Specialty Food Association’s Post

Prepping for the Fancy Food Show? Gain tips to ensure a successful show from this expert webinar.

The 13th was National Prosecco day. Did you have a glass? It is important to celebrate the wins, big or small. Right George Swift ? ... So dear readers, if you were to raise a glass, what could you celebrate in your business that has happened recently? Big or small … #marketing #b2bmarketing #marketer #businessdevelopment 

We’re doing something we’ve NEVER done before ⬇️ As you know, we never, ever put Retail Ready® on sale BUT that being said, Leap Day only happens once every 4 years and this is your chance to get a huuuuge deal on our program! The first 29 people to join Retail Ready on Leap Day (Feb 29th!) will receive… 💰A $250 rebate, to invest back in your business (NEVER BEFORE OFFERED!) 📝SOS Trade Show Survival Guide: Our easy-breezy plan to ensure you’re fully prepared for your next trade show ($149 value) 📋Close That Deal: Turn handshakes into purchase orders with our ultimate post-trade show playbook, ensuring you’re closing your leads from the event. Don’t let those business cards and warm conversations die - it’s time to turn them into new accounts and opening purchase orders! ($249 value) 🤑The Money Maker List: Our favorite Food & Beverage grants, pitch slams, and accelerators to apply for in 2024 ($199 value) 👩🏻💻“But What Should I Say?” cheatsheet: 12 months of buyer communication prompts, so you know exactly what that buyer is thinking, any month of the year, plus how to tailor your sales pitch to meet their seasonal needs. You’ll never wonder, “but what should I say?” when writing a pitch email again! ($199 value) Here’s the thing: if you’ve EVER considered joining us in Retail Ready®, I want to give you the opportunity to save this reminder to your calendar, and ask me ANY questions you have before the 29th so you’re ready to snag one of our limited spots when the promo goes live. Feel free to send me a message and we can chat about how the next 90 days could set YOU up for the success in wholesale that you’ve been craving. P.S. Could you do me a favor and like and share this to post? It’s my goal to help as many values-aligned food brands as possible this year, and I need your help to do it. 🙏🏼 Here's that save-the-date! https://lnkd.in/gsPGyfnB

The summer edition of #fancyfoodshow wrapped last week, and everyone is now back in the office thinking what to do next after a whirlwind of networking and selling. Here at CPG Distributor Guy we have a whole series of posts coming out about the best ways to follow up to turn those opportunities into new revenue channels. First let's talk how to frame the concept of running promotions for a show. Should You Run a Promotion? Trade shows offer unparalleled exposure for your brand, but deciding whether to run a promotion can make or break your success. Before diving into promotions, assess your goals, budget, and potential ROI. Promotions can be a powerful tool to drive sales, but they need to be managed carefully to avoid pitfalls. Assess the need for promotions. Ask yourself: Does this promotion drive sales, or does it merely cut into margins? Ensure the discount is attractive to both retailers and consumers. A well-thought-out promotion can indeed boost sales, but it needs to be managed correctly to avoid pitfalls. Read and Understand Your Agreements! (I will never stop shouting this) Your agreements are critical to knowing the costs associated with promotions and avoiding unexpected expenses. Failing to thoroughly read and understand your agreements can lead to significant financial strain. Companies that do not carefully review their agreements and accurately estimate the costs of discounts and fees often find themselves in financial trouble. Every year, businesses face bankruptcy because they did not account for the full impact of promotional costs. Don’t be caught off guard—ensure that you are fully aware of all terms and conditions, and do the necessary math to understand the potential impact on your bottom line. Do the Math! It's essential to calculate the potential costs of your promotion before launching it. This includes understanding any fees, discounts, and the overall impact on your margins. Companies that fail to do this often face severe financial consequences, sometimes leading to bankruptcy. By thoroughly understanding your agreement and doing the math, you can avoid these pitfalls and ensure your promotion is both effective and sustainable. Trade shows are a valuable opportunity, but only if approached with a clear strategy and thorough preparation. Assess the need for your promotion, read your agreements carefully, and always do the math to avoid unexpected costs. Our next post will be a series of 3 breaking down the different types of promotions you can run with someone like UNFI and KeHE Distributors and their retail partners.

Enhance your business visibility with custom coffee mugs! Businesses across various industries can effectively boost their brand awareness by leveraging promotional products to attract new customers. Besides, who doesn't appreciate a fresh new coffee mug? :) _____ #jcbranded #brandingyoursuccess #leadgeneration #coffeeshops #coffeecontent #coffeeshopowner

I’d say our first time exhibiting at Expo West was a success! 🥂🍾 We spent $30k+ to exhibit and here are the results… We met with both old and new partners from: 1) Albertsons 2) CVS 3) Harris Teeter 4) HEB 5) I-Herb 6) Meijer 7) Sprouts 8) Vitamin Shoppe 9) Walmart 10) Wegmans 11) Whole Foods + a few others. And I know from the grape vine that there were a few merchant teams that were lurking and saw us but we didn’t see them! The ol’ incognito merchants. 👀 (Which I totally understand given the craziness of this show!!) We know a few of our retailers that didn’t send merchants, but we had the opportunity to speak with them recently before the event virtually so they didn’t miss out. We also met with: -Our main co-manufacture -Our new 3rd party testers -A new rebate / receipt scanning marketing service to drive in-store sales & bundles -Our partners from the industry association, Council for Responsible Nutrition -Our FDA, regulation, & marketing lawyers -And our primary FDMC brokers, Market Performance Group The unexpected value: I was surprised that there were SO MANY investors and investment bankers here. We’re not actively raising or selling, but we passively had a dozen conversations with interested parties that have been watching our success over the past year. My favorite part: Getting to meet with other founders and management teams. It’s hard to quantify this value… but a massive amount of tips, tricks, and connections are shared brand to brand at events like this. I have always believed I’m 3 phone calls away from any person I want to meet with in the world. Events like this make me realize I’m probably only 1-2 phone calls away! In fact, as I was typing this post, an entrepreneur I met on the floor just email introduced me to a hero of mine (another founder) that I’ve always wanted to talk to. The way I see it is that a good trade show compresses 12 months of meetings into 3 days. Both in terms of scheduled meetings and chance encounters. Its a massive accelerator for any brand in terms of distribution, awareness, and connections. So do I think the $30k we spent on Expo West was worth it? ABSOLUTELY!! 💯

Over and over again, I see brands joining Retail Ready® as a last-ditch effort to save their business. DON'T WAIT UNTIL IT'S YOUR LAST HOPE. ⚠️ There's some really special support waiting for you inside of Retail Ready® - support that will save you time, money, and energy. ⏰💰😌 I truly believe we can be the difference your biz needs to succeed. We've worked with close to 3,000 brands to develop strategies and put systems in place to get in front of the right consumers through the right wholesale channels, have consistent reorders from those accounts, and have high sales into those consumers' hands. ✅ We want to do the same for you - will you take that step BEFORE it's a stressful, unenthusiastic, last-ditch effort for your biz? 🤔 Let's work together while your momentum is strong, let's make the differences NOW so that you can see steady growth. Let's get you Retail Ready®. 😉 Enroll by April TOMORROW, April 2nd to receive two exciting bonuses: Our SOS Trade Show Guide (to ensure you're fully prepared for your next trade show) and our Close That Deal Resource (our ultimate post-trade show playbook) - both PERFECT for this trade show season! 🥳 No April Fool's here: The next step is easy: visit our info & enrollment page to learn everything you need to make that next step - https://lnkd.in/gZPJVHYE

Highly recommend

Join me for my next live webinar on March 6, 9 am PST. (Pacific Time): Live Q and A Session with Brands On How To Grow New and Current Distribution. Session #2. I will be tasking questions from brands including USA Trade Tasting exhibitors. A must attend session if you are a brand looking to grow into international markets, or a brand looking to find new state distributors or a brand looking to grow sales with current distributors and importers. There will be different brand owners asking their own brand sales and distribution questions. Please RSVP below and we will send you the zoom link. Sample questions are as below. 1. What should my goals be for opening accounts? How many locations should I be going to per week? 2. Where would you spend your ad/marketing dollars for a small brand? 3. How do you approach bars vs restaurants vs retail? 4. Once you get a buyer’s contact info for retail, how do you craft the email? Do you have a template? What materials do you include? How often do you follow up? 5. Where do you think I should be pricing-wise? 6. What kind of discounts/incentives do you offer bars/restaurants/retail? 7. What would you say I should be doing as far as accounts/orders before approaching a distributor? When do I become attractive to a distributor? 8. What are some common objections you encounter in retail pitches and the responses to them? 9. How do I get into regional and national chains. I did one session already and this will be session 2 taking different questions. Here is the link to RSVP: https://lnkd.in/dgzZu_Q3 USA Trade Tasting

Looking to drive more traffic to your trade show booth? Sometimes the best strategy is the simplest. Discover how offering a cup of premium coffee can enhance on-site engagement and leave a lasting impression. ☕💡 Read our latest blog post to learn more! And don’t forget to check out @ExpertPickCoffee for the perfect brew to keep your visitors coming back for more! Blog link in the comments! #TradeShowTips #CoffeeStrategy #OnSiteEngagement