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How soon is too soon?

RahKnee

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Hi All,
I recently contacted a buyer for a national level chain store to speak with them about placing a product I have on their shelves. They're not the first I've contacted about this specific product, but they are probably the best match as far as style and price point go.

I spoke to general representatives at their headquarters over the phone, and was referred to the specific buyer that I should deal with. I called this person and was advised by their voicemail to leave a message as well as email them. I did both. It has now been 10 days and no response.

I'm not ready to give up on this project just yet. How soon is too soon to contact them again without it coming across as desperation or harassment? Do I get on the phone and hound them until they buy my product, or do I wait a few weeks to see if they respond? What says the FastLane?
 
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Lone Wolf

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I'm not ready to give up on this project just yet.

It's been 10 days and your not ready to give up on this project 'just yet'. You sound really confident about your product.
 

Kasper

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You will not sound desperate (and so what if you do?). I have been through this a thousand times (literally!), better to call untill they get tired of you than to give up because you want to come across as polite. How do you know when they are tired of you? They will tell you! When they do, you ask them when a good time would be to call again. If they say "never!", call back 3-6 months later, and say that you have been in correspondence earlier this year, and you can see that there was some interest, so you wanted to catch up on the matter (of your product in their stores). I have called more than 1000 potential clients in the last 9 months, and 2 of them has been harsh over the phone, everyone else has been really nice and helpful.
 

MJ DeMarco

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It has now been 10 days and no response.

Keep trying to get the person on the phone. I wouldn't be leaving multiple voice mails, but I would continue to call one a week until you spoke to someone and got a "NO".

@Red ?
 
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Red

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So here's my two cents:

I would call back with a message something like this:

"Hey (name here), Marcy over in (whatever department) told me you were the man to talk to regarding putting (product) on your shelves. I know you're probably swamped over there so I'm going to shoot you an email with all the details. I'll follow up with you to make sure all your questions have been answered. If you like, you can give me a ring back at (###) otherwise, I'll keep an eye on my email. Thanks!"

Make it short & sweet -match the tone of the voicemail greeting he has. If he's slow & leisurely, do the same. If he's fast & to the point, absolutely mimic that - @Arrabista is absolutely spot on with this, I've done this for years. And be confident. If you're not a confident person by nature, pretend to be, just for 30 seconds for the voicemail.

I would also call on a Tuesday afternoon (let them get through the Monday craziness) or a Friday early afternoon (people who are desk jockeys are in a good mood because they know the weekend is coming).

Then follow up with the email -read Cashvertising if your copywriting is weak.

Make the email short & to the point- TELL HIM HOW HE BENEFITS -he doesn't give a shit about you or your product currently, 1000 people a day nag him for attention, you have to show him immediately that you'd be cool to work with & that he would benefit from working with you.

I would honestly google how Department Store Buyers get paid -I have no idea. Do they get bonuses? Are they straight salaried? Commissioned? If you can find that out, it's one more piece of the puzzle that you can incorporate to help him see he'd benefit from working with you. If you can find a buyer & ask them, even better.

Let us know how it goes!
 

RahKnee

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Lone Wolf, thanks for such a valuable contribution...

Everyone else, actual thanks. Some solid information and advice here. I'll try again and keep everyone updated how it goes.
 
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Vigilante

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National retail buyers get dozens of unsolicited proposals every week. When I worked for Wal-Mart, I used to have three full time assistants just to help with work flow. Some national buyers are the WORST, in terms of blowing you off.

You are going to have to do something unconventional to get their attention. I managed a $700,000,000 category for Wal-Mart, with stores, executives, and existing vendors escalating all sorts of immediate fires I had to extinguish.

Some questions to save you some time :

1. Do you have demonstratable success on a smaller scale, such as at regional chains?

2. Do you have a Dunn and Bradstreet score of 8 or better on a scale of 8-10, demonstrating financial wherewithal to do business with a national retailer?

3. Do you have a whole lineup of products vs. a single item?

If your answer to any of the above questions is NO, your only shot is to contact a distributor who does business with the retailer. There's an outside chance that a manufacturers rep could help you get a phone call returned, but a rep can't even help you if your answer to any of the above questions is NO. You need all three of the above for the retailer to even give a shit about talking with you.

You have to be capable of being a vendor, and be able to prove that there is a reason they should do business with you. Then, you have to do something extraordinary to get their attention. When I was at Wal-Mart, one prospective vendor took out a BILLBOARD adjacent to our corporate office. You bet your a$$ they got a return phone call.
 

Red

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When I was at Wal-Mart, one prospective vendor took out a BILLBOARD adjacent to our corporate office. You bet your a$$ they got a return phone call.

I want to be that guys friend. Holy shit that's awesome.
 

Vigilante

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I had people whose whole job it was to make sure that your call never got though to me. "Send a package to this generic address, and if we are interested we will get back to you."

You have to be extraordinary, and do extraordinary, to get extraordinary. You gotta get creative.

But if the fundamental three points above aren't in place, you're wasting your time.
 
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marklov

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I had people whose whole job it was to make sure that your call never got though to me. "Send a package to this generic address, and if we are interested we will get back to you."

You have to be extraordinary, and do extraordinary, to get extraordinary. You gotta get creative.

But if the fundamental three points above aren't in place, you're wasting your time.

I have had clients mail dvd players, burner phones and even tablets to get
the attention of persons holding the keys to the contracts my clients needed.

In one of the niches I was in nobody did any of the above, those on the receiving end were
really impressed and led to many contracts getting landed ofcourse:tiphat:

Probably one of my favorite reasons for working offlines is just how tactile and creative you can get.
 

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