advice on marketing and selling new detailing products

[imported_pigcorn]

I am going to private label and sell my own products and process that I use for my clients cars. i have sold them to some clients but looking to sell my products on a much larger scale.



wanted to get advice however from anyone who has experience selling and marketing new car detail products. i wanted to have more of a plan other then make a website and sponsor a forum.



how can i sell in retail stores? what about selling my products to detailing shops? car shows?



any info or reference material i should read would be really helpful.



thank you

[imported_WCD]

I don`t think it is all that easy. First of all, you will need MSDS sheets per product. Most products in stores will like you to have your labels bar coded. Your branding here is important-graphic layout will be a key if you are to sell to stores. Check the legalities...what if someone injures themselves...a child gets to the product. Do you have something on the label, or proper insurance against a suit?



You are battling with a market that is very competitive.



Buying and relabeling is not the hard part...most companies do not make their own products! It`s a World of perception- make your product `look` good to the consumer and back it up. If you look at most of the successful online retailers, you will find that many do not sell their own line. Rather, use the brands that are already in the minds of consumers and sell them!



Just my thoughts, but good luck, Rob

[imported_pigcorn]

thanks for the info this is the kind of advice I am looking for. what does msds stand for ?

[sdat1333]

material safety data sheet

[imported_416 Auto]

I private labeled and manufactured car care products before selling my company at the beginning of this year. I private labeled a multi purpose cleaner, wax, polish and a water based interior dressing. I also manufactured a multi purpose cleaner and a high gloss tire dressing. Here is some advice off the top of my head. Make sure you are legal and insured. Some places, there is a lot of red tape to cut through to sell a product. The good news is that it is easy to find out that information either online or by making one phone call to your proper city/state offical. Next is insurance. Find out what you need and get it. One of the best lessons I ever learned was never underestimate the general public. Someone somewhere will do that stupid thing you thought no one would ever do. Part of the insurance process is also finding out and knowing what you have to have on your labels as far as directions, languages, warnings ect. You want your tail covered. Sometimes when private labeling a product, the manufacture that makes and sells a product to you are selling you products that are really geared for a professional detailer. They sell it to you, you sign off on it and they cover their tails. While those same products work amazing read the warnings on the MSDS sheets. They are made up of some pretty nasty stuff because they are originally created under the pretense that a professional would be the end user, not the average person in their driveway without gloves or a mask. Basically, just do your homework and take some extra time to get the right products. Also, starting out with a single product is a great thing to do. One product is easier to build brand strength and you can introduce more products to the line in time. This also helps from a cost perspective as well. What worked for me was a tire dressing first. It was an incredible dressing. Anyone who used it always bought it again and again. It was also priced very well so it sold a lot of units. When I launched a new product, all my old customers bought it based on the strength of the original product. I used a tire dressing first because to compete against waxes and the really popular products is a lot more work. There is so much to selling to retail stores PM me and I will get you off on the right foot. I don’t want to waste everyone’s time reading another story…. lol. In a nutshell, forget about selling to detail shops. Some will buy, but not enough and definitely not at the margins you want. Gear your products towards consumers for the most profit. Car shows are a great place to sell because cost can be relatively low and consumer exposure is really high. But get ready to put on a show because you have to convince “car guysâ€� to leave the products they have used forever and try yours. Remember “car guysâ€� are not Autopian’s. Autopian’s want to try new stuff and love the new car care products. “Car guysâ€� love the cars and use the stuff they think works. Without typing too much more the best thing for you to do is link up with a great “partnerâ€�. When I say partner I mean a popular local speed shop ect. Sell them on your product (again PM me and I’ll give you some tips without wasting everyone’s time) and sell your products through them using their brand identification and strength. Sorry for the story length post. This is a topic that can use a plethora of space. PM me with any questions or if a mod says it’s cool I will right out the long and complete version.



Thanks,

416

[imported_pigcorn]

Thanks I will PM you