Another glamourous and insightful evening was spent at the Keziah Connections Nurture and Network evening last Tuesday. This was the second of the Keziah Connection events, which have so far been full of rich conversation, inspiring speakers and held at some of the most decadent beauty venues in London.
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This month’s Nurture and Network evening event took place at the Illuminum Fragrance Lounge, an uber chic boutique I found tucked away on London’s Dover Street. Upon arrival I was greeted by Bart, the Sensory Guide, who showed me around the elegantly designed rooms, which were adorned with wild flowers and gorgeous interiors.
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As always it’s always a pleasure to meet my favourite bloggers, friends and also network with beauty consultants and product owners.
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The theme of the evening was ‘The Product- How to develop it and get it into the right stores’.
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Leading the first discussion was Christine Benson, experienced beauty buyer and retailer, with an impressive background having worked with Selfridges and House of Fraser, but to name a few.
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Top tips from Christine Benson:
- Do not rush your product launch to fit a specific date. You would rather be late than possibly diminish your reputation because of a rushed job. You can only make one good first impression.
- Get your branding right. No matter how good your product is, be aware of your packaging and its suitability for your target audience.
- If you are a niche brand, you won’t have to worry so much about advertising costs as you will get PR, advertorial agencies to spread the word, however, if you are planning on going mass market, expect to spend millions on advertising.
- Bloggers need to be your best friend- Involve them at the beginning and development of your brand.
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The second discussion was led by Dr Yana Johnson MBE, owner of Yana Cosmetics, awarded an MBE in 2009 for services to cosmetics and tenacity in diversity of the beauty industry.
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A hugely inspirational and charismatic lady, who from the success of running Yana Cosmetics, has now started her own enterprise programme.
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- Top tips from Yana Johnson:
- Understand how to sell in department stores. Be aware that they take a large margin, and prepare to operate and follow the rules of the shop, which often means dealing with your own team as well as the wider political arena.
- When you start up, it’s not so much about what you can do, but who you can partner with. Learn to work together to get to where we want to get to within this global beauty arena.
- Customer service- Make sure you and your staff/representatives take pride in your appearance and value your customer service.
- Do not underestimate the value in consumer analysis. It is worth investing in software that enables you to track staff, sales and your client database.
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For the fullimage gallery, visit the Keziah Connections Pinterest page http://pinterest.com/beautypulseldn/keziah-connections-nurture-and-network-25-09-2012/
