UK, enabling sales staff to sell more effectively (the business is no longer operating). The overall aim is to encourage more of those satisfied customers who leave stores having bought products or services - and to come back as loyal customers who can't get enough. Beyond The Box teaches businesses how to raise average transaction values and improve conversion rates, and inspires employees to become sellers rather than servers.
This Lesson is specifically aimed at business-to-customer sales (whether in-person, online or over the phone), so if you are at all nervous about this type of interactive sales process and closing the deal - you will love this Lesson.
Interviews
Ilona Anthony: Launching A Bricks-And-Mortar Fashion Boutique
Monday Jan 1st, 2018
Field Of Ponies: Breaking From The Traditional Fashion Cycle and Launching A Pop Up Store
Monday Jan 1st, 2018
Francis Love: Launching A Bricks-And-Mortar Interiors Shop
Monday Jan 1st, 2018
Front Porch Mercantile: Introduction to Franchising and Running a Bricks and Mortar Shop
Monday Jan 1st, 2018
Infantium Victoria: Changing The Mindset Around Sustainable And Ethical Fashion
Monday Jun 1st, 2020
Additional Links
Advice for talking to fashion buyers
Success secrets of the best online fashion boutiques
The best online marketplaces to sell
Best sustainable fashion stores online
How to do market research or your niche business
Choosing the right location for your retail store
Nail your SEO for your retail site
Appear here - find retail spaces for pop ups
Creating A Sales Plan For Your Business [Resilient Retail Club; Podcast Episode 10]
Why Paying Yourself Is Crucial [Resilient Retail Club]
Controlling Your Stock [Resilient Retail Club; Podcast Episode 5]
Follow on Masterclasses:
How To Build A Sustainable Business Model
Branding A Sustainable Business
Where And How to Sell: Wholesale, Agents And Online Marketplaces
Additional Reading
What The Fashion Industry Should Take Away from COP26
Monday Nov 15th, 2021
What Wellbeing Strategies Can You Implement To Be An Agile Business?
Thursday Dec 17th, 2020
Can The High Street Recover From The Covid-19 Pandemic?
Thursday Dec 10th, 2020
How Fashion Retail Has Survived The Covid-19 Pandemic
Thursday Dec 3rd, 2020
Building A Healthy And Happy Work Culture After Coronavirus
Thursday Jun 11th, 2020
What Does the Future Hold for Fast Fashion?
Monday Feb 17th, 2020
Transforming the swimwear industry with Deakin and Blue at Pure Origin
Friday Feb 14th, 2020
Crowdfunding craft with Kickstarter + Yodomo
Monday Oct 21st, 2019
The Key Questions to Ask Before Planning Your Marketing Budget
Monday Oct 14th, 2019
Are you getting the message across? Why it might be time to rebrand your business
Monday Aug 12th, 2019