When you’re trying to get your idea to become something that will sustain you financially, it’s important to get your name out there. This part of the process is the most difficult because if you’re new to the scene, you may not know much about how to go about properly getting your product out on the market to such a degree that it continues to fill as many shelves as possible. Some methods of getting your idea out into the world cost a lot of money, or are extremely time consuming. However, there are a ton of other options open to you that will ensure your product gets the attention it deserves, and that you make the money you need to continue bringing ideas into reality.
One thing that will significantly help you get your idea onto convenience store shelves is going to convenience store tradeshows or linking yourself of with brokers like the www.checkstandprogram.com. Tradeshows like NACS http://www.cstoredistributors.com/nacs-show/ are very helpful for those trying to connect and network with others. Usually they involve people with a product displaying their wares for those who are interested in buying or investing in them. From comic books to dogs to nail polish to antiques, most conventions have tradeshow floors where manufacturers get together to advertise their products to distributors and convenience stores that are interested in either seeing new and upcoming projects, or want to purchase on the spot.
Convenience store tradeshows are the same in that regard. They feature a great deal of convenience store distributors and wholesalers and allow for convenience store owners and representatives to come around and look at the kinds of products they’re interested in adding to their shelves. This is a great chance for them to see what is out there, which products are currently the most popular, and it allows stores and companies to quickly see competitors and their products. A lot of times this also is a great time for convenience stores to buy stock in products they’re interested in. Convenience store distributors will often buy bulk deals. Because of all the incentive for stores to buy at the tradeshows, they often come with the intention of buying a great deal of product for their stores. Sometimes they go back to known distributors and save the bulk of their purchases for when they know they’ll get a discount, and sometimes they will try new venues.
Tradeshows provide the potential to make a great deal of money because the premise and understanding of the purpose is to network and sell stock of items. These two things are extremely helpful for anyone who wants to build a relationship with stores or wants to sell a great deal of product in a short amount of time. The potential for things to work in favor of the distributor are very high if they can get in with a few stores, and so participating in a tradeshow is highly recommended.
However, there is a lot of risk that also comes with attending a tradeshow. Sometimes, the shows cost a great deal of money. The problem with this is if you don’t make that money back in sales, you’ll end up at a loss. There’s also other costs to take into consideration when going to tradeshows. Sometimes these shows are far away, so transportation costs need to be calculated. There’s also the cost of transporting all the stock of product to the tradeshow.
All of these things could result in a lot of financial loses for those coming to tradeshows in order to get their product out there. When thinking about whether or not to attend, you have to consider the potential gains against the potential losses. Sometimes it’d better to wait for the bigger shows to lessen financial costs, but if they’re far away, it may be in your best interest to consider attending a great deal of smaller, close-by tradeshows. If you’re nervous about the potential of not doing well at a show, it may be in your best interest to start small by contacting convenience store distributors and convenience store chains buyers. You should take a look at www.cstoredistributors.com and www.cstoredirectory.com.
Regardless of how you decide to jump into this world of advertising and networking, once you gain friends within the convenience store industry, your product will begin to spread and take off. There’s nothing that will top the benefit of making friends that will help you get your name out there, and hopefully forge long-lasting relationships with stores that will take your idea and bring it to the audience you always dreamed of.