How do I get products in small retail stores?
 

Hi,

I have a question...

Recently I became an agent for a relatively new writeable-CD company here in Melbourne, with exclusive rights for all the small retail stores in Melbourne.

So far the product looks great. Compared to its competitors, it offers the highest profit margins for the stores, is getting great reviews, and stocks the largest range of writeable and re-writeable CDs. I've included a link below to a review (the company I'm associated with is Pyrod).

My question is, does anybody know how I should go about approaching small retail stores?

I mean, should I just show up and talk to them? With most small retail computer stores, I imagine that most would have the owners working there and able to make purchasing decisions.

Or should I call up beforehand and try to make a set appointment?

The problem I see with this is making a set appointment means that after seeing one store, I might have "dead time" as I wait around for the next appointment, as a meeting might go for 5 mins or 1 hour, depending on how long they want to talk. And ideally I'd want to go to as many stores as possible in a day.

I'm also hiring a few others to go to stores also -- Melbourne is a large area to cover.

I'm thinking it might be best to call up and see if I can stop by sometime this morning, or this afternoon, or today -- that is, ask if I can come in but not be too specific with time.

That way I'm expected, but it means I can go from place to place straight away.

What do you think?

I'm especially interested to hear from anybody who has done this before -- that is, acted as an agent or a distributor and talked to the smaller retail market.

Thanks!

- Thomas.


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Re: How do I get products in small retail stores?
 

Thomas -

Sounds like a great opportunity for you. I've worked extensively with small retailers in the past and would recommend you send a postcard mailer, followed up with a call to your target market. The postcards are cheap to mail and will be read, since they don't need to be opened and everyone is curious enough to glance at the front and back of the piece.

On the mailer, create a grabber headline and first sentence, briefly extoll the benefits of your product and ask the retailer to call you back at your number or email you for more info.

Those that call or email are somewhat qualified prospects and you can set an appointment from there to demo/show the product.

Then, systematically (i.e., by neighborhood, city area, etc.) call back those who don't respond, ask them if they received your mailer, and set an appointment with those showing interest. If you focus on geographic areas, you can jockey appointments and minimize wasted time.

It's been my experience that dropping in on merchants is an inefficient way to make a sales call, as often the decision maker is not in or is busy, so you've wasted your time and interrupted the merchant, looking like another peddler out to bother him:-) On the rare occasions that you meet the owner, if they have time to talk without an appointment, then they probably aren't a prosperous business!

This process worked for me selling real estate seminars and racks of motivational materials. Hopefully, it can work for you as well.

Good luck in your venture!

Bob