Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I`m interviewing buyers from several large national retailers over the next month. It`s for a project I`m working on for my doctorate in small business management.

I`ve got my list of questions prepared (e.g., How many emails/phone calls do you receive day? How do you prefer to be contacted? Are there certain things you look for in deciding whether or not to follow up with someone, etc.).

I`m just curious if anyone has any questions that they would ask. I`ll be happy to post the responses that I receive.

Thanks,
Ron

Tgroup,, You could ask them their negotiating process, how much they are allowed to bend on certain terms and pricing, what there policy is when dealing with a company with one product vs. a company with a product line.  These are all questions that I would like answers to as a vendor.

I have found that many buyers do not want to take the time to do everything clerical on a company that has one product in their line.

Hope this helps a little.

Trent Rousey - www.3rproducts.com

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Trent Rousey
President - 3R Products, Inc.

Hey Trent-

Thanks for the suggestions. I`ll add those and post the responses. Yeah, you`re not kidding about the one-sku thing. I do a lot with Wal-Mart and other mass merchandisers and they are really reluctant to take on a new vendor that only has one or two products. It`s a shame because they sometimes miss out on great opportunities...

Ron

It has really put us in a bind alot of times, we are trying to create a product line, but it needs to be done with funds from other products being sold.  It is really inconvienent for small business` without the capital the big guy`s have to work with.

I`m hoping with this post that others on here have the same problem and are open to combining product lines with other companies to get their products in big retailers.  Just a thought.

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Trent Rousey
President - 3R Products, Inc.

Hey Ron,

I used to be a buyer for Canada`s largest hard goods retailer (Canadian Tire) - so feel free to ask me any questions :)

Some suggestions:

1. What is your growth target for this year? Are you on track? If not, what do you need changed?
2. What are your long-term goals for the category(ies) that you buy?
3. Who is your best vendor and why?

GetAGrip - the one sku item is really tough. It`s not just the clerical aspect but also a merchandising challenge. Most retailers (and consumers) like destinations within the store. They can group similar product, for example all of the hair care products or cleaning products. From a promotion standpoint it is more efficient as well.

Having said that, the cost to take on a new vendor is said to be about $100K when you consider everything from the paperwork to the final sale of the product. They know that they may miss out on some gems but the costs of failure are greater in their minds than the risk of losing out on a big opportunity. Besides, if it gets big, they will jump on it and make it worth your while due to the high volumes they can offer.

I don`t like it as I often have one item to pitch but I can see where they`re coming from.



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Hey-

Thanks for the great information. I would definitely like to speak with you more. That`s a great point about setting up one-sku too. Most of us only see it from the outside (including me).

Thanks again,
Ron