Break The Chain

Think you're ready to sell to a catalog? Choosing the right catalog is the first step to success. But before approaching a catalog, you'll need to get a copy of it and check out the kind of merchandise it carries. You'll also want to make sure it sells products like yours, and that your price point is comparable to other products in the catalog. You should even go so far as selecting the best pages where your product could go. All that information will eventually come in handy, because your next step will be to write the catalog company directly, telling whoever's in charge that your product would be a perfect fit. Simply call the company and ask which buyer handles your type of product, and then send your package to that person.

McKay even goes a step further when trying to place his products: Instead of sending the standard flier to each buyer, he makes up a mock catalog page featuring his product. "I want the buyer to see exactly what my product would look like in that catalog," McKay explains.

He also likes to present three or four different designs to each buyer: "Presenting options improves the chances the buyer will like one of the options," McKay says. "It also tells the buyer that we're easy to work with, and that we'll do whatever it takes to make the catalog buyer happy."

When it comes to selling to catalogs, you've got to be persistent. "You need to keep calling the buyers, even if they haven't taken your product before," says McKay, who also says that persistence helps show the buyer that you'll be dependable. "The buyers are constantly changing, and the new buyer might like your product, while the old buyer didn't. The catalog might also have ordered another product where the supplier can't make delivery." Don't give up on the catalogs you're interested in--you might get your break.

Catalogs remain a great outlet for inventors. Despite all the hype surrounding e-commerce, catalogs still consistently produce greater sales. Catalogs are also a great option for inventors because costs are low. You can do everything by mail, phone and e-mail.
Inventors hoping to sell their products should include marketing to catalogs as a key component of their strategies. The orders might not be as big as those from huge discount chains, but they're often big enough to establish your business with minimal risk. That's a winning combination you'd be hard-pressed to find in any other distribution network.

This article was originally published in the May 2000 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Break The Chain.