Be honest, when you’re sharing your brand plans with retailers, how much are you changing for each audience?
A one-size-fits-all pitch may seem efficient, but it can sometimes come across as a lack of effort or genuine interest in the retailer's business.
Having a strong master deck saves you time in the future and allows your story to get stronger each time you present it, but it’s important to make small tweaks to that story for each retailer.
This way, you show your buyer you have a deep understanding and genuine interest in growing their business.
Here are 10 tips to help you tailor your pitch and make it resonate with your audience.
1. Ask Your Buyer to Share Their Priorities
Start your meeting by asking the buyer about their current priorities. This helps you make the right first impression, showing you value their perspective and are ready to align your plans with their goals.
By kicking off the meeting in this way, you can dial up the areas your buyer is most interested in throughout the rest of your presentation.
2. Use Their Corporate Strategy as a Hook
Buyers are always looking for ways to tick the big corporate boxes that make them look good to the wider business.
Before you present to a retailer, research their corporate strategy and incorporate it into your pitch. IGD provides really great overviews of retailer corporate priorities, but if you don’t have access, you can get a lot of this information on the retailer’s own websites.
Demonstrating how your product fits within their broader goals can make your proposition more compelling.
3. Highlight the Opportunity Based on Their Performance
Use any category data available to you to highlight growth opportunities based on the retailer’s performance.
Show them how your product can help improve their category performance.
Perhaps you can help them close an under-trade, trade shoppers up, or fill a much needed gap in their range?
4. Bring to Life the Opportunity for Their Shopper
Focus on the specific demographic and shopping habits of the retailer’s customers.
Explain how your product meets the unique needs and preferences of their shoppers, enhancing their overall shopping experience and satisfaction. Use relevant data and insights to show how your product can attract and retain their target audience.
Remember to make them feel like real people, not just numbers!
5. Show Them What’s In It for Them
Make it clear what benefits the retailer will gain by stocking your product. Whether it’s increased sales, trading shoppers up, or improved shopper loyalty, ensure the buyer understands the tangible benefits.
Give a size of the prize that’s specific to them, make it ambitious but realistic. This way they know how big your launch will be and that you mean business!
6. Echo Their Language
Adopt the terminology and jargon that the retailer uses.
Whether you’re talking to Tesco about Carol and Dawn, or to Superdrug about GOBE, it creates a sense of familiarity and shows you understand their business.
7. Tweak to Their Style
Adjust your presentation style to match that of the buyer. Try to understand their individual preferences.
Are they driven by category data, consumer insight or commercials?
Do they like a lot of data or would they prefer simple storytelling?
8. Offer Something Exclusive
For your priority accounts, consider offering exclusive products, media tagging or shopper activation opportunities to show them how important their partnership is.
9. Swap Out Your Images
Use images and visuals that resonate with the retailer’s brand. Customise your presentation materials to reflect their aesthetic and ethos.
Even if you don’t have a lot of data, you can incorporate store photos to make your story unique.
10. Give Them the Info They Need
From availability dates to SKU details and RRP, make the decision easy for them by providing all the information they will need to list your products.
The shelves aren’t elastic, so make a category-based recommendation on where the space could come from. Perhaps there’s some low hanging fruit you can go after?
Even if you don't have access to retailer data, you can still make your pitch stand out. Visit stores and take photos, explore the retailer’s website to understand their strategy, or use free insights available to you.
What are you going to do differently for your next sell-in meeting?
Let us know any other suggestions you have for tailoring your story!
Building your pitch deck and not sure where to start?
Check out our online video course Create a Category Led Sell in Story.
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Check out our training courses or get in touch for a chat about how we can help.
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