I am going to make this a short article as I am writing this in advance of being on a nice warm beach by the time you read this… The magic of the interweb!
I always wanted to keep this series of articles general and not make it about specific brands or promote any one in particular. However, when you have a rare situation like I experienced this week it needs to be noted when a new company and it’s ownership group seem to have their finger on the pulse of what it takes to be successful in this business.
Early last week I had a few of my colleagues and retailers mention the name of a new brand, and they all agreed that the company had some cool ideas about how to get this brand into their stores. This was just after I noticed the brand during a UFC card weeks earlier and also a product release on FighterXFashion so I figured that this could be something good.
I had put the thought on the back-burner with all of the things I have been working on and trying to wrap some things up before I was away for a week…
However, two days after the discussions about this interesting brand I received an email from a Head Hunting type service who found my company and myself through LinkedIn ( http://ca.linkedin.com/in/wilsonmarc). This person was looking for sales representatives for this brand who seemed to be the topic of a lot of conversations and it also shows that they are willing to spend the money to get the right people. So I “wow’ed” the Head Hunter… Who wouldn’t be impressed by my charm, charisma and MODESTY… Kidding! I am a very passionate business owner and my business makes sense when given the opportunity to explain the process. He immediately forwarded my info off to the owner of the company.
I then had the pleasure of finally speak to the owner as now both parties were excited to speak to each other. I was impressed by the brand and it turns out the owner was impressed by my company. It was quickly apparent that both of us had done our research into each other’s company and the conversation was easy and the decision to work with each other was even more easy.
So the details will be worked out in the next few weeks to start the hostile takeover…
Before I give you the name of the brand (I know you are at the edge of your seat waiting for it…) I wanted to sumarize some of the things that impressed me because it is all to often I see new brands and companys dive head first into this industry without planning the process out. I guess this is how I can rope this thing into a direction that makes sense for the concept these articles.
These are some of the things that impressed me about the brand:
– “Business First” Model: There is nothing worse than a cool company that isn’t organized or able to keep up with the demands of the business.
– Prepared for battle: They have already started off with success and have product to sell and marketing in place before seeking sales.
– They have Fighters/Athletes who not only are in the limelight but they are as passionate and supportive of the brand as the owners
– They are heavily invested in marketing and development (And willing to pay top dollar to do so)
– They are prepared to play the “Retailer” game that all of us in sales are used to (InStore visits, Q/A’s, Autographs, Promos, etc) and in fact, they are promoting it.
– They have aligned themselves with charities of similar sort: Always make sure someone in need can benefit from your success too.
– They have a Marketing Plan for small market areas to promote MMA and allow for charitable events to come to areas that would normally not get to enjoy live fights, promo nights, UFC Parties, etc.
– Integrity is their priority! This should be a lesson for all companies, as it is rarely seen in business.
These are only a small amount of the things that made my decision to work with this brand very easy. I am sure that you will soon agree that this brand is set to take over the MMA apparel business and I will be heading that front!
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Oh, right! You wanted to know the brand?
You would have seen the Walkout on Former NFL player and previously undefeated fighter Matt Mitrione at UFC 137 in a loss to Cheick Kongo on October 29th. You will also see it all over the following fighters: Daniel Cormier, Miesha Tate, Luke Rockhold, Forrest Griffin, Jon Fitch and many more to come!
TrauMMA Combat is prepared for battle and I am the General… or Leiutenant General… maybe more like Seargent. I should leave the Army metaphors alone, after all I am Canadian and I’m pretty sure the Canadian Army couldn’t even take out the Derailed Industries staff…
