Liz Webster’s Guide to Getting into Retail – Part 2

In the room, how to manage your presentation & what to focus on

YAH, you’ve got the call and you’ve been given the opportunity to present to the Buying Team, but now you’re starting to panic!

Please don’t, as this is where you can truly have some fun with your brand, showing the Buying Team why they need your brand on their shelves!

HERE’S A STEP-BY-STEP ON  PREPPING FOR THE PRESENTATION:

1. Who are you presenting to? You need to make sure you have the decision makers in the room. That should be the Head of Buying, the Buyer and the Buying Assistant. Sometimes you might even include the Marketing and Retail Operations Teams. This way you’re including everyone who can make your brand a success.
2. Double check and confirm who will attend the presentation.
3. It would be great to gift the team with the product at least one week before the presentation, so they can be familiar with it before your pitch and even trial it.
4. Ask if you can have the meeting room 30 mins before the actual meeting. This will give you the opportunity to set the room up to reflect the DNA of your brand.
5. Have some fun with how you present! Are there any special ingredients in your products? E.g. is it an organics range with coconuts, almonds or berries, etc… Use these ingredients to dress the table and meeting room.
6. So now the room is prepped, what are you presenting?
7. Have you prepared a PowerPoint? Make sure you have enough copies for everyone in the presentation and ensure that if you’re putting it up on a screen, that it works! The copies are great leave-behinds and a lifesaving standby should something technical go wrong.

LET’S NOW DISCUSS THE CONTENT OF THE PRESENTATION:

1. Have you captured the DNA of your brand?
2. Do you understand the competitive set it sits in and what makes it unique to its competitors?
3. Have you built up the sales, number of stores, space, grading of stores, etc?
4. I recommend you build a sales plan for year 1 – 3, showing sales, growth, etc.
5. Have you identified the space or position you want in store?
6. What is the marketing plan and budget?
7. Is your marketing plan aligned to the retailer?
8. What is your launch plan for the brand?
9. How does the retailer train their Beauty Advisors and how will you be a part of that?
10. The Beauty Advisors will be the lifeline of your brand, so you need to find a way to “win” them over and nothing works better than sending the store a sample pack for them to share and even better, how about an incentive program!

WHAT’S NEXT?

Be confident, enthusiastic and passionate. No one knows what you’re presenting better than you! Good luck, I know you’ll nail it!

In the next part, I’ll focus on fulfilling the order. What you physically need to do getting your brand into stores and how it looks on the shop floor/shelf/counter.

ABOUT LIZ

Liz Webster is an experienced senior retail executive who has been General Manager Merchandise at API, owner of Priceline, and Group General Manager Cosmetics, Footwear & Accessories and Intimate Apparel at Myer. 

Prior to retail, Liz had a long and successful career in media, making her knowledge of brands and how to market them to the consumer unique. At both Myer and Priceline, Liz has been involved in securing many brands and knows very well what it takes to launch them successfully. 

Featuring in each of esprit Magazine through 2018, Liz will share her tips and tricks to ensure you’re prepped and ready to present your brand to retailers from pitch to execution in store and beyond.