Getting the right distributor
Do you want "that" distributor to list your brand?
Don't pitch it to them.
Show them it sells:
Walk in their shoes.
Show them you understand why your brand deserves a place in their portfolio:
1) Map the city where low-hanging fruits are.
2) It's not the best outlets in the city. It's those who "get" your brand.
3) Test the water with them, get a pre-order.
4) Go to "that" distributor with a list of 10 outlets that want your brand.
Show them those dirty hands
- If they don't follow up, "that" is the wrong distributor.
- If they do, it's the first date with them.
Getting a distributor is only the first step.
You have to prove it works.
Selling the first case is "easier" than selling the second one.
Show them that your product rotates.
Nobody needs another dusty bottle on the shelf:
Not on a distillery floor.
Not in a distributor's warehouse.
Not on a backbar.
Brands are built bottom up, not top down.