LinkedIn is a good space to develop relationships
Communicate effectively on this platform
One great opportunity to foster the relationship with your customers is LinkedIn. You will find most people in business on this platform and it can be a great space to communicate. Your relationships with retailers need to be cultivated often, in different places. LinkedIn is one of the most effective platforms to communicate. You can share wins, celebrate other people and position yourself as an expert in your category. Our experience has been you will build relationships if you share and celebrate, however you will alienate people if you sell. We do see people who try to sell in this space but would not recommend it. LinkedIn can definitely lead to sales.
As we continue our series about building relationships, we are looking for opportunities where you can communicate with your customers throughout the year. LinkedIn can be a great opportunity for 10-12 touchpoints through the year.
Start with a good profile
Most people have been using these platforms for a while. You don’t need us to help you set up a profile. When you have things set up take a step back and look at your profile from your customer’s perspective. Your photo does not need to be in full on business attire but it should be professional and relate to the products and brand you represent.
Look at your written profile, experience and accomplishments you include. Do they relate to the industry you are in? If your customer reads it, will they come away with the conclusion ‘I want to do business with this person?’.
When you reach out to a person working at a retailer this might be one of the first places they go to do some research about you. We know you have probably researched them; remember they will probably check you out too. This can be a great opportunity to connect on different levels such as going the same school or volunteering for the same organization. These connections can definitely help your relationship.
Read their profiles
Your profile is important, so is theirs. Read it through and look for connections you might have. As we mentioned above education and volunteer work are great conversation topics. Look to see what they are interested in and who they follow. You can learn a lot about a person from the profile they share.
Connect with the right people
Our experience has been connections work best after you meet a person. If you meet at a trade show or industry event, send them a connection within a day or two. You can also reach out to key contacts you do not know. If you choose this strategy, make sure your connection request includes a personalized message explaining why you want to connect.
Do not try to connect with everyone at every retailer. Select the key contacts first in merchandising, procurement and supply chain. If you do meet other people in operations or different departments reach out to connect after you meet them.
Follow and comment appropriately
Pay attention to what your connections in retail post. These are insights into what they are doing and what is important to them. Comment when it makes sense. You do not want to comment on everything they post. You can be too much which does not help your relationship.
Share or re-post their posts when it makes sense. Again, do not do this all the time. Pick a few opportunities when the post really does deserve to be shared.
Put your own posts through this lens
Every time you post, comment or share ask yourself ‘what will my connections in retail think?’. This is an important question. They will see it and you do not want it to have a negative impact on your relationships.
It is the right thing to post about wins or milestones in your business. Sometimes they are with one customer or another. If you get listed at Loblaw you might want to post a photo the first time you see it on the shelf. Celebrate this milestone with your employees and your team.
If you started in the Sobeys local program mention them in the post when you say ‘thanks’ to everyone who has been a part of the journey. Retailers understand you will be in different stores. If you are connected with Sobeys people they will see your post about getting on the shelf in Loblaw. Never hurts to make them feel appreciated as well.
This lens should be applied to all posts or comments you make. There are other social media platforms where you can express your more personal views. LinkedIn is intended to be a business focused space. Fortunately most people respect that.
Keep the playing field level
Set up your own process to keep the posts roughly equal across all customers. If you only post photos from one retailer you will hurt your relationships with others. They will not keep score but you should.
They should never see it here first
If you have big news to share take the time to send an email to your large customers (or all of them) before you post it on LinkedIn. Make them feel special. LinkedIn is a public platform and a great place to share wins or milestones. You just want your direct relationships at the retailers to feel closer to you than the public space of LinkedIn. They are also more likely to comment on it if they know about it.
Position yourself as an expert
You want your customers to see you as an expert and a resource in the category. This does not mean say “I am an expert”. What it does mean is regularly post content, photos and information to lead people to conclude you are an expert. This is a great spot to share a few photos from a market you visited or something you saw at a trade show. It sends the message you are sharing and also that you are involved in the industry and events.
It takes time to build prosperous relationships. LinkedIn can be a valuable piece of the puzzle. You need to work at it and be consistent. Diving in and posting all the time for 2 weeks and then disappearing is not the right strategy. You have lots of things to do but if you carve out some time each week to maintain a presence on LinkedIn and communicate with your customers it will pay dividends.
Peter
SKUFood Recipes for Success Podcast
The response to our SKUFood Recipe for Success podcast has been great. We want to thank everyone who has been with us as a guest. So many interesting conversations about our industry.
In this episode of Recipes for Success, we sit down with Karl Wirtz, President of WG Corporate, to explore the vital but often misunderstood world of co-packing in the food industry. With decades of experience helping brands find packaging solutions from concept to shelf, Karl shares invaluable insights into what makes a successful co-packing partnership and why more food businesses are turning to experts like WG Corporate to bring their visions to market efficiently and effectively.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
If you would like to be a guest send us a note. We are always working on the upcoming episodes.
Food and beverage businesses can apply for remission from tariffs
The ongoing saga of tariffs and trade war continues. For a few hours this week the sweeping tariffs imposed by the U.S. were not legal, then another court ruled they are legal. Something tells us lawyers in the U.S. are getting richer.
In Canada there is a process for companies to apply for remission. This means you can get the money back if the government has implemented this for your particular situation. This is complicate but there is a process to apply and be compensated. We are not experts in navigating through tariffs but this should be a good starting point for you.
Where is Peter speaking?
I do have travel coming up to Toronto, Saskatoon and Calgary so if you want to connect or have an event in any of these locations give me a call or send me an email.
