Art Papazian has been in the food industry for over 44 years in a variety of positions. As president of ACP Management and Consulting, he assists brands with selling to supermarkets.
During an SFA Working with Buyers webinar, Tuesday, Papazian shared tips for makers looking to get their products on supermarket shelves. His recommendations are as follows:
Know the chain you’re selling to. There are several things a maker should know before selling to a supermarket chain, he said. Is the assortment deep or limited? Are they a low price leader? Is the category of your product large or small within the store? The best way to get this information is to actually visit the chain’s stores. “Nothing helps like seeing it yourself,” said Papazian. Some retailers change their goals annually or even quarterly, so make sure that you’re aware of what they are interested in and what they hope to achieve.
Everything starts with planning. “If you want to go somewhere, you need a map to understand where you’re going,” said Papazian. Work with the entire organization to be as accurate and as timely as you can. Key players outside of your organization, like brokers or distributors, need to be involved in the planning process as well.
Make connections with the right people. Be sure that you, your sales team, and/or your broker are connected to all the right people inside the retailer. Category managers within the retailer are key, as well as account managers within distributors. These connections ensure that you are aware of any important changes or updates within the retailer. “Are you attending as many trade shows as possible?” Papazian asked. Especially in the age of COVID where face-to-face meetings are difficult, trade shows are great ways to meet the right people and start the conversations. Distributor trade shows, especially, are the most important to show up to, according to Papazian.
Understand category review schedules. Be sure that you are on the email distribution list and have the most recent copy of the category review schedule for the retailer you’re looking to sell to. This is the best way to plan ahead for reviews you want to participate in. The majority of retailers don’t look at new products outside of these reviews; so be aware that presentations or offers extended outside of these times may not be viewed or accepted.
Perfect your presentation. “Live appointments are the exception now, not the rule, so plan and act accordingly,” recommended Papazian. When presenting to retailers, leave no room for mistakes. Papazian noted if there’s a category review but you can’t connect with a category manager, consider contacting a distributor account manager and explaining the value of your product. It may help your product get on shelves.
Compromise on slotting. “You don’t have to present every single market or customer at the same time,” Papazian said. “Prioritize what market you should or want to be in and focus in on the customers.” Ranking your markets and customers can also be helpful when thinking about slotting. Papazian also recommends offering as close to the asking price for slotting as possible. “Be reasonable because your competitors definitely are,” he said.
Be legal and ethical with your finances. Be sure to be consistent with your promotions and slotting offers. Offers can be different, but they must be proportional or tied into some kind of performance or display allowance. Papazian recommended finding a way to track all of your offers and acceptances, including execution and results, even if its at a high level.
Perfection is the norm, not an objective. “Saying ‘close enough’ or ‘we’ll figure it out’ isn’t acceptable,” warned Papazian. Everything must be on time and accurate to be considered at a retailer. Especially with forms, be sure to fill them out completely with accurate information. Each chain has its own customized forms, so pay attention to what they’re asking for, he said.
Related: Selling to Convenience: What Makers Should Know; 6 Tips for Online Holiday Success.
from Specialty Food News https://ift.tt/2Taydix
No comments: