Every founder wants the big distributor deal. I get itโit feels like the ultimate validation.
But hereโs the truth: distribution without demand is just expensive warehousing. ๐ฆ๐ธ
The brands that secure the best distributor partnerships donโt chase them. They create so much consumer pull that distributors come to them. They turn their brand from a hopeful ask into a must-have investment.
You donโt win by begging. You win by creating so much consumer pull that distributors come to you.
๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฏโ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐๐น๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐
โข ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐น๐ถ๐๐: The earliest data point you can provide is intent. Use social media, pop-ups, and email sign-ups to prove people are ready to buy. A list of 5,000 interested consumers is more compelling than a perfect pitch deck. ๐
โข ๐ข๐๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น: Concentrate on winning a single city or neighborhood so convincingly that local retailers and bars ask for you by name. When a distributorโs sales team starts getting calls from their accounts asking for your product, youโve won. ๐
โข ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐จ๐ฝ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ, ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ๐: Distributors are looking for kinetic energy (revenue, points of distribution, reorder rate, velocity). ๐
๐๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง: โWeโre going to be the next big thing.โ ๐
๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ: โWeโre doing X cases/month DTC and have Y local accounts asking for a partnership because our reorder rate is 70%.โ
Distributors want brands that make their job easier. De-risk the investment for them. If you can prove the demand, they canโt ignore you.