How to Sell Soccer Uniforms

While soccer hasn't yet reached the level of prominence in the United States that it holds in the world, there are still plenty of people who are eager to buy soccer uniforms. Perhaps they enjoy dashing out onto the pitch themselves, or they could have a mind to demonstrate their support for their favorite team. Soccer uniforms are also fashionable; they are often cut in a stylish way and come in a wide range of colors. Here is how to have soccer shirt sales success.

Things You'll Need

  • Marketing materials
  • Sample inventory
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Instructions

    • 1

      Identify your audience. You could have decent sales figures if you simply try to sell your wares to sporting goods stores, but there are a lot more opportunities out there. The youth soccer teams in your area are a great place to start. Don't limit yourself to your child's team or the league closest to you. Spend time at local parks and sell uniforms to the people playing pickup games.

    • 2

      Create attractive and meaningful signage and advertisements. While scribbling "Soccer Jerseys / $15" on a piece of posterboard will definitely let people know what you're selling, you'll have more success if you reassure the customer that you're a professional. If you sell customized soccer uniforms, design an attractive and clear order sheet that includes a space for the name to be printed on the back of the jersey. As an aid, you may want to examine marketing material from other sporting gear retailers. For example, the company website for Gear for Sports features professional-looking photos of models in the kinds of clothing it offers. Customer reviews left on retailer product pages can also help you gauge what kind of items and photographs appeal to the public.

    • 3

      Arrange how you will handle your inventory. If you are going to warehouse a large number of soccer uniforms, you will have to purchase space. You have a few options. If you order inventory from existing retail businesses, you're paying extra because there is a middle man, but you can get inventory faster. If you contract with a wholesaler, such as China Trader Online, you may have to order in larger quantities, but you will pay less per unit. Another option is to work entirely from catalogs, only ordering the soccer uniforms when your customer places an order.

    • 4

      Decide how you will customize the jerseys. To apply team or corporate logos, you will have to hire seamstresses or silk screen artists and purchase the equipment they need. You can also work with importers in the Pacific Rim who are able to embroider and print on uniforms at lower labor costs. Wholesalers, if they don't do this work themselves, will probably be able to refer you to these kinds of factories.

    • 5

      Carry a wide range of shirt and short styles with you, even if the customer must order a shirt without taking it home that day. You never know which colors and styles will attract attention, and simply describing the different shirts may not be enough to clinch the sale.

    • 6

      Exploit the sponsorship connections if you sell shirts connected to professional soccer teams. Those jerseys are covered in logos for corporate sponsors, and you may have success selling to employees of the company. Remind them that logo-branded soccer shirts are a great accessory for their company picnic or soccer games.

    • 7

      Spend time at local recreation centers. These community-supported facilities operate on slim margins and probably don't distribute soccer shirts. That's where you come in. Speak with the management to find out about adult soccer leagues, then introduce yourself to the coaches during their practice times. (Be sure to be very polite and professional with the manager; he or she must be convinced to help you.)

    • 8

      Deliver your soccer shirts when you promise them and resolve any problems quickly to ensure customer satisfaction. Whenever you deliver a shirt, include one of your flyers or business cards so you get the word-of-mouth business that will lead to subsequent sales.