Business

How to sell to retailers: Target

Can I share a secret with you?

It’s not that hard to get Target interested in selling your products.

Why would you want to sell to Target? Well, each of the 1,500 Target stores generally orders at least half a dozen products from each vendor – that’s at least 9,000 sales up front!

Sounds like a good reason, right? Also, Target is the place to sell any high-design product – Tarzhay (Tar-zhay), as it is sometimes called, has a certain cachet.

So how can you get a target buyer interested in your product? Here are some ways a Target shopper I spoke with finds new products:

1. Expect industry trade shows. Part of a buyer’s job is to attend these trade shows. So they are likely there, at least in the biggest ones.

2. Attend specialized trade shows that link buyers with manufacturers. These programs cost more money, but are worth it to ensure meetings with buyers.

3. Get advertising coverage. Advertising doesn’t just help you sell products to consumers. It helps you be interesting to potential retail buyers.

4. Sign up for industry publications. Reading these posts is part of a buyer’s job. A favorable article about you and your product can get a buyer’s attention.

5. Get your products online. Yes, shoppers spend time online too. If you rank high in search engines, get rave reviews on blogs, and have a great website, the target buyer might be interested in your product.

6. Sell your products on QVC and HSN. Yes, some Target shoppers see these channels. If your product sells on one of these buying channels, it likely has mass market appeal, which is important to target buyers.

7. Get coverage for your product at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. All buyers live near the company headquarters and many read the local newspaper every day. So if you can appear in that document, you have a lot of chances to be seen by buyers.

8. Get a dealer to introduce your product to a buyer. If the distributor has a relationship with a Target buyer and thinks they have a winning product, that will be more helpful to them.

9. Get a manufacturer to introduce your product to a buyer. See # 8.

10. And last but not least: get a sales representative from a reps company to introduce your product to a buyer. Some rep firms frequently work with Target, and your endorsement of their product can close the deal.

But there is SO MUCH more …

What criteria does Target look for in a product?

What finances do you need to know before approaching Target?

Will you manufacture or license your product?

When can you expect Target to pay you?

How long does the process take?

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