The sales call is a specialty food business’ chance to highlight its product, brand, and industry knowledge. During Thursday's SFA Maker Prep webinar, “Effective Sales Calls,” John Maggiore, sales strategy industry leader, shared best practices for an effective sales call.
Maggiore works with brands like Red’s All Natural and LesserEvil and helped to launch Pirate’s Booty, Vita Coco, and more in the New England market. He also has experince as a natural foods category manager at Stop & Shop.
He broke down the purposes of a sales call, including the presentation of a new item, the consideration of a promotional opportunity, or a category review. If a grocery chain has a category review schedule or a new item presentation cycle, he urged makers to prepare and make sure the item that is the subject of the call is a right fit at the right time.
“You only have one chance to make a first impression, so the timing of everything is important,” he said. “That is why you want to make sure they know the reason of the sales call.” It leads to grounded, efficient communications.
If a retailer has recently finished a planogram and item designations are already planned, Maggiore said that is better to wait to present at the right time for the retailer, when they are creating their next iteration, rather than showcase your product since it will likely be forgotten.
In addition to researching the supermarket’s schedule, Maggiore outlined steps to take in advance of a sales call appointment:
• Visit stores and review relevant categories
• Visit retailer’s competition
• Know their distribution options
• Understand their pricing strategy
• Know your competition
• Learn about the retailer’s promotional programs
• Explore their digital capabilities and offerings
“You want to get a good understanding of what the retailer is looking for,” Maggiore said. Looking into these strategies will help understand where the buyer and the retailer are coming from when they answer the call.
The sales call process has significantly changed in the last few years as a result of the COVID pandemic, with the addition of virtual meetings and new protocols. Nevertheless, key attributes of the meeting remain the same: include samples, dress appropriately, and be respectful of the buyer’s time, Maggiore said.
After the call, communication should remain open. A thank you email will be expected, and any follow-up that precipitated from the meeting should be addressed within three business days. Maggiore also recommended that key buyers receive a specialty food business’ updates every quarter via email.
To learn more about how to best prepare a product or brand for the sales call, watch the webinar on demand in the Learning Center.
Related: How to Make Better Calls: Q&A With Industry Leader Maggiore; Nicolaides Discusses Maximizing Online Marketing Profits