Here I explain how to approach and secure the services of top agents & showrooms.
Having been an agent myself, as well as a sales director, I have a good understanding of what sales agents and showrooms look out for and what they may question.
The Agents/Showrooms contained in my e-book are, in my opinion, the top 12 in London. Of course there are many agents and showrooms outside of London and I will add some of these later, but for now focus on these guys. Some act as agents/showrooms, some act as agent/showroom/distributors whereby they act as your sole client and will give you a single 'bulk' order after having pre-sold your collection to their account base. More about this in the main e-book.
When appraoching an agency/showroom or distributor, timing is all important. Pointless you contacting them during their selling seasons, they will not entertain you. Find out, via their websites generally, when they are in their selling seasons, as they often present mid season collections and cruise collections as well as the main S/S and A/W collections, so these guys are always busy!
Whatever you do, do not merely pick up and the phone and call them, generally they will not entertain you as an emerging designer or brand. You have to be a little smart here and act as though you are actually bigger than you are without pretending to be D&G!
Make sure you have done your homework, visited their websites, checked out the designers they represent, visited the designers websites to make sure your pricepoints fit in and also, if possible, checked out their stockist list to ensure you are targeting a similar retailer. Agents/showrooms love to sell multiple collections to the same retailer, makes their life so much easier!
Make sure you have a recent Press Release, ideally have a few lovely stockists ready to name drop, even if they are based outside of the UK. Once you are confident that you have a nice package to present, firstly make contact to them by email outlining your interest in them and why, give a little detail as to who you are and who you already supply and that you are now ready to expand via the correct agency/showroom.
If you recieve positive feedback, then send them the package that you have carefully put together and include any press coverage you may have, your website details, a good press release and any stockists you already have. Do not beg for representation! Be polite, patient and professional at all times.
Do be prepared not to receive positive feedback. Some will say they are fully committed with the amount of designers already represented, some will say your merchandise does not fit in with their designer mix or they are not looking at taking on new designers right now. This is all normal and typical, perservere.
Finding and securing a good agency/showroom is not as easy as it sounds. Agents and showrooms are profit based businesses also and primarily they seek designers/labels/brands that are not niche but are capable of attracting the interest from multiple buyers in order to generate income in the form of commissions due, be they boutique, department store or e-tailers, ideally all three.
Agents/showrooms typically work on a commission basis. That commission rate can vary but is typically between 10-15% on invoiced sales. That means they will charge 10-15% of the invoiced amounts based on orders they take for you and that you deliver, hence the invoiced amounts, not the order value. There is a far more detailed chapter about Agents and Showrooms in the e-book. Distributors work in a very different manner and also their discount structures are very different.
Always try to approach the Sales Director otherwise you could end up trying to go through a multitude of internal salespeople who are not the decision makers with regards to who the agency/showroom represents. Cut to the chase and get to the Sales Director or agency owner(s)
For your list of the Top 12 London Showrooms/Agents please go back to the homepage and pick up your copy of 'Some Buyers Will, Some Buyers Won't ' available at the bottom of the homepage.
