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