By John Malmo
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkno/local-wkno-984153.mp3
Call the Big Dog First, by John Malmo.
Memphis, TN – Few things in business are harder than trying to get retail distribution for an unknown product. Over the years, I've been asked for help by at least a dozen new barbecue sauce makers and entrepreneurs with thirty or forty other products from cosmetics to kitchen faucet filters.
Reading recently about the growth of craft whiskey makers, I was reminded of the best place to start with a new product: at the top echelon of retailers in the category.
The owner of Tuthilltown Spirits in New York happened to meet a whiskey distributor in, of all places, Paris. As a result, he was able to come home and tell The Four Seasons' buyer, "This is the bourbon sold at Door Seventy-Four in Amsterdam and the Regina in Paris." Then he called on others to tell them he's in The Four Seasons.
A lifelong friend, the late John Allen, had a small company in Memphis named Bluff City Furniture. They made a popular phone stand and lovely, wood veneer TV tables. I used to help him open new accounts. It was easy to walk into a store and tell the buyer, "These are sold at Hammacher Schlemmer in New York and Neiman Marcus in Dallas."
If you can sell to the best, you'll likely land enough of the rest.
John Malmo is a marketing consultant who concentrates on helping business owners grow their businesses with effective marketing. To reach Mr. Malmo, hear and read more of his commentaries, or ask him a direct question, go to AskMalmo.com.
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