how to get a beverage distributor interested in your products – 101

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Page 1: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

How to get a Beverage Distributor interested in your products

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 2: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• Beverage Trade Network.com is one of the world ‘s leading networks for

beverage, wine, spirits and beer importers, distributors, producers and

related companies. The company is based in Delaware, USA and is

developed by wine professionals who have accumulated a rich and varied

experience in this industry.

• For buyers, Our service allows retailers, distributors of the alcoholic and

non-alcoholic beverage industry to find the right supplier and brands that

add value to their portfolio.

• For sellers, Our service allows producers, distributors and other

professional companies of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage

industry to easily locate and contact distributor and importers globally.

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 3: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

How to get a Beverage Distributor interested in your products

• After much discussion and questions from my last post, I wanted to share

some more insights and answer some of the questions and comments that

you had for me. Primarily, “So how do I get a distributor then?” and “But I

want to focus on a specific part of the market, so this doesn’t apply to me.”

• Fair enough. It would be easy to assume that the 8 facts about distributors

don’t apply to niche markets, or that they didn’t contain some sort of hidden

wisdom to help you get a distributor for yourself.

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 4: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• Rather than being one of 500 new beverage companies asking the

distributor for their help, you’ll be the one beverage company offering them

something.

• So here you go:

Continue Reading…Click Here

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 5: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• Except that they do, and they did.

• But rather than being cryptic about it, I’m going to lay it all on the line right

here. I’m going to show you a few simple things that you can do to get a

distributor for your beverage product.

• If you’re tired of having distributors brush off your phone calls, refuse to

meet with you, or impose abritrary minimum requirements (that you couldn’t

possibly meet) then this post will help. You’re about to discover exactly how

you can be in a power position when finding a distributor.

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 6: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• I called this 101 because this really is a basic outline of what you can do.

There are far more details to this process than I could possibly fit into a blog

post, so you may have to fill in some blanks, work with a marketing

consultant, or send me an email for some advice. That is okay, too!

• Alright, so step number one is that you have to realize that the way you

have been approaching distributors isn’t working. If you’re here, it is likely

that you already know this – but if you’re still convinced that cold calling

every distributor in your state and leaving messages is going to win you a

national chain contract… I have some coffee for you, it may be time to wake

up and give it a sniff.

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 7: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• When you’re approaching every available distributor, they are in the drivers

seat. They know that you need them, but they don’t need you. How likely

are they to offer you a fair deal, if they even take you on at all?

• You have to put your company in the power position.

• For you to be in the power position, you have to have something to offer this

distribution company. Something that the dozens of other beverage

companies aren’t able to offer them.

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 8: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• **Important Note: None of this will work if you have not identified a niche of

resellers and distributors to work with. If you’re still trying to call everyone

and be everything, you will likely fail. Choose the companies you wish to

work with now, before it is too late, and focus only on them.

• You have to determine what would make a distributor want to carry your

product over someone else’s, remembering that they primarily care about 3

things:

• That your product will sell.

• That carrying your product will give them a competitive advantage.

• That your company isn’t going to dissolve or go bankrupt this year.

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 9: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• In other words, they want to know that they can make money off of

you.

• This isn’t a bad thing – you’ll make money from this relationship as well.

But remember that profit is their primary driving factor in making a decision,

followed by the competitive advantage of taking you on, and the security of

your business.

• To get into the power position with distributors, you need to address these

three things. Let’s cover them one by one.

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 10: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• How to demonstrate that your product will sell.

• This is a bit difficult for beverage alcohol in areas with a 3-tier system,

because you can’t simply go out and close accounts on your own – right?

• Well, not exactly.

• You may not be legally allowed to actually sell your product to retailers,

which is fine. However, there are no laws saying that you cannot go speak

with some retailers and gauge interest.

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 11: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• Make a list of resellers who fit your “ideal market” category – they are the

perfect business, and your perfect consumers shop there. These are the

shops that make you happy and excited to think about securing.

• Go and see how many of your competitors products they are selling, what

kind of shelf space they have, and meet with the manager or owner if you

can. Introduce yourself as the owner of your company, just looking to see

what is new in their store.

• Have a genuine conversation with them about their store and what their

focus is. Find out the types of products that they love to carry, and what

their biggest obstacles are to finding them.

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 12: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• Then, ask if your product might help them out.

• Tell them about all of the different ways that your product fits the criteria of

what they love to carry, without any of the problems from your competitors.

• Let them know that you aren’t in any retailers yet, you’re working on finding

the right distributor. Ask for a recommendation of who they like to work with.

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 13: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

• This next step is a bit uncomfortable for some people, but it is absolutely

crucial - once you have the name of their preferred distributor, ask if they

will write a letter of intent to that distributor and share it with you.

• A letter of intent is simply a letter from the owner or manager that says “I will

buy this product when it is available.” Have a pre-written one if you like, and

ask if the manager or owner will sign it with their info.

• Now, go out and repeat this process as many times as you can. Collect

these letters like they’re candy. You want to have a literal stack of letters of

intent, if you can – just be sure that they are all from one type of retailer.

The type you actually want to work with.

• Click here to read further.

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 14: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

Special Thanks!

The Article is written by Cheryl Woodhouse, founder of sellingspirits.com

Beveragetradenetwork.com

Page 15: How to Get a Beverage Distributor Interested In Your Products – 101

See how we can help you grow. Register for free and start posting your products. Start

selling now.

If you are a distributor or importer, post your buying lead here.

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