Stop Forcing Product Into Retail!

The single biggest factor to the growth of Pinnacle Brand Management in the last 3 years has been the fact that brands are waking up.  Owners, Presidents and Sales Managers have grown over exhausted with attempting to use the same tactics of selling with decreasing sales results.  Where Pinnacle has grown the most is on the naturals side of the business. This is because there are more brands but also for the simple fact that selling into grocery, specialty and nutrition stores has completely changed over the last five years and naturals, from our research, is slightly behind in the direct to consumer approach.

I was talking with a Sports brand owner yesterday and he was telling me that he got so frustrated trying to sell into retail that he started fresh with a new brand planning to be direct to consumer only.  With only six months of dedicated direct to consumer marketing, and really just a few direct to consumer sales, his phone was ringing off the hook with retail buyers. I said sarcastically, “you mean, you didn’t call them incessantly, begging them to bring your product in and sell them product below cost to get it on the shelf?!?!”   He laughed because he knew Pinnacle took a similar approach with one of our brands and got the exact same results.

Product innovation aside, retail buyers could care less about your product or the pricing you give them.  What they care about the most is if it will sell. Price, especially for retail, isn’t the most important factor since consumers can most likely buy online for less.  What is the most important is if there is a demand for the brand/product. Stores no longer create demand…..and to be honest, I don’t think they ever did! Brands are solely responsible for creating demand and stores are just a place where people can purchase. 

If you want to increase retail sales, dedicate your time to increase demand.  Leverage social media, digital marketing and content creation to make your product and brand very desirable and retailers will come to you, you won’t have to go out and get them.