Comments on the Article blog are now OFF! If you wish to leave feedback or your opinion of an article individual threads will be created in the Dobizo Community for further discussion. Go to discussion by Clicking Here Now

Considering many startup companies don’t have the right financing or know how to effectively market and sale clothing at a trade show many leave with no orders and less money than when they started.

Many have this belief that you will go to a trade show and leave with thousands of dollars in orders or you will one day find an investor that wants to put millions of dollars behind your company and for most of us that is not going to happen. Don’t feel discouraged though we all thought that way at one time including me and I had to find out the hard way.

There are other ways of going about getting your clothing line into stores and finding avenues to sell them some of which can be less costly, but more time consuming and usually yield better results once you get through the initial learning curve and get a feel for how they should each properly be done.

Now these alternatives in no way replace the marketing and branding aspects of a trade show, but can help your clothing company get into the hands of buyers and hopefully onto their retail shelves or can simply be done along with attending trade shows.

Showrooms

Showrooms are definitely one of the more popular alternatives and in a way resembles a trade show, but a. you don’t have to be there or hire a sales rep b. no traveling expenses and c. no direct contact with stores or buyers is required.

Most showrooms do all the dirty work for you (meetings, sales) and allow you to focus on other things within your fashion business. I think it would be in anyones best interest to work with a proven showroom or at least one that is reliable and trustworthy also it’s a good idea to find one that is familiar with your style of clothing (urban, street, active wear) and their store clients reflect that.

Showrooms can usually be paid on a performance basis (Monthly, Seasonal Commission). Also many trade shows marts have permanent or temporary showrooms that can be rented out for monthly or annual fees, but that would defeat the purpose of examples a, b, and c above and are rather costly. You can read more about showrooms by clicking here.

Catalog Sales

I think this example is pretty much self-explanatory. You can develop a catalog for your fashion company’s seasonal collections and build up a direct mailing list or hit the streets and go door to door informing possible clients of your clothing company.

If you are graphically inclined (Photoshop, Illustrator) the only cost you will accrue is printing your catalogs and a little time sourcing a printer and maybe a professional photographer.

Direct Sales or Cold Calling

This includes door to door, online, emailing, or selling at local events or from your clothing companies warehouse.

Many overlook the effectiveness of selling directly to a retailer or customer. First off if you deal directly with customers you cut out the middle man and collect all profits. Less paperwork and if you are dealing with retailer you will need a sellers permit or wholesale license.

Going door to door talking with stores or boutiques is more time consuming than anything else, but will lead to creating better relationships between a buyer and seller. You get to physically see there store and layout possibly getting a better feel for their target customer and if it is a fit for your line of clothing. Also better control the distribution of your fashion brand.

Cold calling is effective if you take the right approach and don’t come off as a solicitor even though that is what you’re doing, but instead let them know about what you have to offer and make them more knowledgeable on your clothing companies existence and then ask if you could possibly setup a meeting or email them more info about your fashion business. For more information on cold calling click here.

If there is anything you think should be added to this article or complement any of my suggestions please leave your thoughts in a comment below.

Serious about starting a clothing line? If so subscribe to our free newsletter for exclusive articles/updates that you don't want to miss! or Our RSS Feed

Continue This Discussion In Dobizo Forum

Popularity: 2% [?]

Want To Learn How To Start A Clothing Line From a proven fashion industry professional? If so Click Here to take a listen 100% Free to how you can succeed in the fashion industry from Ceo's of million dollar apparel industry businesses.