I spent over 10 years as an Award-Winning Sr. Category Manager/Buyer at a large leading Canadian retailer with 1000 stores across the country. My job was to say YES or NO to people looking to get their products in my stores for my categories.
I saw so many hopefuls reach out and pitch their products to me. Some had great products, but were unprepared nor ready to get into wholesale. They had no idea how to present their business and products to get me as a Buyer to say yes.
So what happens?
I either pass on their meeting request, or I simply said no to their product(s).
Another issue I saw often was that many entrepreneurs did not have a good understanding of their numbers nor did they know how to win at retail. Things like joint promotional planning, promotional displayers, and different terms and requirements that retailers are looking for was foreign to them.
After having coached friends and family who had product-based businesses, it dawned on me that people were hungry for this information. To get inside access into a Buyer’s mind and what we look for in order to carry products in our stores.
This led me to test the idea and I worked with different business owners across various industries and coached them on how to present their products to retailers and Buyers. They walked away with confidence, knowing how to pitch their line, create sales sheets, and have a complete plan to get them started and landing some big retail accounts!