You should plan for passive interaction with your customers

You should plan for passive interaction with your customers

You must assume they will notice

Last week we talked about the personal interaction your salespeople should be planning with retailers. They should be finding opportunities to interact and connect with them on a regular basis. There are also many opportunities for your salespeople to make an impression, without having any conversations or meetings.

Whether it is a post on social media or a picture in a trade publication with one retailer at a trade show you must assume your customers will see it. Many times, this can have a positive impact on your relationships but if you are not careful it can be negative too. A post to reinforce your product is 100% Canadian and giving retailers credit for highlighting this on the shelf should be a win. If you declined an opportunity to participate in one retailer’s golf tournament because of budget cuts try not to get your picture taken at the competitor’s golf tournament when you are playing in the same group as the category manager.

Consider the opportunities for passive interaction

It is a challenge to get a face-to-face meeting or even a phone call with your category manager. Your salespeople cannot control the passive interaction opportunities but they can take advantage of them.

Here are some passive interaction touchpoints your salespeople should be thinking about:

Retailer’s employees

No doubt your category manager or procurement manager is the key point of contact. You need to get them to list your product and you negotiate pricing and programs with them. They are also not the only people who work with your customer. Employees at the stores, the distribution centres and other departments can all be great advocates for your business. When they see your business doing good things in food safety or social media it can get back to your category manager quickly. Participating in tests or pilot projects is a good way to interact with some of these other employees.

Mass media

Your business can be contacted by mass media for a news story about the price of food or perhaps you are hiring new people in the community. Regardless of the topic, you have to expect that someone who works with the retailer will see the article or the clip on the evening news. If you do have the opportunity to mention a customer, put it through the lens of ‘what would they think and how will it impact our relationship?’ You might be frustrated because they will not accept a cost increase you need related to increased fuel costs. The media is not the place to share your frustrations.

Social media

The professional and even personal social media of your salespeople can be consumed by your customers. This can be a positive, when you mention customers or give them some credit for a milestone in your business. It is also not the place to criticize retailers. If you do have an issue talk to them as opposed to a critique online.

Master case

Consider your master case a component of packaging. Put the same work into making it effective as you do your retail packaging. It does need to protect your product through the supply chain and it also needs to be user friendly for your customer’s employees in store. We have heard about some changes coming at Loblaw about retail ready packaging. When you do a good job with these initiatives it can help your relationships.

Packaging

Packaging can send a message to existing and potential customers. Innovation that increases sales, extends shelf life or reduces shrink can be a positive. Retailers spend time in their own stores and the competition. If they see something you are doing it might peak their interest for your products.

Demos/sampling

Many of you know we are not always the biggest fans of demos. They are expensive and you do not reach too many people. They can be effective but we always want to challenge you to measure the ROI. If you do choose to invest in demos in store or perhaps some other environment like a consumer show or sponsorship make sure the people are knowledgeable about your products and how to contact you. If a potential customer wants to find you make it as easy as possible.

Business cards

We don’t see these as much as we used to but if you use them, they can be effective. Make sure they are professional and reflect the quality of your brand. Take advantage of the space on the back to reinforce your value proposition with customers.

Email signature

Your salespeople should be sending email communication to your customers regularly. Their email signature should have the basic contact information. They can also add other promotional pieces or details about upcoming trade shows or events. It is easy to change this every month and use the space to send a message to your customer. If they see you will be at a trade show or sponsoring a community event they might make a note to check out your offering.

Website

No doubt your website is consumer facing. This should be the foundation of your digital marketing. Your customers will visit too. Make sure your salespeople are part of the process to ensure it is a positive message your customers will receive when they visit the site. Some people add a login section for customers or potential customers where there is information there just for them.

Trade publications

We would always suggest you should read the trade publications. There is valuable information there about the industry, your category and your customers. Your customers also read them. It is fine to have your photo taken with a retailer but do your best to spread out the photos with different customers. If you are always at the Sobeys events, hanging out with the Sobeys people the people at Costco might wonder why.

Public relations

We continue to encourage Canadian food and beverage to be proactive with public relations. These are good news stories in challenging times. If you do have the opportunity to get some exposure it is likely your customers will see the article or the tv coverage. If there is a chance to give your customers some credit for your success it never hurts!

Competitor’s ads

You need to promote your products, which means you need to do this in all of your customers. Your customers will be watching their competitor’s ads and in store specials. Do your best to keep the playing field a level one. If you offer one customer 1.00/unit the others will be expecting the same level of discount.

These passive interactions are not all going to be consumed by every one of your customers. The challenge is they could be and some probably will be. Your salespeople need to consider this when they are posting or getting their photo taken. When you put these opportunities through the lens of ‘what will my customer think’ you have a much better chance of improving your relationships.

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.

SKUFood Recipes for Success Podcast

In this episode of SKUFood Recipes for Success, we sit down with Cathline James, founder of Wise Bites, a purpose driven snack brand redefining what it means to be truly inclusive in food. Built on the belief that everyone deserves access to safe, nutritious options, Wise Bites has carved out a unique space in the better for you category with products that are free from the top 11 allergens while still delivering on taste and function.

What started as a personal mission has grown into a forward thinking brand focused on long term health, accessibility, and innovation. Wise Bites isn’t just reacting to trends, it’s anticipating them, creating products designed for a more inclusive future of food where functionality and flavour go hand in hand. From early product development to scaling into retail and food service, the brand has stayed rooted in its core purpose: allergen free snacks that make you feel good and taste good.

Cathline shares how seeing what others don’t has shaped her approach to building Wise Bites, from identifying gaps in the market to creating products that meet real, underserved needs. This conversation explores what it takes to lead with purpose while building a scalable business, and how Wise Bites is proving that the future of snacking isn’t just better for you, it’s smarter, more inclusive, and 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.

Vegetable prices rising

With the Canadian Produce Marketing Association convention in Toronto next week perhaps it is appropriate to have an article about high prices of vegetables. No doubt impacted by fuel but also some Canadian retailers are looking past the US for supply. Consumers want this but it can cost more to bring product from other growing regions.

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.