| Why would you want to sell to Target?
Well, each of the 1,500 Target stores usually orders at
least a half dozen products from each vendor -- that’s at least 9,000 sales right out
of the gate!
Sounds like a pretty good reason, right?
Plus, Target is the place to sell any high design products
– Targé (Tar-jé), as it is sometimes called, has a certain cache.
Now, let me share another secret with you.
It’s not all that hard to get Target interested in
selling your products. Here’s some insider information from a Target buyer…
How to Attract Target Buyers & Actually Get Your
Products on Target’s shelves:
1. Attend industry tradeshows.
Part of a buyer’s job is to attend these tradeshows.
So they are likely to be there, at least at the biggest ones.
2. Attend specialized trade shows that link buyers with
manufacturers.
These shows cost more money, but are worth it when you want
guaranteed meetings with buyers.
3. Get publicity coverage.
Publicity doesn’t just help you sell products to
consumers. It helps make you interesting to potential retail buyers.
4. Get included in industry publications.
Reading these publications is part of a buyer’s job. A
favorable article about you and your product may catch a buyer’s eye.
5. Get your products online.
Yes, buyers spend time online, too. When you rank high in
the search engines, are reviewed favorably in blogs, and have a great Web site, there is a
high possibility that Target buyers will become interested in your product.
6. Sell your products on QVC and HSN.
Yes, some Target buyers watch these channels. If your
product sells on one of these shopping channels, chances are it has mass-market appeal.
This is very important to Target buyers.
7. Get your product covered in the Minneapolis Star
Tribune.
All the buyers live near company headquarters and many read
the daily local newspaper. So if you can get featured in that paper, you have many
opportunities to be seen by buyers.
8. Get a distributor to present your product to a buyer.
If the distributor has a relationship with a Target buyer
and thinks you have a winning product, that will stand you in better stead.
9. Get a manufacturer to present your product to a buyer.
See #8.
10. And last but not least: Get a Sales Rep from a Rep firm
to present your product to a buyer.
Some Rep firms work frequently with Target and their
endorsement of your product can close the deal. There’s a list of Rep firms in my
free special report at the link at the end of the article.
Of course, there's a LOT more to getting you products on
Target’s shelves... You need to know
- What criteria does Target look for in a product?
- What financials do you need to know before approaching
Target?
- Will you manufacture or license your product?
- When can you expect to be paid by Target?
- How long is the process?
- WHERE do you start?
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