009 | Kimberley Yurkiewicz, Crow & Canary on sales reps, why you need a printed catalog for wholesale and the importance of giving back.

Kimberley is the New York sales representative for Crow + Canary. During her 15+ year career in the stationery industry, Kimberley has worked at Crane & Co., Kate's Paperie, as well as two of her own independent boutiques. She got her start running a letterpress studio, and has since worked all sides of the business – manufacturing, wholesaling, custom printing, multi-unit retail, buying, merchandising, and now repping. Kimberley's vast experience in the industry provides a unique and valuable perspective. On today's episode Kimberley talks about the role of sales reps, why you need a printed catalog for wholesale and the importance of giving back.

ON TODAY'S EPISODE:

[01:00] Kimberley's rich background in the stationery industry. [04:30] Meeting Carina Muray, her now boss, through Twitter.[07:30] Overview of a sales rep's role.[10:00] Tips for reaching out to retailers.[11:30] Keep track of contacts you meet & jot down details you can use in follow up.[12:30] What to end to retailers you're woo-ing.[13:00] Refining your line & honing in on your unique aesthetic[14:00] Why catalogs are important if you're selling wholesale[20:00] Line sheets vs catalogs[22:00] Releasing your products when buyers are buying[26:00] The importance of giving back to our industry[29:30] Kimberley is a champion for independent shops, only shops local.[32:30] How our experiences and interests shape us in our work.[36:00] Too much 'busy' in our lives.

KEY TAKE-AWAYS:

"We look at ourselves as sort of a seamless, internal sales mechanism for the lines." -Kimberley Yurkiewicz on her role as sales rep.

"I asked myself what do I want to be doing, what elements of this am I good at, what are my strengths, what am I not interested in pursuing anymore, or what am I too junior for, what am I too senior for, all of those things." -Kimberley Yurkiewicz

"My buyers love to get things in the mail, they love to be able to see things and touch them as if they were having an appointment with you." - Kimberley Yurkiewicz

"My buyers want to see things that are not the same as every other thing on Etsy or Instagram" - Kimberley Yurkiewicz

"Catalogs are your best friend because they take the place of you when you're not there" -Kimberley Yurkiewicz

MEET KIMBERLEY YURKIEWICZ:

Kimberley is the New York sales representative for Crow + Canary. During her 15+ year career in the stationery industry, Kimberley has worked at Crane & Co., Kate's Paperie, as well as two of her own independent boutiques. She got her start running a letterpress studio, and has since worked all sides of the business – manufacturing, wholesaling, custom printing, multi-unit retail, buying, merchandising, and now repping. She has attended tradeshows as both a buyer and exhibitor. Kimberley's vast experience in the industry provides a unique and valuable perspective.

Website: http://www.crowandcanary.com

Instagram: @kimberleycanary

Twitter: @kimberleycanary

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ABOUT PROOF TO PRODUCT:

Proof to Product is brought to you by Tradeshow Bootcamp and hosted by Katie Hunt. Since 2011, TSBC has worked with hundreds of product based businesses to help them up level, scale, and build profitable sustainable companies. You can find our show notes and additional resources at ProofToProduct.com. If you like what you heard today, please head over to Apple Podcast to leave a five star review and subscribe. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back next week with a new episode.