#i was researching nutty putty and then i came across this

[iamgee27]

The trials and tribulations of the toy industry

I have been in business for almost thirty years but I can honestly say that the toy industry is the most exciting and challenging of all the others. With annual worldwide sales in the billions you can imagine the fierce competition and commitment involved to get a new product into the market.

In the beginning I had no idea how difficult this task would be but quickly learnt early on that it would prove to be a huge challenge and that strategy, bravery, humor and passion were required to have any chance of success. Having a great product does not guarantee success but it does help to get you started. We had Nutty Putty. You know, the putty that’s non-messy, non- drying and every creation transforms to rubber if baked.

Anyway more on Nutty Putty another time.

Our grand launch would be at the Spring Fair in Birmingham but we didn’t even have the packaging finalized and we panicked. It was a mad rush and a mistake because when this happens there is always a higher risk of making fundamental errors. We packed our cars with everything we could think of and made our merry way up to the NEC and set up our stand with far too much stock to open our own toy shop.I guess it was all the excitement but my poor back disagreed. I remember the opening day well. We went through our list. Order book pens calculator business cards creations and chocolates. The voice over the tanoy system interrupted. “ The 2015 Spring Fair is now open.” I looked at my business partner ( Eliana ) and we knew this was it. The anticipation the panic and the thought of those thousands of pounds we had spent had come to this. The moment of truth and the adrenaline kicked in.

Standing there watching buyers go by your stand while trying your hardest to read those little ID cards dangling from their neck. Wondering if you misread. Was it Tesco or Tes & Co was it Toys R Us or Toys and Us? Did we miss an opportunity? Should I run around the opposite way and start shouting “ This Nutty Putty is amazing” or should I catch up with them and just do my Dean Martin impression out of pure panic. I’m happy to say these thoughts quickly passed and we ultimately had a good show.

I wont bore you with all the details but thankfully the launch was a success. We had taken enough orders to justify the cost of the exhibition and to give us the encouragement that we did indeed have a fantastic product.

Deliveries went out and social media was updated every day with creations, news and demo dates. This was and still is a vital part of our business. The public are curious, they need to know, they want to be the first to see something and comment but most important of all they want to have a sense of belonging to a brand.

Success with the smaller independent stores was easier because most were accessible by email or phone and therefore a good business relationship quickly formed. Our target now was to go for the larger companies whilst of course still taking care of our existing retailers. Easier said than done. The first hurdle you face is how to get the buyers name, their email address and contact number. Heaven forbid if you could call reception and ask. I think it is easier to get in touch with the queen than to get hold of the senior buyer of a company. How many times have I been told? “ I’m sorry sir I cant give you their details but please send an email to info@....” So you dig deeper, you Google, you look through LinkedIn, you ask colleagues friends, family or even random people in coffee shops in the hope someone knows someone or if you are duped to regularly advertise in the trade magazines they may even name drop every so often to entice you to pay for next months advert. Before I move on I have to say that I consciously make a great effort now to respond to every email and message. This is because I find it extremely aggravating when someone doesn’t respond.

I remember getting the contact details of my first senior buyer. It actually felt that I had five of the six numbers in the lottery and was waiting for that last number to drop so I sent her an email. Every hour thereafter I was checking my inbox but no reply. Maybe she was sitting down holding a meeting to discuss this great product. That had to be the reason! I woke up the next day and nothing again. Two weeks went but no reply so I decided to send a sample box along with a lovely creation made out of Nutty Putty. I chained up our resident artist until she came up with something special and wrapped it up with all my love as if it was a wedding gift. I hurriedly rushed to the post office and you guessed it, I paid extra for first class and recorded delivery. I was so excited. Our product was going to land on her desk and she was going to open it, see the creation and say “Arghh how sweet” then see the Nutty Putty box set, stand up and shout                 ” Eureka “ and call me to place a million pound order.

Obviously that didn’t quite happen I had no luck but the key here is to never give up. I had decided I would do whatever I could (within reason) to get a response whilst also having to accept that it may be a no. In order for me to do this I had to put my highly sensitive side on hold. All I wanted was a fair opportunity otherwise I would forever feel that I didn’t try hard enough.I took a chance. I researched the CEO of the company and followed my gut feeling. Now I know what you’re thinking. This guy is crazy but its not like that. I found out that this particular CEO loved crafts and that we had a mutual connection who happened to be a dear friend. I asked my friend if she could write a letter to introduce me, which she kindly did, and at the same time I also sent the CEO a box of Nutty Putty. I suddenly had a minor panic attack. What if the senior buyer contacts me and is angry that I went against protocol but I quickly waved this to one side because I felt justified. The normal route had not worked and left me somewhere between the deleted or trash folder on her computer. Two days later I got a phone call. It was the senior buyer and the convo went something like this. “ Hello George my CEO gave me the box set you sent her. You are not going to give up are you? Its a good thing I like your product and I think we need to arrange a meeting. When can you come down? “ OMG, my heart started beating faster and faster. From my excitement I almost said now but a little voice in my head said, “Compose yourself George”. I checked my diary and gave her possible days and agreed to see her a week later. I immediately called my business partner. Elated we drove to one of their stores with a box set, skipped in and placed it on their shelf visualizing the whole range and feeling all smug. I think we actually went overboard and celebrated with weak cappuccino and an oatmeal biscuit. Honestly there’s never a dull moment in our company. A month later we got our first orders from them and are now selling it in all their stores. Obviously I am not suggesting that you all bombard the CEO’s with your products all I am saying is that you should research every possible angle to get a buyer to give you a fair chance and to genuinely review your product.

Prepare for all outcomes because sometimes people can be rude. One day I was searching through the net and came across the details of the owner/buyer to a well-known toy company. Brilliant I thought and sent an email but had the usual no response so I called his phone number. I was met with so much verbal abuse that if I were face to face with him he would have been knocked out after the second syllable. How dare I call him and where the hell did I get his number blah blah blah but being in business I swallowed the abuse and apologized even though I did nothing wrong because at the back of my mind I thought one day my product will be on your shelves and that’s enough payback. It’s been three years and I think time to contact him again. ;)

To be continued'