Deity America Natural Hair Care Interview

Glenn Silverstein (SI): My wife Lisa—the president of the company—and I started SilverMark International selling the Deity of Hair Plant Shampoo for Hair Loss out of the trunk of our car. We went store to store in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Harlem, the Bronx, Long Island, Yonkers, Connecticut and South Florida doing in-store promotions, selling shampoo with "Buy two, get one free" deals along with educating consumers and handing out free samples. 

We used to staple by hand with friends and family every sample. This was after a full day on the streets opening health food stores, beauty supply stores and pharmacies. 

Today our business is growing. Our passion and vision is simple. We want to educate and help everyone with all hair and scalp problems. We want to help prevent problems due to the use of harmful chemicals. We want to help stop hair loss naturally and accelerate hair growth.

OTC: What did you see in the beauty industry as you began working with SilverMark that told you there was a definitely a need for products like yours? 

SI: I have been in the beauty business going on 20 years and knew that one of the biggest problems was hair loss due to harmful chemicals. We started with one product: the Deity of Hair Plant Shampoo for Hair Loss. 

My family, friends and I who suffered from excessive shedding, hair loss, receding hair lines and damage due to harmful chemicals used this unbelievable shampoo and we all saw amazing results. We quickly came out with Deity of Hair Plant Conditioner for Hair Loss. Now we have 14 products and are growing. 

I researched the facts about [the shampoo for hair loss] and the plant extracts have been studied and developed by Chinese doctors of traditional Chinese medicine. The plants have been used for hundreds of years to help those with hair and scalp problems, primarily hair loss and growth. This started the company and our mission.

OTC: Approximately how many people are employed with SilverMark and how is the company structured?

SI: We have five employees and family members working together towards the same goals and dreams—to get the message out and help all people with hair and scalp problems. We have five professional rep companies in different parts of the country. 

These companies have been carefully chosen to best represent SilverMark International and the Deity lines. The rep companies are experts in their territories. Bob Addison and Associates works closely with us to create this team of professionals which has helped bring us distribution in metro New York, Miami, Chicago, New Jersey, Baltimore, District of Columbia, St. Louis, Cleveland, Detroit, Texas, Atlanta, Canada and the UK. 

We'll continue to grow our team to increase additional distribution through the entire country.

OTC: How has Bob Addison and Associates helped SilverMark International LLC?

SI: Bob Addison and I were friends long before SilverMark International and Deity America Natural Hair Care. I presented the plant shampoo to him and he was very excited. He asked me if it really works and I said yes, that I did the product testing with family and friends. 

Mr. Addison came on board to help launch the line and he's been with SilverMark throughout our venture. He has over 40 years in the industry as a hair stylist, in product development/testing, education and he has many years of experience in retail as well as professional sales. 

Mr. Addison is "the man"and a true professional legend in the ethnic beauty industry.

SI: Our philosophy is simple: continue to bring the best products made from plant extracts to all people with hair loss, hair growth and damaged hair due to harmful chemicals. Our attitude is to continue giving our best, while working hard to make sure customers are taken care of and educated about the plants. 

In return, we hope satisfied customers will tell a friend and a friend will tell another friend and so on. At SilverMark, we know that the consumer is always the boss.

OTC: What are SilverMark's best-selling products and what do you think makes them so popular?

SI: Our best-selling products are Deity America Serum Gro Scalp Treatment for Hair Loss, Deity of Hair Plant Shampoo for Hair Loss, Tibet Tonic Hair Growth Restorer, the most unbelievable product ever to be introduced to the beauty industry, Tibet Temple and Nape Penetrating Oil, Plant Conditioner for Hair Loss, Deep Penetrating Conditioner for Damaged Hair, Repairing Essence Daily Leave-in Lotion, and our two packets Extra Strength Dandruff and Anti-Itch Treatment and Extra Strength Deep Conditioning for Damaged Hair. 

It's all in the secret of the plants, which have been proven to work for hundreds of years. It's all about the plants. We're the only company in the ethnic hair care and general market beauty business with this unique and very real concept of natural plant extracts in hair care products. Believe in the phenomenon, it's for real!

OTC: What is the best way for retailers to position your products in their stores and encourage customers to purchase your lines?

SI: The best way for retailers to position the Deity America Natural Hair care line is to first put every product on display in the window and on the shelves. Each product is packaged in an individual and unique display. 

Every product in the Deity America line has been packaged and specifically designed with shelf positioning and placement in mind. For great sales, each product should stand alone in its own display. This creates the billboard effect which attracts the consumer to the position on the shelves. Our bright, attractive product package design does that as well.

OTC: SilverMark has a pretty strong presence on the Web. How instrumental has that been for this business and what do you think our readers can learn from that? 

SI: I love the Web business for delivering information, product knowledge and education directly to consumers and retailers. Our Web site does that. Lots of hard work, sampling, in-store promotions, creative marketing on TV, in magazines, local newspapers and the Internet helped create the product awareness that we share today with our distributors, retailers and consumers. 

Questions are answered regarding where and how the products are made, as well as how each item will work. This has all been done so retailers can sell more products.

OTC: From a store owner's perspective, what do you feel is the easiest part of doing business with SilverMark?

SI: Retailers can contact us to make requests for POP materials, samples and get their questions answered quickly and correctly without going through a chain of command which wastes time and money. This is called personal relations and you can get this from me, my executive assistant Suzette Reeves and Bob Addison along with our professional team of rep agencies. 

Another reason it's easy to do business with us is because of our experience in the OTC business. SilverMark International and Bob Addison and Associates have been in the beauty business for a long time. We know what distributors, retailers and consumers need from us as manufacturers. 

Our policy is to get back in touch regarding all retailers concerns immediately. My personal commitment to the industry and my reputation was always to do what I say I will do 95 percent of the time. Just call our corporate office for trade show information, samples and POP materials.

OTC: What kinds of educational material does SilverMark provide to storeowners so that they can educate themselves and share the information with their customers? 

SI: Educational information for increased sales is all in our sample brochures and on our product knowledge Web site, www.DeityAmerica.com. Our brochures are printed in English and Spanish and some of our packaging is also. The brochures have our corporate office phone and Web site information for easy customer care concerns. We keep it simple at SilverMark International LLC.

OTC: What material or presence, if any, do you have on social networking sites that beauty supply stores can visit or share with their consumers to educate themselves about your products? 

SI: We do have a presence on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. We're on YouTube with over 50 videos from our in-store promotions, education seminars, consumer and distributor trade shows, live radio and distributor information. 

Deity America: It's for Real, is a tag line used in all our advertising. Call for our 15 and 30 second commercial loop while supplies last.

OTC: You speak very highly of the effectiveness of your products and the real results. Do you rely more on consumer testing or customer testimonies when manufacturing a product and why? 

SI: That is a very important question because SilverMark International knows that the consumer is the boss. We are listening and working hard to the retailers and consumers to create products that will continue to help all people with hair and scalp problems. 

Visit our Web site for consumer testimonials, advertising, TV commercials and more. Read about how we've changed lives when it comes to the hair and scalp. Deity America will give consumers the results they are looking for.

OTC: Consumer interest in natural ingredients and products that contain lots of natural ingredients has grown tremendously over the last few years. Has SilverMark had to make adjustments to ensure the company's products still stand out among others that are just now starting to hit the market? 

SI: We started our company with products containing natural, pure plant extracts and a company secret formula that cannot be duplicated or copied. We are very unique because of this. We are the original and only company in the ethnic and general hair care markets with products made with pure plant extracts grown only in Tibet. 

Our great attractive green and yellow patented package design along with our unique displays put us ahead of the curve. Put the fastest growing line of natural hair care products in the ethnic hair care industry today on your shelves. 

Make room and create the billboard effect to sell more products and keep happy, satisfied customers coming back to your store. Just put a poster up, a store hour sign, hand out a sample or two and see your sales increase everyday with more profit.

OTC: SilverMark has a lot of products that have stood the test of time. How do you plan to keep your products fresh and relevant in the future? 

SI: SilverMark is a five year young company with an innovative idea about natural products. We've been using plant extracts in our products from day one and we will continue to make products for consumers that naturally create results, results and more results. Every product we make contains a brochure to educate consumers about natural plant extracts and Deity America. We will continue to make more products in 2010 and beyond.

OTC: What is the biggest challenge SilverMark International has faced doing business in the beauty industry today? How do you think that challenge will shape the company in the future? 

SI: Our biggest challenge is to first educate the consumer about the benefits of plant extracts. The investment we're making to convey this message is expensive and time consuming but we have passion and a specific mission to make this happen. We distribute over 300,000 samples yearly. 

We advertise and put money back in the business. Along with this, it is also important to partner with [the beauty supply stores] across the country so they can also help get the message out. Handing out samples at the registers, hanging posters and displaying POP materials will create more sales and profits. We appreciate [the beauty supply stores'] efforts.

OTC: What types of POP material does SilverMark offer to OTC retailers?

SI: Over the years we've had many different types of POP material available to beauty supply stores. When I started in the industry first I was a merchandiser, then a merchandiser manager, followed by a regional sales manager. 

These positions gave me the experience to create and find the best POP material available to beauty supply stores today. I am aware of how important POP materials are because I have seen the positive results from this important concept along with advertising and merchandising. 

Today we have four different posters, with four different sizes, samples, shelf talkers, store hour signs that thank the customer and push signs for the front door. Please call us six days a week and order any of these items. We'll send out whatever is available and a nice amount of samples for increased sales.

OTC: What final thoughts would you like to share with OTC Beauty Magazine readers about your products and company?

SI: First and most importantly, I want to thank the beauty supply retailers across the country for their time, energy efforts and continued support. I want to thank my family for their hard work and dealing with the hard times—it is not easy starting a business. 

We've all worked through some of the toughest times America has ever faced and SilverMark felt the recession. In spite of this we grew because of our great products that deliver great results, our management team of experienced professionals, our passion and our mission. 

We knew from day one knew that our product would work and deliver great results. We knew that we needed to get these great natural hair care products to the people. 

I want to thank our rep agencies for their professionalism, expertise and patience - this is just the beginning. I want to thank all of our distributors for their support others that helped us along the way. 

I want to thank Mr. Bob Addison for his guidance, time, hard work, vision, expertise, dedication to the cause and most of all his friendship. He's taught me a lot about business and life. 

Please remember this fact, it's not always about the "Franklins" - the money - but it's always about the people, family, friends and acquaintances you make on that great road to success.

Call us at 888-66-Deity today.