After starting your small business and developing a great product to sell, you need to find buyers. Scheduling a meeting with a buyer can prove to be a difficult task. However, we have outlined a few steps you can take to make this process a little easier.
- Who is Your Product For?
Products and buyers need to match up. You wouldn’t sell a grocery product at a sporting goods store! Do some research to find the right buyers for your product. Think about your product and decide if it should be with a small or local buyer versus a large buyer, like Wal-Mart or Target.
- Find the Right Buyer
Look through local stores to find similar products. This will give you a better idea of what stores your product belongs to. You can also check with these stores to see if they offer any special programs to help small businesses break into the retail market.
- Attend Trade Shows
Many buyers, from large and small companies, attend trade shows. Depending on the size of the trade show, your booth could attract dozens of buyers and potential future business partners. A trade show will give you publicity to many buyers in a short amount of time.
- Make Contact
Once you have a list of buyers, start making phone calls. Set up a time to meet with the buyer so you can present your product and, hopefully, make a successful sale.
- Hire a Sales Representative
If you don't have the time or are not finding luck procuring meetings with buyers on your own, you can hire a sales representative to do the pitching for you. Sales representatives know buyers, how to sell to buyers and all the steps it will take to sell your product to a buyer.