Although my expertise in selling wholesale relates more to gift and independent shops, I have always relied on the advice of Karen Waksman on the hows and whys chain stores won’t buy.
Here is her list of why Chain Store Buyer Rejects a Product From a New Potential Product Supplier!
1) They Want Something New
Buyers see the same product all day every day. They get really tired of seeing the same old thing while working for a chain store. So when they see something new, they get thrilled…
2) They Want Something Intriguing
What do I mean by intriguing? Well some people who sell on Amazon for instance, bring me products that are just really uninteresting. Products that might sell well on their website but wouldn’t convert well in stores because they are boring. …
3) They Want to Play a Bigger Game
Chain store buyers have to appeal to a massive audience. And they have to make sure that the products they put in stores will sell in volume. …In other words, a buyer does not want to look at a potential new vendor and see that they really aren’t going to push forward with marketing strategies or are really not going to help them sell more products once in stores.
They don’t like product vendors who don’t do the work in advance – they want vendors who will help them explode sales! …
4) They Want You to Tell Them What to Buy
Buyers constantly reject potential vendors because they overwhelm them in the buyer meeting. The potential vendor hands them 10 different products and asks the buyer to choose which products to buy. This overwhelms the buyer and they don’t like that at all. What they want is for you to tell them which product they should buy first and why. That’s it. Don’t assume you will get 10 new products into the retail chain when you start a relationship with them. Start with one product- get the buyer focused on your best seller or your money maker. Once the relationship builds – then you discuss other products. …
5) They Don’t Believe Your Product Will Sell in Store
One of the biggest reasons buyers reject your product at chain stores is because they don’t believe your product will make them money…. So if you bring them a new product, you better have a great case as to why you product will sell once in store. I affectionately call this your ‘money story.’ Your money story focuses on what the buyer wants to hear – all of the reasons your product will sell. Some people approach buyers with a new product and share all of the features of their product. Buyers don’t really care about that. They care about the story behind how you intend to make the product sell. And there are many ways to prove that. You can share your success stories such as units sold, retailers that have already purchased from you, etc….
If you are looking for reasons chain stores won’t buy or information on how to sell to large chain or box stores, I suggest you connect with Karen Waksman on RetailMBA