Where did your BIG POs go?

It’s not too late!  The show isn’t over!  You can still get those massive PO’s you were use to from the big specialty stores and websites, but where?  Certainly not distribution, right? I mean, your big POs from distribution stopped 5 years ago at the same time it did in specialty stores and it wasn’t until maybe mid 2016 that the POs started to dwindle from the large specialty websites.

Well, first, before we talk about chasing accounts for POs, you should adopt a direct to consumer model.  No one cares about your brand more than you do, so having a perfectly funneled ecommerce site that features content is crucial.

So where do you find the big POs?  3rd Party Amazon Resellers.  There are companies generating hundreds of millions of dollars selling products like yours on Amazon.  These are the guys you need to find, wine and dine, and link up with their systems of success. They have created systems and programs to truly develop your brand as oppose to trying to work to figure out systems with other retailers.

That begs the question, where do you find these guys so you can present your brand?  Well, you can use a service like Pinnacle that provides account management to these 3rd party resellers.  Where else? Try your distributor.  The big companies like Europa have adapted to the Amazon model quite nicely.  Top sales reps should be managing your brand for you, but again out of site out of mind, as they have thousands of brands they have to represent.

Steps to get your homeruns back;

1. Adopt Direct to Consumer Mindset and Website
2. Design a mutually beneficial system for Amazon 3rd Party Seller (See blog on Amazon)
3. Work with a company that has contacts with these 3rd Party Powerhouses
4. Talk with your distributor for help

Also, be patient with this process.  If you aren’t moving tons of volume even a 3rd Party Amazon isn’t going to give you a $100k PO out of the gate.  Allow them to use their systems to develop your brand.

Just like anything else, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.  A direct to consumer marketing platform will open things up. If your brand is popular with the customers it will be popular with the retailers.   

One last thing.  Having multiple Amazon resellers only clogs the funnel.  Find 1 or 2 that are committed to investing in your brand and will give you KPIs to maintain the exclusive right to sell your product.