If you’re trying to get your product out into the world and want to secure a prominent positioning for it, one of the best and most efficient ways is to choose a reliable business partner, that doesn’t only help in the distribution phase, but goes way beyond that.
A trust-worthy distribution partner won’t only get your product where it needs to be in the most efficient way, but most importantly, they will foster relationships with the various retailers that could potentially carry your product. Adding to the fact that they will know the ins and outs of the industry, with the help of a team of sales professionals working to sell your product/ service.
Having that said, it’s now time to choose a business partner whom you can completely trust and rely on. Before that, remember that you, as a business owner & solution provider have unique needs, your skill sets, customer base, technology focus, scale and services all vary to a degree. As a result, you will have different needs when it comes to choosing a reliable distribution partner.
”Don’t hustle, here we provide you with 5 key points that should be taken into consideration before you choose a success partner:
1) Capacity to handle the Inventory: Before you sign up for a deal, inspect the distributor’s warehouse space, trucks and tracking capabilities.
2) Partnership Opportunities: There should be diversity in the distributor’s channel network. In other words, could your partner help you in making business deals? Your distribution partner should be a conduit to more business and an avenue for you to align with other solution providers.
3) Comparable Size: You think choosing the biggest distributor in the country is the safest bet, don’t you? Oftentimes, the most successful partnerships run parallel in size. If your business is hyperlocal, you may want to look for a small distributor to bring your product to market. If you run a broad, internationally-selling D2C business, however, you may want to look into a much larger distributor.
4) Current Channel Customer Base: You should have the confidence that your distribution partner understands your business and customer needs.
5) The Distributor’s Reach: This comes in terms of geography and the diversity of retailers. It goes without saying that you want to partner with a distributor that has well-established connections with the local retailers you’re trying to access.
This all sounds great, doesn’t it? Remember that when you choose the right distributor, you enter into a mutually beneficial partnership where your business, your product and the distributor all flourish.
