Retail Readiness Evaluation
Hire me for an honest retail evaluation
Want to know if you’re ready for retail? Hire me and we’ll go through an intensive analysis to see if you’re ready and make recommendations so you can get ready if you’re not.
AS FEATURED IN
Are You Retail Ready?
– I send you a list of questions and request certain items from you so that I can clearly understand what you have accomplished so far
– I review your answers. You send me your product in its package, your sales and marketing plans, your pricing schedules, your website, and the other “checklist” items I request
– I give you a grade and that grade will either be a Green Light (meaning you are retail ready), a Yellow Light (meaning you have some work to do), or a Red Light (meaning you have a lot of work to do!)
-I provide suggestions for needed changes and basic advice and then you make those changes.
-I can further assist you in making some of the needed changes if you cannot (additional costs apply) or I may recommend other professionals who I know and trust to make them for you
The fact is most inventors who have developed a product are not properly prepared to approach major retail chains and catalogs – even though they feel they are. Retail buyers have an important job to do. They must make money for their company or risk losing their jobs. It’s really that simple. Many retailers shy away from inventors due to their inexperience and lack of business acumen. Today, more than ever, retailers are reducing the number of new vendors they work with and are choosing those that not only have a great product but are capable of being a reliable partner they can work with long term.
When you approach them, you must be sure you have the following key items in proper order:
- Product packaging must not only be attractive but technically correct or you risk poor sales and the retailer pulling your product from the shelves
- Product pricing must be carefully calculated to meet the retailer’s profit margin requirements or they can’t buy from you
- Market strategies must be in place as buyers expect you to drive traffic to their stores and not your own website
- Financial backing is essential since retailers aren’t going to buy from a poorly capitalized inventor
- Customer service procedures such as handling defective merchandise, customer complaints, and warranty rules must be established
These are just some of the numerous key areas that you must be prepared for. Retail buyers are notoriously tough to get ahold of, so you cannot afford to sacrifice such a golden opportunity by not being prepared when you finally reach them.
As the old saying goes, “retail is detail” and when preparing to sell to retailers you must learn all you can to make the most of your call or meeting with a buyer who can say “Yes” to purchasing your products. There are seemingly endless details to understand and it is often confusing and overwhelming. It was when I started. With nearly 25 years of working with retail buyers and more than 50 million dollars in product sales to the largest and most well-known retailers in the world, I know exactly how retail buyers operate, what they want, and how to speak their language.
The goal is for you to truly be ready to approach retailers large and small. When you call on a retail buyer and are not prepared, you may not get a second chance to present your product to them. I have many friends who are buyers for major retail chains and catalog companies and they will tell you that they simply don’t have time to review the dozens of products they see each month. If you make a great first impression and show a retail buyer you are ready to do business, your odds of getting your product placed in their stores go up tremendously!
I will help you demystify the process and help you prepare your product for retail selling. I will answer your questions and teach you in weeks what took me years to learn.
Reviews from Industry Experts
I’ve been in the invention and retail space for 25+ years. Hear what experts say about me.
Kevin Harrington
Shark Tank Investor, Infomercial King, author, world-recognized speaker
“Jim is a true shark! His retail connections are unmatched.”
Juli Shively
Founder, Innovation World Architect, Innovation World Alliance
“I’ve been in the youth innovation space for nearly 24 years, and I still learn something from every industry expert I meet. Jim DeBetta is one of those industry experts.”
Brock Felt
Investor, Cofounder, CMO, Acquisitions.
“Jim is my go to person for our brands. He is a leading force in the world of retail product development and sales. When my celebrity clients need a “go to” guy to get their products to market, Jim is the guy!”
Frequently Asked Questions
Your product should be fully packaged and priced appropriately and manufactured correctly so that it can be immediately sold to a retailer. Retailers will not purchase a product unless it is ready to be sold in their stores.
Being retail ready is important whether you sell to a physical store or you sell on a website. Selling virtually is essential today, but that doesn’t mean you can skimp on the details when preparing your product for selling. Customers expect a well-made, well priced, and professionally packaged product even when they order online.
Well, there are lots of things to be concerned about the most important aspects of selling to retailers revolve around fair pricing, and a well packaged product and your ability to be able to ship product to the retailer on time. We cover this and many other items during the Retail Readiness evaluation.
Find Out If You're Retail Ready
See what it’s like working with a product and invention expert — take your ideas to retail faster than you can imagine.
