Wholesale to retail is a big part of the business world, and I haven’t been covering it enough, I think. Here’s a reader that’s experiencing a very common challenge in that environment — securing favorable shelf space. She writes:
I just started selling my photography in the form of greeting cards through about a dozen retailers. I have found out that some outlets are selling better than others. In the ones that were underperforming, I noticed that there were display problems, usually inappropriate placing of the greeting card rack. However, I am a novice at this and currently lack the confidence to point out the problem. I don’t even know whom to talk to. As an aside, my photographs are soon to be published as a coffee-table book. Any suggestions?
Because wholesale to retail isn’t my area of expertise (at all), I asked my mom. She worked wholesale to retail for Bristol Myers for twenty years. She was very successful and knows everything there is to know about securing shelf-space. Here’s the advice she gave the reader:
METHOD #1: Show the manager how to get more profit. Inside retail stores, location is all about profit. The store manager has a finite amount of space and wants to be certain that each part of the store produces as much profit as possible. So when you talk to the store manager, you want to talk in language that he or she can understand, like “My experience with other outlets tells me that you’ll make more profit if you place the rack over here.”
METHOD #2: Help the manager rearrange the shelf or counter. Offer to help the manager rearrange the counter so that the most profitable items (yours and others) are located for maximum profit. To do this, you look at what’s there and come up with a schematic showing where everything should be located. I’m not sure that you, personally, have the experience to do this, but I’m including it because there are probably readers who do have that expertise.
METHOD #3: Use promotions to gain favorable treatment. In your case, the coffee table book represents advertising for the greeting cards. Explain to the manager that when the coffee table book is published, the publisher will be promoting it, which will raise the recognition factor for your greeting cards. Therefore, to get maximum profit, the manager should give your greeting cards favorable shelf-space. Also, use your web site to direct potential customers to specific retailers — another reason for them to prominently display.
Readers: Any further suggestions?
