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chefamy

posts: 30

Sep 10, 2008 7:38 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Thanks guys!

So this morning Whole Foods put in an order to bring our product in to the distribution center covering the south and Florida - needless to say it is our largest order to date.

I am taking all the advice to heart and making drastic changes - where were your guys 2 years ago? Just kidding I knew it all then.

Envymike - I have lost my web guy and have been teaching myself how to make the changes in the meantime, it is a long tedious process but at least some things have improved. What are the following - rss? link backs? I am NOT a web person at all!!

Hey Dip Lady that is so funny that you suggest that particular show - we did a similar show in DC 2 months after starting our business and had a horrible time - no one bought and we had product everywhere and had to drive back to TN with just as much as we went to DC with. We swore off public shows for a while. Do you sell yours as shelf stable? We tend to have trouble with it being perishable.

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A new sensation in baked cheese.

www.savorysecret.biz

Vote for Savory Secret in the Home Based 100!!!

DipLady

posts: 344

Sep 10, 2008 9:55 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Amy, in regards to the shelf life or perishable thing, we are fortunate. Ours has a shelf life of at least a year, they are all dry ingredients. We are also fortunate in that we are able to package at home. We built a seperate facility, at our home, that is licensed and inspected by the state, but all packaging is done on site, so we are able to produce and maintain large inventory levels will little overhead.

As I sat this afternoon, thinking about your product and ours and what we have experienced, good and bad, trying to come up with some helpful hints for you, I kept coming back to your need for refrigeration or freezers. It is much easier for us, as we fit most all gift stores, so where your product would be fantastic, many do not have the means of storing and preserving that your product requires. Being that we have a food product, I like to visit any gourmet food stores that I find and just check them out and see what is going on. I sat this afternoon going thru each of the stores I have been in and trying to remember seeing any refrigeration or freezers, that is what brought Harry and David to mind. Also, they are higher end, offer shipping, are in most shopping malls and have a great reputation. They would be a great fit for your product! So then I started trying to come up with other stores that are along the same lines as Harry and David, I could not think of many.

Have you done any talking with stores like these? Or any research into stores along these lines. You could probably find out the SIC code for Harry and David and some sales figures and search out other stores with the same SIC codes and sales and possible come up with a fantastic list of possible outlets for your product. Might be worth some looking into. . .

If you were interested in trying to find out something about these stores, I might be able to get some info for you (for free, I don`t do this for a living, I just have a background in marketing and know the ins and outs of lists). Let me know if I can help you here. . .

But, Don`t give up! Every day could be the day, you just never know when!

DipLady

posts: 344

Sep 11, 2008 9:56 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Amy, I got off on a mission on this and did some checking. I thought this was interesting.

There is actually a SIC code category for businesses involved in "Food, mail order". The category is broken up into 3 smaller categories. Food, Cheese and Fruit. Hmmmm, Cheese and Fruit. . .Harry & David stores are in Fruit, but they sell cheese items like yours. There are 214 Fruit, mail order stores in the US, but Harry and David takes up most of them as lots of their US locations are listed. They have huge sales, over $150 mil a year. At that sales level most all others fall off the radar.

In Cheese-mail order, there are 27 stores in the US in this category. 3 of them have sales in excess of 5 mil a year. I think these would be great target stores for your product.

If you are interested in possibly contacting or sending info to one of these stores to see what kind of a response you get, send me a email.

chefamy

posts: 30

Sep 11, 2008 10:18 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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WOW, you are busy!

We have gotten in front of a lot of these types of people, however I was not aware that Harry & David had retail locations.

I am going to do research and see what I can come up with.

I will email you tomorrow, I have to get new packaging ordered today so I can fill holiday orders.

Thanks so much!!!!

-------------------------

A new sensation in baked cheese.

www.savorysecret.biz

Vote for Savory Secret in the Home Based 100!!!

DipLady

posts: 344

Sep 11, 2008 10:32 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Amy sounds great. Here in Michigan Harry and Davids has stores in most all of the outlet malls that I have been in.

Also, I have a few store names for you and where they are located. . .

SkipAnderson

posts: 16

Sep 23, 2008 8:06 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Hi ChefAmy, I just read this entire thread. I have a couple thoughts I`d like to share:

1. The tagline ideas are great. BUT, it`s important to understand that taglines help you get attention, they don`t close face-to-face business. So improve your marketing strategy, by all means, but don`t confuse marketing for selling.

2. Early in this thread, you expressed frustration that you`re getting in front of chefs, and you`re able to do your presentation and a demo, and it`s well received, but the chefs don`t buy on the spot. They put you off, so you call back to follow up and then they want more information or for you to mail them something, etc....

This is a classic selling scenario, filled with classic selling challenges! There`s something in your sales methodology that sounds like it`s not working.

The great thing is that you`re getting in front of people. You`re even getting chef`s say "this is the best I`ve ever tasted." That`s fantastic! But now, how do you go about closing that business?

Closing business requires correct sales behaviors. It`s hard to know what`s happening without actually going on a call with you, but there must be something that`s taking a wrong turn during the sales interaction. Common sales problems:

-not identifying customers needs;
-not asking for the business;
-not adequately handling objections;
-doing all the talking instead of getting the prospect talking;
-assuming needs instead of getting prospects to verbalize needs;
-treating all prospects the same
-not being likeable enough
- not creating urgency
- not talking to the decision maker
- etc. - there`s dozens of sales challenges!

If you identify the sales challenge you`re having (the reason your face-to-face selling approach is not working), then you can create some new tactics to change the end-result.

Skip

-------------------------

Skip Anderson
Sales Trainer
Founder and President,
Selling to Consumers | Sales Training to Sell More

chefamy

posts: 30

Sep 23, 2008 10:09 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

Points: 0 Vote

Skip,

In my lack of sales experience I can immediately identify the problems on your list
1. not asking for the business; I do great until this point and then fall flat, I am working on it and seeing more return.

It is amazing what one learns, hopefully not too late.

-------------------------

A new sensation in baked cheese.

www.savorysecret.biz

Vote for Savory Secret in the Home Based 100!!!

houseofjerkyjanie

posts: 1150

Sep 23, 2008 11:02 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

Points: 0 Vote

Skip, I haven`t visited your site yet, but I can see why you`re a sales trainer. Great advice!

Janie

TerryW4

posts: 2

Sep 24, 2008 2:04 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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A couple of thoughts....

Regarding your website and selling retail, why not put together gift baskets featuring your cheesecake? I`ve received gifts this way, like Godiva chocolates - check out their website - www.godiva.com - gift giving is so much easier when you can order online and have it sent directly. No shopping, no packaging, no going to the PO for shipping, and friends/relatives receive a really nice classy gift. My sister had a giant chocolate chip cookie (the size of a medium pizza) sent to my daughter from a website for her birthday. Unfortunately we live in the low desert and her birthday is in July, by the time we got the mail it was one big messy cookie - the chocolate chips melted. So for certain areas of the country you could have a "not available in ..... during the months of ....." due to extreme heat considerations.

One poster said that your website made him hungry for cheesecake but he could just run to the neighborhood store to get one rather than order through your website and wait to get one. But you can`t do that if you want to send someone a really nice unique gift - your cheesecake. Then, when the recipient gets that thoughtful gift and tells the sender how absolutely delicious it was, that sender might decide to try ordering one for him/herself.

And maybe you could come up with some different flavored cheesecakes for certain holidays - like a slightly pumpkin flavored one for Thanksgiving and Christmas? How about a green one for people to send their Irish friends on St. Patty`s Day?

On restaurants, I worked in restaurants for 11 years. Everything came from certain distributors who carried pretty much everything you needed - including all of the desserts, all delivered weekly in a big refrigerated truck. If you haven`t already, maybe you should try getting your cheesecake carried by a major restaurant distributor? One restaurant`s former owner`s son now makes a much better living merely taking orders from area restaurants for a major distributor.

Terry

katscoolcorner1

posts: 28

Sep 24, 2008 8:34 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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From R U New to Business

http://www.runewtobusiness.com

I looked at your site too, Cheesecake to me is THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY. I think tying the two names together of "cheese" & "cake" will always give people the idea that they are about to order a desert (Cheesecake). Since CHEESECAKE FACTORY is so well known, I feel that as soon as anyone will say those two words together they will expect something sweet and delicious.

I think if they do a keyword search of "cheesecake" and then come to your site, they will be immediately turned OFF! Because they will feel mislead.

There are a million cheeses out there. Do we really need one more cheese variety?

If I were you, I don`t think I would continue putting more money into it, unless you really feel you have a strong passion for it. If you do feel passionate, when you think about your product, what are points that you really say, wow this stuff is amazing! I love what I`m doing! If you can`t answer those questions, I would suggest finding something that you are really passionate about.

Many successful entrepreneurs are following their fiery passions that create a whole niche.

(Did you ever see the Fly Fisherman program on TV?) Those two brothers make you want to jump onto one of those hand crafted lures! Because you can feel their love for the sport and the passion just jumps out of the TV.

Kat--of R U New to Business

-------------------------

R-U New to Business gives practical tips for starting and running your own on-line or off-line business, start to finish from your home or office. The pitfalls, rewards, every-day tips and things you need to know to succeed, freebies, and more. To subscribe go to newsletter http://www.runewtobusnews.com

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