Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Phil is right. The only other alternative is to set up appointments and actually show up in the UK to present your merchandise to the right buyers ... and that won't be easy either. Buyers for the major chains have a lot of pressures on them, and they tend to trust the people with whom they have done business in the past.

And even if they love your merchandise, they'll have a zillion questions about delivery, terms, returns, merchandising support, marketing plans, etc. And they'll be a lot more comfortable with the whole thing if there's a local representative ... preferably one they already know and trust. Phone calls to a place that's several time zones away is not something they relish, if they will even consider it at all.

I disagree, :)

You don't need a strategy. You just need a nice web site displaying the products. A nice PDF or PPT presentation to show what they are, where they are made, and the success that you have had already with Canadian dept. stores.

Send an email to the buyers and then call them after 3 days and speak to them directly on the phone.

Tell them that you will be in the UK soon and that you would like to have a brief meeting to present your products.

If thgey won't give you a meeting, then you start the series of ten good news emails. Send the buyers an exciting good news about yur product(s) and or progress with your busienss one a week for ten weeks and keep following up with phone calls until they agrgee to meet with you.

I can confirm that IT WORKS (of course you have to do it in a nice way).

Persistence works in selling.

Once you get the meeting, they may say, "yes we like the products but we would prefer that you go through a distributor". THis is great news because they will then introduce you to the distributor they like and he can't say no anymore because the products are already approved.

Trust me it works :))

Just be persistent, consistenet adn patient and if your products really have the potential (which you have already proven in Canada) then you will get them in.

Goo luck.

Matthew

If you believe in your products, get in touch with the channel partners of retailers. You can get that information from yellow pages or business directory. Simultaneously keep email communications with end buyers. It will create a pull for your products and in case they don't approach you directly, they would certainly inquire about it to their channel partners, who would pitch for you.
-Viny