You should plan for personal interaction with your customers
Don’t wait for them to call
Interaction with retailers is very important for your sales people. They should be finding opportunities to interact and connect with them on a regular basis. If you have 4-5 key accounts that can take a fair amount of time. Every conversation or interaction does not lead to a bigger purchase order, but it does help with the relationship.
You might have heard us describe the relationship building is like running an ultra-marathon where the finish line keeps moving. If you were to run an ultra-marathon you would probably plan for the event. You also need to plan to have a good relationship with your customers.
Consider the opportunities for personal interaction
Yes, it is a challenge to get in front of the key decision makers. It can be very difficult, in the early stages when you are trying to get your product listed. If you do have a product listed there are more opportunities.
Here are some personal interaction touchpoints your salespeople should be thinking about:
Trade shows
These can be a great opportunity. Retailers are there because they want to see things and learn about new opportunities. Make sure you contact them in advance and try to schedule a meeting. You have a much better chance of getting that 5-10 minute conversation. Be prepared and resist the temptation to talk about the weather. Not the place to negotiate a price increase but you should focus on business.
Phone calls
There are times when you still need to call. They don’t always answer but you need to call. Be ready to have a conversation or leave a message. When there is an issue it is always better if your sales people call first as opposed to your customer being upset about something and having to call you.
Text
It still surprised me we text between retailers and suppliers. Call me old school but it seems less formal. I appreciate it is common and when a retailer says ‘text me’ I interpret that to mean your relationship is in a good place.
Probably the most common form of communication. Great because you have what we used to call a paper trail. You can get answers (when they respond) and you have proof they agreed to a proposal or specific dates for a program to start. Do not inundate them with email (they get a lot) but use it when it fits. This is a great way to share information and photos. Do not share too much too often.
Industry events
Great opportunities to have a face-to-face conversation. Not the place to negotiate a price increase. These can be 2 hours of time for 6 minutes of conversation with your customer but those are a valuable 6 minutes. It is good to be a part of the industry and get to know your customers outside their office.
Plant/facility tour
Any time your salespeople can get your customer to visit your facility it is a great thing. They are busy and never get to them all. Similar to texting it is a great barometer on your relationship. If they agree to visit it is usually a good thing. Keep asking, even if they continue to decline. When they do show up, make it worth their while.
Store visits
We appreciate every supplier wants retailers to visit their facility. The next best thing is to meet them in their store. They do not spend enough time in stores so they can be more receptive to this option. Your salespeople can ask questions about new designs, programs and other initiatives. It is also a chance for you both to see your product in the real world, not a meeting room.
Special projects
We always encourage producers and processors to participate in special projects or tests. Yes, it can be more work and cost you money in resources but it puts your business in a different place from your competition. It can also be an opportunity to prove something to your customer. Your sales people will get to develop relationships with people other than just the merchandising and procurement people.
Holiday/speciality planning
If your business has a product that is an integral part of any key season your salespeople should try to have discussions focused on this key season. For some items this can be 30-40% of volume. You need the dedicated time to ensure the opportunity is maximized.
Social media-Linked in
Your salespeople should be connected with all of your customers and as many people as possible on Linked in. This is a valuable tool to learn about them and develop relationships. Remember if they are connected, they will see what your people are posting.
Food safety issue/ Inventory issue/ Execution issue
Nobody wants to have problems. Unfortunately, this is a very complex industry and there will be issues. Your salespeople should be proactive and deal with the problem before your customer needs to deal with you. You can turn a bad situation into a good one if you handle it properly. I was recording an episode of our SKUFood Recipes for Success podcast today and the person said “when you have an issue, be humble, own it and fix it”. Good advice!
Face to Face meetings
Obviously, an integral component of the relationship. Notice we put this last. Some people believe this is the only way to build relationships. It is not. When you do all of the other things we have listed the meetings will be so much more productive and our experience would be successful.
Our challenge to you is to put all of these touchpoints into a chart and figure out how often you are really interacting with your customer. There is no magic number, but you need to see it happening across all opportunities, throughout the year. If you know you will see them at a trade show in April, try to schedule a plant tour or store tour or face-to-face meeting in the summer or fall. Spread out these valuable opportunities.
I do have travel coming up to Toronto, Edmonton and Guelph so if you want to connect or have an event in any of these locations give me a call or send me an email.
Peter
SKUFood Recipes for Success Podcast
In this episode of SKUFood Recipes for Success, we sit down with Carolyne McIntyre Jackson, co-founder of Crave Cupcakes, a nationally recognized, award-winning bakery brand that has grown from a single neighbourhood shop into a multi-channel business across Western Canada.
What started with a simple goal, serve really good cake made from real ingredients and a commitment to from-scratch baking has evolved into a beloved brand known for quality, consistency, and connection. Today, Crave Cupcakes has seven bakery locations, café extensions under CeCe’s Coffee Shop, and a growing CPG presence in major retailers, while still using the same recipes and real ingredients it started with.
Carolyne shares how Crave has scaled thoughtfully, layer by layer, without compromising on product integrity, brand values, or customer experience. This conversation dives into what it really takes to scale a food brand without compromise. From staying hands-on as you grow to translating a fresh bakery experience into packaged products, Carolyne shares how Crave has built a brand that’s not only crave-worthy but built to last.
If you would like to be a guest send us a note. We are always working on the upcoming episodes.
Opportunity for Atlantic Food and Beverage
We are very excited to have the opportunity to work with Food and Beverage Atlantic to deliver “Sales & Marketing; Winning in Canadian and export markets”. Norm Purdy, Al Archibald and I will work together to deliver 6 weeks of great content to help businesses get to the next level.
We keep saying there has never been a better opportunity. Now is the time but you also need to have the right resources and processes in place. We have written a unique business case to illustrate the decision making and tools required for a successful launch into new markets.
Space is limited and filling up fast.
Fuel prices impacting retail pricing
Not sure why this is a surprise to everyone but the sharp increase in the price of fuel in a short period of time is impacting the price of food. It will impact many other things too. Canada is a big country to move product. It costs more than it did 4-6 weeks ago. Hopefully sanity will prevail and the world can get back to a better sense of equilibrium. Until that happens everything will cost more.
With the focus on Canadian food and beverage we wanted to share a program we have developed with Alain Bosse, the Kilted Chef. We partner to share insights about Canadian food and beverage at conferences and events. We talk about where products come from, share insights about some hidden gems and of course Chef Alain has great tips for using the products at home. This is designed to be entertaining and engaging. Not just for food industry audiences, it works for everyone.