How To Pitch and Close Indie Beauty Retailers

Most independent beauty brands I meet are focused on direct-to-consumer sales and landing one of the big guns like Credo Beauty, Nordstrom or Sephora. However, there is a buying segment that often goes overlooked: The Independent Beauty Retailer or the IBR.

The trend of the Independent Beauty Retailer:

As a co-founder of Luminous, an indie beauty retailer and the founder of BrazenBranding, a business and brand consultancy, I am seeing a growing trend of IBRs.

Which for you, indie beauty brand founder, is really good news. And as an IBR ourselves, we’re often shocked about how little indie beauty brands know about how to pitch and close a sale with us.

Why focus on landing IBRs? Well, independent beauty retailers:

1. Place smaller opening orders. This means they don’t require a massive investment in inventory you don’t yet have.
2. Almost always pay upfront. No terms means no cash flow issues.
3. Have deeper, closer connections to their customers. You can leverage those connections through in store appearances or events, things that are welcomed by indie retailers.
4. Give Feedback. While I’m sure your product is amazing, every company of every size should always be collecting customer feedback and improving. IBRs get authentic feedback from customers on your product and your competitors. If you just ask, they are happy to pass the information along.
5. Tell your story. As indie brands themselves, they are excited to tell your brand’s story online, in store and on social media — all building your brand awareness.
6. Make it easier to land the big accounts. Showing your sell through rates and success from your IBR accounts can help land the big guns because you’re less of a risk.

Ready to add more IBRs to your stockist list this year?

Here are my three top tips for pitching and closing Independent Beauty Retailers:

1 - Lead with curiosity about THEIR brand. Every IBR is unique. Some sell 90% color cosmetics and others don’t carry a single lip color. Don’t make recommendations or assumptions before you understand their position in the retail market and what their customers want to buy. To do this, try asking the following:

a. Tell me about the kind of store you have.

b. Why do your customers love to shop from you?

c. What other brands do you carry?

d. What sells the best and what do you feel is missing from your lineup?

2 - Create the opportunity. The IBR is not always looking for something specific, which opens the door for you to create a need for your products. (Some of our top selling products at Luminous were in categories we were not looking to buy in.)

Using what you’ve just learned by asking the IBR questions, you can do three things:

a. Make on the spot recommendations of products you feel would genuinely be a successful fit for the IBR’s business. Trust your instinct on making these recommendations, you know this space. ‘Based on your current product portfolio and customer, I feel our __________ products would be the most successful in your store.’

b. Ask for a few days to do your research on their store, brands they carry and customers. Come back to them with products you feel would compliment their current offerings or build on them through a new product type. Make sure to tell them whyyou chose these products for them. ‘After some research, I feel our ___________ products would be successful in your store because ____________.’

c. Use any data you have. Inform them of your best sellers from other IBRs like theirs. If you have IBRs with similar customer types or brands they carry, now is the time to use that information. ‘Our IBRs like yours have had the most success with _________.’

3 - Figure out how they make their ultimate buying decision and help with the process. Unlike major retailers, there aren’t layers of buyers and management to get through in landing an IBR. While each IBR is different, you should take the time to understand how each of them comes to a final decision so you can figure out how to close the sale. The two most important questions to ask in this process are:

a. What factors have the biggest impact on your decision to pick up a new brand? (Packaging, ingredients, press/influencer mentions, uniqueness, aesthetic, price point, efficacy, etc)

b. Who else needs to see or try a product before you make an order?

Now you can send them tailored information or more product for their team to try. This will help them feel confident in their decision to place an opening order. It is this same process to increase order sizes or expand product types once they are a client of yours.

If it’s your first time pitching IBRs, here are other tips and insights indie beauty brand founders have found helpful:

1. They may not pick up your whole line. Focus on getting a product in the door so you can start building the relationship with the IBR and their customers.
2. You can train their staff yourself via Skype because an educated retail staff = more sales. If you train their staff, the message that gets to the customer is more in your control. Invest the time in doing this, it costs you nothing.
3. If you can afford it, make investments in the relationship by sending product for their team or ‘back bar’. Getting your products used by their staff will help them sell more.
4. Ask for feedback. Use your IBRs as your free and authentic focus group. They’re on the ground with customers, take advantage of those insights.
5. Build the relationship. An IBR can turn into your biggest client or your biggest promoter overnight. If you’re not getting a repeat order, reach out. If sales have slowed, reach out. If sales are growing, reach out. Thank them for their business and ask what can you do for them or their customers this season to help them better connect to your brand.

You started an indie beauty brand for a reason. Trust your instincts and strive to create meaningful, long term relationships with independent beauty retailers. They are eager to be your ally :)

For more insights or specific advice on growing your beauty brand, schedule a free 30 minute call with me here.