A weekly podcast for the small business owner and creative entrepreneur to help you grow your wholesale. Brought to you by Therese from the Small Business Collaborative. Find out how buyers select new products, what it takes to make a product successful, how to build a long-standing relationship with a retailer and what you can do to stand out.
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A weekly podcast for the small business owner and creative entrepreneur to help you grow your wholesale. Brought to you by Therese from the Small Business Collaborative. Find out how buyers select new products, what it takes to make a product successful, how to build a long-standing relationship with a retailer and what you can do to stand out.
Are you relying only on emails, Faire, or Instagram to grow your wholesale sales? In this episode of Let’s Talk Shop, I’m sharing why traditional sales skills are making a big comeback - and why buyers are craving human connection more than ever.
I’ll walk you through what I’m seeing in the home and gift industry right now, and how you can use simple, old-school sales actions to stand out from the noise, win more stockists, and build repeat wholesale orders.
Episode Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction: Why traditional sales skills matter today
01:12 – What sales looked like when I started in 2008 (fax orders, handwritten notes, manageable inboxes)
03:05 – How digital has changed wholesale sales and why buyers feel overwhelmed
04:32 – Why trade shows feel quieter - and what buyers are really looking for
06:15 – The comeback of human connection in wholesale
07:48 – BookTok, physical books, and what this trend teaches us about selling wholesale
09:10 – The emotional side of sales: trust, familiarity, and connection
11:22 – Handwritten notes, catalogues, and why they still work
13:04 – Curated pop-ups, markets, and the rise of experiential retail
15:37 – What Korea teaches us about retail theatre and brand activations
18:45 – How UK farm shops, garden centres, and big destinations use small brands to drive discovery
21:12 – Examples of activations: Molly Mae’s coffee van, Jellycat pop-ups, and why they work
23:08 – Action steps: how to bring a more human touch to your wholesale sales this week
25:00 – Invitation to Cracking Christmas free workshop on 24th September
26:10 – How Sales Growth Lab can help you build a repeatable wholesale system
What you’ll learn in this episode
Why buyers are overwhelmed by digital pitches and inbox clutter
How traditional sales actions like handwritten notes, phone calls, and catalogues can cut through
Examples of curated pop-ups, markets, and brand activations shaping retail trends
The emotional side of wholesale sales - why trust, familiarity, and human connection drive orders
Practical ways to blend modern sales tools with personal, relationship-driven wholesale strategy
Free Workshop: Cracking Christmas
On 24th September, I’m hosting a free live workshop called Cracking Christmas: Build Your Sales Plan for Your Best Q4 Yet. We’ll map out 5 proven moves to boost your wholesale sales, reconnect with buyers, and finish the year strong. Sign up here
Ready for Steady, Predictable Wholesale Sales?
If you’re ready to stop relying only on third-party platforms and finally create a wholesale sales system that works every single month, come and join me inside Sales Growth Lab.
Let’s Talk Shop
A weekly podcast for the small business owner and creative entrepreneur to help you grow your wholesale. Brought to you by Therese from the Small Business Collaborative. Find out how buyers select new products, what it takes to make a product successful, how to build a long-standing relationship with a retailer and what you can do to stand out.
