There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ formula for selling wholesale

**…but trust me, that’s a good thing….**

…because that means that whatever you make, however you make it, you can have your work stocked in galleries and shops. I am proud to say my work has been stocked in dozens of shops and galleries all over the world. You can too.

Below I’m sharing 7 of my top 14 tips, this is a condensed extract from one of the modules on the Smart Maker’s Guide to Wholesale course) which may help some of you on your first foray into wholesale. In the course I share everything I know from the past 10 years of being a full time potter, which enabled me to build a successful wholesale side of my business - without doing any expensive trade shows. The course is jam packed full of all the essential info, tools and templates you will ever need.

1) Communication is key. Getting to know your stockists as people is not only a really nice thing to do it’s also a key stone in establishing a great wholesale relationship (which will probably lead to more orders in itself). Do what you say you are going to do; email or phone people when you say you are going to. Be clear and efficient. Dropping a stockist an email to let them know you are on track with their order is a really nice touch. Tell them when the order is ready to ship. Check in that the stock arrived safely and everything was as expected.

2) Just be yourself. Giving the impression you have a large team behind you might be fine for bagging more orders at a big trade show but how about if things go wrong? Make sure store and gallery owners understand you are a one-person outfit. If you are struggling to fulfil an order because you got sick, your kid was sick or something went wrong with the firing, then just be honest and apologise. Shop owners are just people, you'll be surprised how lovely and understanding they are.

3) Be open to feedback. Welcome honest opinions. If a stockist isn't going to order from you this time, try and understand why. Do not get defensive or desperate, just ask if they have any insights they can share which might make your work more appealing to their customers? It could be price, it could be that they already stock something similar. It’s like any relationship, you have to be the right fit for them as they do for you. If it’s not right this time, thank them and move on. Use it as a learning experience.

4) Be an expert shipper. Get really good at packing your orders! Keep packaging minimal but effective. Making sure your work arrives clean, safe and looking it’s best is all part of the service. Get a proper quote from the post office/ courier. Often you won’t know the weight of a parcel until it’s been packaged up so over-estimate if nessecary but try to get an accurate as possible from the outset. This is really important, especially for international wholesale orders. Don’t waste time and money wrapping each separate piece of work in tissue and a pretty sticker (as you would likely do for a customer order) if it's going straight on a shelf it will just be thrown straight in the bin. It can still be neatly packaged and look beautifully presented without the wasted effort.

5) Price your work like you love it 💕 Pricing CRAFT, ART AND ANY HANDMADE GOODS is hard. Getting your pricing right is the bedrock for wholesale, in fact it’s the bedrock for your entire business. If you are not making a profit then it’s just an expensive hobby - right? You want to make a profit, you deserve to make a profit. My course ‘The Smart Maker’s Guide to Wholesale’ helps you to reframe pricing in your mind and give you the tools and confidence to price your products what they are worth. In the course I take you through how to get your prices to where they need to be in order to make a healthy profit from wholesale including pricing strategies and how to get on top of your costs as well as:

Find efficiencies in your studio, making practices and business to get you more profit
Getting you in to the mindset of a 'marketing manager' 😉
Understand the importance of charging for your worth
Explore strategies in order to raise your prices

6) Don't offer every product you make. Decide which product sell best and which will work for you. Despite being asked for them a lot, I don't make teapots wholesale - there is just too much room for error and they're often just too expensive for the stockists.

7) Be super organised. Keep on top of orders. Send out invoices promptly and chase up invoices that are over due. Keep on top of your stock. If selling sale or return- keep spreadsheets of what is where and who has what. When it comes to lead times, don't make things hard for yourself. Give yourself extra time, it's always useful to have a little buffer if a product goes wrong, and it will! 😉

Wholesale now makes up approx 20% of my business. I make wholesale work for me, not the other way around and that’s an important definition that I’ll help you understand through my online course ‘The Smart Maker’s Guide to Wholesale’.
I have found a way of working with stockists which means I don’t get stressed out with orders, I don’t do things which don’t align with my values and I still make money. It’s taken me many, many errors and mess-ups to get to this point, mind you! That’s why I want to share what I've learned so you don't make the same mistakes.

The course provides you with a tailor made action plan outlining how to nail down every aspect of wholesale expanding on all of the subjects I touch on above and much, much more. I have made all the expensive mistakes so you don't have to.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions feel free to reach out: kara@karaleighceramics.com

Kara x