How to Get Product into Dorman Products, Inc.
Dorman Products Inc is a supplier of replacement parts and fasteners for passenger cars, light trucks and heavy-duty trucks in the automotive aftermarket.
As of 2016, approximately 83% of the Company’s products were sold under brands that it owned and the remainder of its products were sold for resale under customers’ private labels, other brands or in bulk. The Company’s products are sold in the United States through automotive aftermarket retailers, national, regional and local warehouse distributors, and specialty markets, and salvage yards. The Company also distributes automotive replacement parts outside the United States, with sales primarily into Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.
Its products are divided into four major classes: Power-train, Automotive Body, Chassis and Hardware. The Power-train product line includes intake and exhaust manifolds, cooling products, harmonic balancers, fluid lines, fluid reservoirs, connectors, 4 wheel drive components and axles, drain plugs, and other engine, transmission and axle components.
The Automotive Body products include door handles and hinges, window lift motors, window regulators, switches and handles, wiper components, lighting, electrical, and other interior and exterior automotive body components. The Chassis products include brake hardware and hydraulics, wheel and axle hardware, suspension arms, knuckles, links, bushings, and other suspension, steering and brake components. The Hardware products include threaded bolts, auto body and home fasteners, automotive and home electrical wiring components, and other hardware assortments and merchandise.
The Company’s parts are marketed under the OE Solutions, HELP! TECHoice, AutoGrade, Conduct-Tite, FirstStop and HD Solutions brand names. OE Solutions includes replacement parts, such as window regulators, fluid reservoirs, variable valve timing components, complex electronics, integrated door lock actuators, exhaust and intake manifolds, and radiator fan assemblies.
HELP! includes automotive replacement parts that are primarily retail merchandize, such as door handles, keyless remotes and cases, emission control, oil dipsticks and door hinge repair. TECHoice includes a line of automotive replacement parts, such as belt tensioners and idler pulleys. AutoGrade includes a line of application specific and general automotive hardware, and its product categories include body hardware, general automotive fasteners, oil drain plugs and wheel hardware.
Conduct-Tite! offers a selection of electrical connectors, wire, tools, testers and accessories, including light bulbs, electrical diagnostic, and repair kits and ignition components. FirstStop includes brake and clutch hydraulics, and brake hardware products. HD Solutions includes a line of heavy duty aftermarket parts for class 4-8 heavy vehicles. These products focus on lighting, cooling, engine management, and cab products.
The industry is wide. A lot of cars are placed on mass production and custom orders by the years and you don’t want to be a stub in the industry. Look at your market offerings and see what you can offer differently. Improve on your current product offerings and make them more attractive to customers. You can always carve a unique point for yourself by trust and superb customer service. Once your customers can have trust in your products, it won’t be difficult for you to get more customers out of recommendation by current customers.
Submit Your Product to Dorman Products Foods
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How to get your product into Dorman Products, Inc.
- Understand you client: Before you spend a lot of time and money creating a product, you should know if anyone will want to buy it. Learn more about Market Research
- Learn if it’s protectable: Know if you can defend your product against cheap copies if it gets knocked off. Learn more about Copyright and Patent your product
- Test your product: Make sure that there’s a demand for your product and the customer understands what you are selling when it’s on the shelf and nobody is there to explain it. Learn more about Product Testing
- Perfect your pitch: Before you speak to decision makers, know your numbers, know your retailer and know your logistics in and out. Learn more about Pitching Your Product
- Don’t do it alone: If you haven’t been successful in retail before, a secret of success is that you can’t do it alone. Having great sales staff, customer support and marketing partners can take you from zero to success faster than if you tried on your own. Learn more about Retail Partnerships
Contact Dorman Products, Inc. Buyer
Do not trust any “list” of buyers.
Typically retail buyers change either companies or positions every few years. This strategy helps retailers know that their buyers are not taking “kick-backs” and are selecting the very best product for the very best position each time.
Buyers are typically held to a very rigorous standard of sell-through volume that they must hit and because of this they are risk averse. Your job as a supplier or vendor is to convince them that the buyers going into the stores not only know about what you’re selling but are actively seeking the product in the store currently.
How to Submit a Product to Dorman Products, Inc.
There are several ways to get a product placed in Dorman Products, Inc.. However, most entrepreneurs only dream about getting their product distributed to major retailers, few actually do it. We have experienced a significant rise in interest since the show Shark Tank started airing on NBC. Mr. Checkout has had the pleasure of working with a few Shark Tank success stories such as KISStixx and 180 Party Cups which are now currently being distributed around the country to stores like Walmart, Target, Kroger, 7-Eleven and more.
If you envision your product would be a good fit for Dorman Products, Inc., we have a few steps to help you get your product on their shelves.
Here are the 6 steps you need to take to have your product placed in Dorman Products, Inc..
1. Start with the right questions.) Before you try distributing your product to Dorman Products, Inc., you need to ask yourself a few basic questions. Do you need to build demand for your product, or is there already a demand for it? Do you know that Dorman Products, Inc. would be interested in selling your product? If you can strike a deal with Dorman Products, Inc. can you handle the production volume? Do you want to sell directly to Dorman Products, Inc., or do you want to license your product to a manufacturer that will handle Dorman Products, Inc.?
2. Be prepared to profit.) Does your product offer enough of a profit margin for Dorman Products, Inc.? Can you sell your product at a reasonable enough profit to cover the packaging, shipping, commissions, marketing and wholesale distribution? Check Dorman Products, Inc. guidelines for other fees that you will have to build into the cost of your product in order for you to be able to turn enough of a profit to make the effort worth your while. If you work with a discount retailer, they will try to strip your profits down to zero in order to keep their prices as low as possible.
The typical breakdown of margins are: If a products costs $1 to produce, that product will retail for $4. That product that retails for $4 will wholesale for $2 to distributors and stores that purchase direct. Big box retailers like Dorman Products, Inc. may offer to pay $1.25 to the manufacturer if the product costs $1 to produce. That is the typical profit margin.
3. Determine if Dorman Products, Inc. is the right store for your product.) The relationship between you and Dorman Products, Inc. starts with you browsing their store for competing products. If Dorman Products, Inc. already has a similar product, it is going to be very difficult to get your product picked up. Spend some time at your local Dorman Products, Inc. to see what kind of products they are selling, speak to the manager and see if he thinks your product will sell well in their store. Picture in which zone your product would best fit on the shelf and keep in mind that the most precious asset that these big box stores value are their shelf space. Keep this information in mind when you are preparing your presentation to Dorman Products, Inc..
If your company is minority or women owned, check Dorman Products, Inc. and see if they offer specific opportunities for those designations.
4. Pitch your product to Dorman Products, Inc.) Decide whether it will be you or a representative to present your product to Dorman Products, Inc. Your presentation depends heavily on your strengths as a businessperson as they will most likely ask financial questions and logistics questions.
It’s common for companies to hire a broker to pitch their product to Dorman Products, Inc., as it will be more likely that your product will make it to the next stage if the individual pitching your product has industry knowledge or a personal relationship with Dorman Products, Inc.. The percentage of commission verses, however generally a broker will take around 5% to represent your product to Dorman Products, Inc..
We at Mr. Checkout have experience dealing with brokers and know that there are several retail brokers that have poor business practices that can potentially damage your brand. If you are seeking a legitimate Dorman Products, Inc. broker, please give us a call for a recommendation. It could save you a huge headache and a lot of money.
5. Complete the required Dow Automotive paperwork.) Often Dorman Products, Inc.will have you go through an application process. However, before submitting the paperwork required by Dorman Products, Inc., you should contact a buyer at Dorman Products, Inc. and let them know your intentions. Having a contact inside of the company will potentially move your application more smoothly through the process.
6. Anticipate the need for increased volume.) Having Dorman Products, Inc. agree to stock your product will most likely mean a significant increase in volume. You should be prepared to ramp up your production and informing your manufacturer of this opportunity.
Having production, logistics and distribution to sync is not only difficult, it requires a significant amount of time invested in customer relations. Also, Dorman Products, Inc. may have stipulations in the contract that may penalize you for delays in shipping and production. Have an attorney explain all contracts to you if you don’t understand the terms.
If you’re looking to sell your product to Dorman Products, Inc., be sure to thoroughly assess the marketplace, carefully prepare for production growth, and take full advantage of resources available to help you grow your business.
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