Selling to Major Retailers and Distributors
Get and give advice about what works and what doesn't when you're a small business selling to Walmart, Costco, Target, Best Buy, large grocery store chains, independent retailers and distributors. This is the best of people helping people! In marketing it's called "mass collaboration."
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Selling to...
Tips for how to get your products onto store shelves
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First build a following online of people who like and buy your products
- Create a good-looking website. You can do this quickly and inexpensively using templates available from any companies. How to Create a Website
- Facebook Marketing How-to Guide explains what you can do for free to create and nurture "fans" on Facebook
- Twitter Marketing How-to Guide - this is another free way to get the word out about your products
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Display your products at trade shows where retailers go to to look for products to sell
- The shows you want to invest in are ones that are "for the trade" (retail buyers, not the general public).
- The costs for a booth can be pricey ($500 to $3,000 plus travel and other expenses). If that's too much, go to the show and network like crazy! Or offer to give an educational talk or host a social hour where you can demo your products. If you do this, you'll want to recruit lots of people to help you so you aren't one person trying to talk to all the people who come for the free latte or wine and cheese.
- Another option is to contact the show management team after the show is over to see if you can buy (you're actually renting) the mailing list of people who attended the show. Send them a letter and information about your products and/or call them directly to introduce yourself.
- Trade Shows & Events has all the MarketingZone how-to guides to help you with how to figure out the ROI of a trade show, how to attract people, how to get a display or booth. Also tips on hosting a seminar or event.
- Get buzz going
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Personally get out and visit local stores
- Ask the store owners (or managers for the chains) for their advice about the best places to sell and showcase your product. Some products are likely to do better in smaller boutiques and others in mass retail outlets.
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Make sure your packaging and labels sell the product!
- Packaging Design has all kinds of tips to help you with this, including research you should be doing to make sure that your packaging is effective.
- Be ready to provide a display case and/or brochures to retailers who sell your product in their stores and copy for how to describe your product on their website. These how-to guides will help you:
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Really understand who will be most interested in your product and why
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Market Research
- Targeting
- Messaging Research is often an incredibly good ROI
- Mystery Shopping can also help give you insights about what customers experiences are in a store
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Market Research
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