Working with Top Convenience Store Distributors: What You Need to Know

The best way to get your product into a convenience store is to work with an experienced, connected convenience store distributor. Here is what you need to know to work with the top convenience store distributors:

Your Numbers: In order to work with the top convenience store distributors, it’s vital you know your numbers and know them well. C-store distributors want to work with a competent, business savvy entrepreneur that has a promising product. When you present your product to a convenience store distributor, you must have all your numbers, prices and metrics laid out. You need to know what your competition is selling for. You also need to have your pricing broken down to make explaining the various factors that go into the final price easy to understand.

When it comes to working with a top convenience store distributor, it’s vital you have already figured out the distributor pricing of your c-store product. The distributor pricing is a culmination of various factors. You need to know your numbers and be prepared to explain them, including: pricing on minimums, pallets and truckloads, volume discounts, shipping rates and FOB, the compensation for any c-store brokers involved, wholesaler pricing and the retail price of the product.

You need to know pricing per unit, display, case, how many cases will be on each pallet and the price of each pallet. It’s a lot to have figured out preemptively, but if you want to work with the top convenience store distributors, you need to have this all— and more— planned, written out and ready to implement.

USP: In order to get the handshake and work with a top convenience store distributor, you need to know your product’s unique selling proposition (USP) and you have to be able to articulate it clearly. Explain to distributors what makes your product different from the competition; what makes it more valuable and more likely to sell. Highlight how the product is a great fit for the c-store distributors.

What They Want: It’s important you know what c-store distributors want. All parties involved are here to earn a profit, and your product is the means by which everyone will come by that profit. However, distributors often need to be incentivized into working with a manufacturer. Entrepreneurs and manufacturers constantly approach distributors with their proposals. In order to get a convenience store distributor to pay you the time of day, it’s important to offer incentives.

Now you know what it takes to work with the top convenience store distributors. You know what they want and what they expect from a product manufacturer. Put these steps into practice and you’ll be working with a top c-store distributor immediately.