In our last few blogs, we’ve been discussing the complex sales development process and how to launch a food product. Samples, trade shows, PR, and more put your product on everyone’s radar, and the hype should be building significantly. How do you start closing the deal? In this week’s blog from the experts at HSR Associates, you’ll find out how to market a food product to some of the people who matter most: retail buyers and food service operators. We’ll also talk about how distributors fit into the equation.

Sell Direct to Buy Direct

Your customers don’t just include the people who will buy your food or beverage product at their local supermarkets. Retail buyers (the people who choose what to stock in stores) and food service operators (such as F&B managers at restaurants and other establishments) are the ones who will make your product available to individual consumers. Therefore, you need to sell directly to them.

Your food product development consultant will know how to market a food product to specific food service operators and how to sell food products to supermarkets via retail buyers. An effective food marketing plan will promote your product aggressively through targeting, competitive pricing, exceptional packaging, and more. Ideally, you want buyers to buy directly from you without going through a middleman. This will be cheaper for you. If this is not an option, ask them which distributor they use.

Sell the Distributor

Food distributors warehouse and deliver your product. They often have too many new products and too few salesmen, so it’s your consultant’s job to build a sales program and help create demand among their customers. Sell the distributor by making sure they know the buyer wants the product. When the time comes, make sure your product is properly palletized and ready to ship or be picked up. Throughout this process, it’s important to keep your food brokers in the loop as well.

Need Help with How to Market a Food Product?

The sales process is very involved, with many moving pieces. Our job as consultants is to help you navigate this process. HSR ASSOCIATES specializes in developing new food products and bringing them to market. We provide all the services necessary, from Kitchen To Marketplace. Contact us today at steve@hsrassociates.net.

More great ideas to come from our food product development experts! Stay tuned…………..