selling known brand vs selling unknown brand

Hi guys,

IM currently in dealing with a company that basically does 0% advertising. i am extremely confident in the product i would consider it to be alot better then some of the industry giants... however the regular problem im facing is that because of the lack of advertising, the brand name is not very well known and its is very hard to break into many small retail outlets... im wondering whether anyone has been in this situation before and can give me some pointets on they went/ or would go about developing that degree of 'trust' and assuring them the that product is worth the retailers while...?

cheers,
spiz

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaz83

... however the regular problem im facing is that because of the lack of advertising, the brand name is not very well known and its is very hard to break into many small retail outlets...

Spiz, what leads you to believe that the problem rests with the brand name not being very well known?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SalesGuy

Spiz, what leads you to believe that the problem rests with the brand name not being very well known?

Well it is an industry that will be massive within next 3 years, many dealers already have relationships with 2 other well known brands and its probably more then enough for them at this present time.

The fact the industry is not yet at its peak, this leads me to believe that popularity of brand has something to do with it considering the lower level of risk.

You dont think this makes any difference?

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaz83

Well it is an industry that will be massive within next 3 years, many dealers already have relationships with 2 other well known brands and its probably more then enough for them at this present time.

The fact the industry is not yet at its peak, this leads me to believe that popularity of brand has something to do with it considering the lower level of risk.

You dont think this makes any difference?

It can, every situation is different. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of responses are you getting?

the most common would be:

"already have X & Y products (competitors), which fill all the gaps for us" is the most common.

we are a software company that manfactures Boating software... allowing users to convert their PDA and Laptop into powerful boating tools. However offer PDAs + software and treat that as an ALL in ONE product. meaning you can still use windows on the PDA.

For this reason, a common rebutal is that "we are after stand alone/devoted units"

They are the 2 excuses am faced with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaz83

"already have X & Y products (competitors), which fill all the gaps for us" is the most common.

That sounds a lot like, "We're happy with our current supplier". Here is a thread: http://www.salespractice.com/forums/t-124.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaz83

For this reason, a common rebutal is that "we are after stand alone/devoted units"

That has the appearance of a legitmate concern. For instance, I wanted Chocolate not Vanilla. Have you probed into their thinking behind wanting a stand along/devoted unit?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SalesGuy

That sounds a lot like, "We're happy with our current supplier". Here is a thread: http://www.salespractice.com/forums/...read.php?t=124

That has the appearance of a legitmate concern. For instance, I wanted Chocolate not Vanilla. Have you probed into their thinking behind wanting a stand along/devoted unit?

hrm this is intresting, Depands on the prodcut price and potential and the way i would do it was try a little see how it go's because if you dont try you dont know so im willing to try eveything once.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaz83

Hi guys,

IM currently in dealing with a company that basically does 0% advertising. i am extremely confident in the product i would consider it to be alot better then some of the industry giants... however the regular problem im facing is that because of the lack of advertising, the brand name is not very well known and its is very hard to break into many small retail outlets... im wondering whether anyone has been in this situation before and can give me some pointets on they went/ or would go about developing that degree of 'trust' and assuring them the that product is worth the retailers while...?

cheers,
spiz

Hi Spaz83, I can definetly relate to you. About 2 years ago, I worked for a start up appliance distributor that wanted to launch a new brand of appliances from Europe over to the states and my job was to get this brand in to dealership floors. It was very difficult, I did finally get some success because I knew my competitors brand inside out. I knew what margins they were offering these dealers, I knew the specs on their products, I knew the lead time, where they were warehousing the product, and I would ask every dealer how the service is with these other brands they were carrying, most brands like GE or Whirlpool, the larger brands, had reps who were so busy to managae 100 accounts at a time that the dealers' never saw these people, and I used that as a competitive edge saying I promised to show up at least twice a month to train their sales people. Hope that helps a little bit, I know it's not the same industry were talking about but it's the same situation.

Everyone is concerned about cost. The end user especially. If the retailer can make a little extra margin on the product, and the end user can get a product just as good for less money. There is where your real selling feature lies. As long as your product is more cost effective. The bottom line. IT'S ALWAYS THE MONEY.

Quote:

Originally Posted by klozerking

Everyone is concerned about cost. The end user especially. If the retailer can make a little extra margin on the product, and the end user can get a product just as good for less money. There is where your real selling feature lies. As long as your product is more cost effective. The bottom line. IT'S ALWAYS THE MONEY.

In circumstances like these, klozerking's point is not to be taken lightly. In today's economy of rising costs, "a little extra margin" weighs heavily. I won't say IT'S AWAYS THE MONEY with as much assurance as klozerking--but I sure won't dispute it.

selling known brand vs selling unknown brand

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