The Sugar Show: What to Expect from a Skincare Distributor

8/9/2020 9:35:34 PM

Alexander’s Aesthetics is so excited to be apart of The Sugar Show with Shannon “Sugar Mama” O’Brien from Love2Sugar. 

View the podcast below.

The SugarShow, S2, Ep. 6: What to Expect from a Skincare Distributor with special guests Wendi & Cee, Alexander’s Aesthetics

A business that sells to customers is the technical description of a distributor. Alexander’s is so much more than that!

Alexander’s Aesthetics started in the family. The love of skincare prompted him to purchase many products over the years trying to find the best ones out there. In the end, this led to a formation of a very large company that was centered around education of doctors and estheticians. This ended up becoming our foundation–to educate and provide information for clients while they are trying to find the right products for them and their businesses.

Q: Wendy, when did you decide to jump into the family business?
A: My mom took it over while I was an adult so I didn’t grow up with it. My husband and I both worked in the volatile business of tech in Colorado and decided we wanted something different. At the suggestion of my mother, we jumped into opening Alexander’s Aesthetics in Colorado. Once I opened the business, I definitely had a new-found respect for my mother and knowing exactly what she did day in and day out for work. When you work with a good distributor, you get so much more. 16 years ago I started working with you, and here we are–teaching side by side!

Q: How do you choose a company like Sugar of the Nile to bring to your clients?
A: We had been looking around for sugar at the request of some of clients but hadn’t been impressed with any of the companies. When we met Sugar of the Nile, we realized they were not only a wonderful family owned company with a solid product, but Emily was an exceptional person to work with. She was willing to join us at shows and provide education which is completely in line with our business.

Q: What are you looking for when selecting a new product?
A: The things that we are looking for is a reputable company that is in it for a partnership, not as a product sales. They need to be willing to build us as well as us build them up. We test all of the products before bringing it on to ensure that it meets our standards. Cost is also something we look at in order to keep things affordable to our clients. At the end of the day, we try to provide a good sampling of products because there is so much out there. And, we want to make sure they have training and education that can be passed down–it is key.
You all do the vetting process for them! That is an amazing advantage.
One thing that we really talk about with our Sugar Tribe is to engage. It isn’t about just clicking and buying. It is about connecting with your audience. And with the Sugar Tribe, I encourage them to learn more about their distributor, to ask questions about complementary products, and to ultimately provide the best experience for their clients.
Q: What is the best way to engage with a distributor?
A: A physical visit is great if they are able to do it. It allows them to engage and put a face with the name. They can see the personality behind our brand. If that isn’t available, take the classes, look through the materials, and read through the product breakdowns. There is so much information to start with and then you can connect with us for extra questions. Unfortunately, we won’t have trade shows to connect, but call us. Build the relationship with us. And don’t forget, social media! Connect with us there!
Ordering sugar from Alexander’s comes with so much more. You can get internal nutrition to know what reactions could happen, PPE, your supplies, your sugar mats–really everything that you need can come from one place!
If there is something that we don’t carry–ask. The more they hear about a product, the more they will learn about it and research it so that we can consider adding it. Alexander’s can’t possibly carry everything, but this is how they find out about new products.

ABOUT ALEXANDER’S AESTHETICS
Alexander’s Aesthetics was started in 1980 by Alexander Desy. Alex had a passion for skin care that showed through his work and his idea to open a shop that not only provided facial products, supplies, and equipment, but also education. Aestheticians no longer needed to spend numerous hours shopping for their supplies. They now had one place to buy wholesale supplies.
Alex has since passed on and the shop was taken over by his mother, Margaret Desy, whose goal was to maintain Alex’s passion and dream for Alexander’s Aesthetics. And she did it! She did it so well, that in 1999 she retired in Florida and passed the dream on to her cousins, Pat and Cee Michael, owners of Alexander’s Aesthetics, Inc. In 2016, Pat and Cee’s daughter, Wendi, opened Alexander’s Aesthetics II in Colorado.
In line with Alex’s original mission, Alexander’s, is dedicated not only to preserve a family tradition, but also to provide the best salon and esthetic wholesale supplies, customer service, and education in the esthetic industry, As a family business we strive hard to keep Alexander’s the best source of total accessories for the professional aesthetician.