The pandemic has normalized new ways of doing business remotely, and that includes pitching new specialty food products to potential retail and wholesale buyers via video calls.
While some buyers have been receptive to such calls and have continued to actively seek new products, others have cut back and simply requested that manufacturers send their samples and pricing, said Tony Festa, co-founder of Innovative Club Partners, a Danville, California-based broker that works with Costco Wholesale. That has reduced the ability for small food companies to engage buyers with their unique backstories and to share the full experience of in-person product sampling, he said.
“It’s especially tough for emerging brands in specialty foods right now, because so much of what makes them special is their story,” he said.
For some in the industry, however, virtual presentations have proven to be efficient and effective.
At BRITE bites, a Michigan-based start-up that combines probiotics and superfood ingredients in bite-sized snacks, founder and CEO Bri Makaric said she has been making the most of live video presentations. She currently has distribution on Amazon and through natural retail outlets in Michigan, and has been presenting her product to wholesalers via video meetings to broaden her distribution.
“As a small producer, it might not be in your budget to travel somewhere every week,” she said. “If you can do it from your desk, it can be efficient for you and for the buyer, because they can just log in and log off.”
Following are some tips for conducting effective virtual presentations to retail and wholesale buyers:
• Tell what makes you special. At Costco, Festa said buyers are interested in getting to know what makes the specialty companies they buy from unique. Often this is a story best told by the founder of the company, he said.
Allison Ball, a San Francisco-based food industry consultant, said in a recent webinar on virtual selling that food manufacturers need to “identify their why” — why buyers would want to bring in a new product, and how it will help grow overall category sales, rather than replace existing sales from other products. “Until you are super clear on this, you are not ready,” she said.
• Send samples. Festa said he tries to get buyers to wait to sample the product until during the virtual meeting, so that there can be a back-and-forth dialog during the sampling. It also pays to make sure you are getting the samples to the right place, said Makaric of BRITE bites, noting that many buyers may be working from their homes during the pandemic.
• Be efficient. Buyers are busier than ever, and manufacturers should be well-prepared with a pitch that gets to the point quickly and doesn’t waste the buyer’s time. Ball said buyers expect to get everything they need in that presentation, including pricing, distribution capabilities and promotional plans, so that they don’t have to follow up. In addition, the first sentence of the pitch should grab their attention with key information about why they should be interested in your product, she said.
Makaric noted that manufacturers can also enhance their virtual presentations with visual materials, such as photos of how the product will appear on shelves and displays of targeted promotions.
Practicing the presentation is also important. Festa said he runs through mock presentations with his supplier clients, where he asks questions he thinks the buyers will ask about each slide in the deck. He said that while the presentation should be concise, it also should allow for conversation between the supplier and the buyer.
“We don’t want a follow-along presentation,” he said. “We want a back-and-forth dialog.”
• Create an ambiance. Virtual presentations give manufacturers the ability to create backgrounds that help convey their stories. Makaric sets up her product on pedestals in the background so buyers can see it during the conversation.
Or, manufacturers can consider setting the scene by conducting the call from a production facility, or someplace else that illustrates the product’s unique attributes, Ball suggested.
“Are you in the middle of your field of chili peppers? Don’t assume you need to pitch from behind your desk,” she said.
• Get the details right. Along with rehearsing the pitch and setting the stage, manufacturers also need to make sure they have all of the technical kinks worked out. The sound, video and lighting all need to be tested. Then, when the call is over, don’t forget to follow up with an email, said Makaric.
Related: Zingerman's Offers Virtual Baking Classes; Buyers' Picks: A Plethora of Pasta.
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