Proof to Product

By: Katie Hunt
  • Summary

  • Ranked in the top 1% of ALL podcasts, the Proof to Product podcast is your trusted resource for sustainable business growth - especially if you make and sell physical products! Join Katie Hunt, each week as she shares strategies & solutions to enhance your sales & marketing so that you’re building a business that supports your best life. If you’ve ever asked yourself can I make money selling physical products? Am I ready to sell my products wholesale to stores like Target, Anthropologie, Nordstrom or Barnes & Noble? When should I consider hiring a sales team or sales reps? Can I really turn my passion into profits? Whether you’re a just starting out on your business journey or you’ve been at it a while growing an empire, this show is for you. Proof to Product is like on-demand business school for product sellers spanning a wide range of industries. Whether you’re in home decor, apparel, beauty, food & beverage, hand-made items, jewelry, consumer gifts or the stationery world, you’ll gather new ideas each week to help you grow your profit, build your team and lead with integrity. Host Katie Hunt and her guests bring you actionable ways to expand your product line, manufacturing overseas, optimize your e-commrce websites on Shopify, Faire, Etsy, Abound, Tundra, Squarespace or in brick & mortar locations. How to start or scale wholesale sales including pitching stores, wholesale outreach, trade show exhibition, working with sales reps, managing inventory, warehousing product, sales systems, wholesale follow-up strategies and working with key accounts. Marketing strategies for small businesses including content creation, leveraging tik tok and instagram tactics without feeling burned out, why you can’t rely solely on social media for sales and why email marketing systems on platforms like Klaviyo, Flodesk and Active Campaign are so powerful. Listen in as Katie and our guest experts help you strategize and tackle your biggest business goals. Host Katie Hunt brings a unique perspective to entrepreneurship. Since 2011, she’s helped thousands of product brands get their products on the shelves of their favorite retail stores through her Paper Camp program (www.prooftoproduct.com/papercamp). Prior to that she worked in the corporate world for over a decade leading business development and marketing teams. She has two MBAs - one in finance and one in marketing. And, she owned & operated her own product based business for over 8 years, selling her products to stores throughout the world from her garage. Katie knows the struggles you face as a product based business and she’s here to pull back the curtain and share her best kept secrets so that you don’t have to learn things the hard way. Find our free trainings & resources for product based business owners at www.prooftoproduct.com/resources
    ©Proof to Product & Katie Hunt
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Episodes
  • 370 | Building Strong Sales Rep Relationships with Kelly Bristol, Just Got 2 Have It
    Nov 19 2024

    Today on the podcast, I have the pleasure of talking about sales reps with Kelly Bristol from Just Got 2 Have It. I can't believe it's taken me this long to have Kelly on the show because we have known each other for a very long time, and she has a wide range of knowledge that I'm excited for you to hear.

    She is the Vice President of Business Development at Just Got 2 Have It, a B2B sales rep agency with 5 divisions serving 36 states. Kelly is an accomplished senior leader with nearly 25 years of experience in the gift and home industry. She has experience working at the National Stationery Show, Dallas Market Center, Brandwise, and Market Time, as well as Purchasing Power Plus, a hospital gift-buying group.

    She's a board member for Gift for Life, the gift and home industry's longest-running volunteer-led national charitable organization. She is a founding partner of the new industry movement called Reps Are Local Too.

    During this episode, we talk about the ever-evolving retail landscape, the importance of strategic planning, shifts in buying patterns, and the continued need for community over competition within the industry.

    We also discuss emerging trends and challenges posed by platforms like Faire, as well as the importance of sales reps' local market knowledge and how that can benefit brands. Also, we talk about how brands can successfully navigate the competitive space and utilize sales reps for more sales.

    Today’s episode is sponsored by our Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview series. To make a strong first impression with wholesale buyers, we need to do a few things really well:

    • We need to make it easy for stores to purchase from us

    • We need to have clear pricing and terms & conditions

    • We need to clearly communicate and add value at each touchpoint

    • We need to focus on building strong relationships with our customers.

    And all of this becomes infinitely easier when we actively listen to our customers. This on-demand interview series will give you a competitive edge by providing an exclusive window into what buyers want and need from you. And, the best part, it's only $27 bucks.

    Get Access to the Unlock Buyer Secrets Interview Series

    You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/370

    Quick Links:

    Free Wholesale Audio Series

    Free Resources Library

    Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

    PTP LABS

    Paper Camp

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    45 mins
  • 369 | How to Practice Self-Care During a Busy Season with Katie Hunt
    Nov 5 2024

    I'm coming to you on the heels of having a cold, and I'm here to remind you to take care of yourself. A lot is going on in the United States this week.

    Plus, this time of year is hectic for all of my product-based business owners. I know you are working so hard and are likely wearing yourself out. I thought now would be a good time to share simple ways to practice self-care before and during a busy season.

    Today’s episode is brought to you by our Proof to Product LABS coaching program. This is a coaching program specifically built for product-based business owners, with members from across industries and across the globe. We have member-only events inside of LABS, so request your invitation to join below!

    REQUEST YOUR INVITATION

    You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/369

    Quick Links:

    Free Wholesale Audio Series

    Free Resources Library

    Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

    PTP LABS

    Paper Camp

    Show more Show less
    9 mins
  • 368 | How to Reengage Your Email Subscribers with Dawn Richardson, Flodesk
    Oct 29 2024

    Earlier this year, we conducted a state of the product industry survey. We had 925 people respond. We found that 15% of respondents are not utilizing email marketing to reach their audiences. My jaw fell to the floor! I've talked about why email marketing is so important in previous episodes. The number surprised me because email marketing has the highest ROI of all marketing channels.

    For every dollar that you put into email marketing, you can expect an average rate of return of $42, which is bananas.

    You won't get that with social media or even sometimes paid ads. Email marketing is also one of the best ways to build trust with your customers so that they come back time and time again to order with you.

    I have been shouting the importance of email marketing for years, but, today, I wanted to let our friends at Flodesk explain why email marketing is so important, what data you should be paying attention to, and overlooked opportunities when it comes to email marketing.

    My guest today is Dawn Richardson. She is the product education manager at Flodesk. She also runs her own business called Tech Savvy Creative. Dawn has a background in software engineering, and then she was in wedding photography.

    Now, she's back in the world of tech where she's helping creative entrepreneurs of all types. Her mission is to create a safe, fun, and welcoming corner of the Internet where entrepreneurs can learn how to leverage technology so they can spend more time doing work that matters most.

    You can try out Flodesk by going to our affiliate link at http://prooftoproduct.com/flodesk.

    This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us consistently, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers.

    If you’ve struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we’ve got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year’s worth of emails. And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year.

    DOWNLOAD NOW

    You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/368

    Quick Links:

    Free Wholesale Audio Series

    Free Resources Library

    Free Email Marketing for Product Makers

    PTP LABS

    Paper Camp

    Show more Show less
    32 mins

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