Sitemaps
How We Secretly Lose Control of Our Startups
Should Kids Follow in Our Founder Footsteps?
The Evolution of Entry Level Workers
Assume Everyone Will Leave in Year One
Stop Listening to Investors
Was Mortgaging My Life Worth it?
What's My Startup Worth in an Acquisition?
When Our Ambition is Our Enemy
Are Startups in a "Silent Recession"?
The 5 Types of Startup Funding
What Is Startup Funding?
Do Founders Deserve Their Profit?
Michelle Glauser on Diversity and Inclusion
The Utter STUPIDITY of "Risking it All"
Committees Are Where Progress Goes to Die
More Money (Really Means) More Problems
Why Most Founders Don't Get Rich
Investors will be Obsolete
Why is a Founder so Hard to Replace?
We Can't Grow by Saying "No"
Do People Really Want Me to Succeed?
Is the Problem the Player or the Coach?
Will Investors Bail Me Out?
The Value of Actually Getting Paid
Why do Founders Suck at Asking for Help?
Wait a Minute before Giving Away Equity
You Only Think You Work Hard
SMALL is the New Big — Embracing Efficiency in the Age of AI
The 9 Best Growth Agencies for Startups
This is BOOTSTRAPPED — 3 Strategies to Build Your Startup Without Funding
Never Share Your Net Worth
A Steady Hand in the Middle of the Storm
Risk it All vs Steady Paycheck
How About a Startup that Just Makes Money?
How to Recruit a Rockstar Advisor
Why Having Zero Experience is a Huge Asset
My Competitor Got Funded — Am I Screwed?
The Hidden Treasure of Failed Startups
If It Makes Money, It Makes Sense
Why do VCs Keep Giving Failed Founders Money?
$10K Per Month isn't Just Revenue — It's Life Support
The Ridiculous Spectrum of Investor Feedback
Startup CEOs Aren't Really CEOs
Series A, B, C, D, and E Funding: How It Works
Best Pitch Decks Ever: The Most Successful Fundraising Pitches You Need to Know
When to Raise Funds
Why Aren't Investors Responding to Me?
Should I Regret Not Raising Capital?
Unemployment Cases — Why I LOOOOOVE To Win Them So Much.
How Much to Pay Yourself
Heat-Seeking Missile: WePay’s Journey to Product-Market Fit — Interview with Rich Aberman, Co-Founder of Wepay
The R&D technique for startups: Rip off & Duplicate
Why Some Startups Win.
Chapter #1: First Steps To Validate Your Business Idea
Product Users, Not Ideas, Will Determine Your Startup’s Fate
Drop Your Free Tier
Your Advisors Are Probably Wrong
Growth Isn't Always Good
How to Shut Down Gracefully
How Does My Startup Get Acquired?
Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught?
How to Pick the Wrong Co-Founder
Staying Small While Going Big
Investors are NOT on Our Side of the Table
Who am I Really Competing Against?
Why Can't Founders Replace Themselves?
Actually, We Have Plenty of Time
Quitting vs Letting Go
How Startups Actually Get Bought
What if I'm Building the Wrong Product?
Are Founders Driven by Fear or Greed?
Why I'm Either Working or Feeling Guilty
Startup Financial Assumptions
Why Every Kid Should be a Startup Founder
We Only Have to be Right Once
If a Startup Sinks, Founders Go Down With it
Founder Success: We Need a Strict Definition of Personal Success
Is Quiet Quitting a Problem at Startup Companies?
Founder Exits are Hard Work and Good Fortune, Not "Good Luck"
Finalizing Startup Projections
All Founders are Beloved In Good Times
Our Startup Culture of Entitlement
The Bullshit Case for Raising Capital
How do We Manage Our Founder Flaws?
What If my plan for retirement is "never retire"?
Startup Failure is just One Chapter in Founder Life
6 Similarities between Startup Founders and Pro Athletes
All Founders Make Bad Decisions — and That's OK
Startup Board Negotiations: How do I tell the board I need a new deal?
Founder Sacrifice — At What Point Have I Gone Too Far?
Youth Entrepreneurship: Can Middle Schoolers be Founders?
Living the Founder Legend Isn't so Fun
Why Do VC Funded Startups Love "Fake Growth?"
How Should I Share My Wealth with Family?
How Many Deaths Can a Startup Survive?
This is Probably Your Last Success
Why Do We Still Have Full-Time Employees?
The Case Against Full Transparency
Should I Feel Guilty for Failing?
Always Take Money off the Table

How to Get Your Product in a Major Retailer With Vanessa Ting

The Startups Team

How to Get Your Product in a Major Retailer With Vanessa Ting

We were lucky to have Retail Growth Strategist Vanessa Ting share her tips for attracting major retailers for your startup project. Now with Buyerly.com and Retail Path, she helps product companies strengthen their appeal to major retail buyers nationwide. Below are our 10 big takeaways.

  1. Build Sales Traction

Always collect sales data. Make sure to note your sell-through numbers and not just what is being shipped out. You can get creative with how you illustrate this to retailers, noting any increases in orders over time or PR that led to a spike in sales.

  1. Create Brand Awareness

It is important to make sure you have the marketing support to create a brand identity both in the store and out of it. Without this, your product will just collect dust on the shelf.

  1. Nail the Execution

Can you get the right product to the right place at the right time in the right quantity? If not, retailers will not be able to trust you with their orders.

  1. Talk to the right people

Many people make the mistake of spending their time talking to the people that aren’t in charge of making the decision. Know the industry and make an effort to meet the key players.

  1. Know your Audience

Cater your pitch to the people you are meeting with. Get to know them and pay attention to how they normally work with companies. Do they prefer to work with a sales rep? Hire one instead of just showing up at their door.

  1. Take It Slow

Set goals and determine what you can be doing now in order to reach them a few years down the line. Nothing is worse than securing a deal with a big company and not having the infrastructure to fulfill it. 

  1. Show your Value

Focus on how both you and the company will benefit from the partnership. If they can see a clear benefit to them, they are much more likely to work with you.

  1. Be Wary of Social Media

You may have thousands of followers, but that doesn’t mean those people will be buying your product in stores. Often times event marketing and published articles give you more credibility in the eyes of a buyer.

  1. Innovate, Innovate, Innovate

Buyers look at hundreds of pitches for great products every day. Come up with a unique argument that differentiates your product from all of the others.

  1. Seek Mentors

Immerse yourself into a community that supports what you want to do, and learn everything you can. The people you meet in these situations will turn into your biggest advocates.

Watch the full webinar here and let us know what you think @startupsco.

Find this article helpful?

This is just a small sample! Register to unlock our in-depth courses, hundreds of video courses, and a library of playbooks and articles to grow your startup fast. Let us Let us show you!

Submission confirms agreement to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Already a member? Login

No comments yet.

Register to join the discussion.

Already a member? Login

Create Free Account