How I Got 100 Store Owners to Carry My Product

? My best friend, Art, is a Vegan Chef…

?One day, I went over to his house, and he had nuts and seeds in his bread mixer.?

So, I asked for a taste…?

It was so good, I asked him,?“What’s in it?” ?

We both worked at Good Earth Natural Foods, and Art would often go to the bulk bins for healthy, whole-food ingredients.?

His plan was to create a special mix – for his snowboarding adventures, with ALL the nutrients a human body needs. ?

Since I was cycling 100 miles every weekend at the time…

I asked if he’d put some in a bag for me to snack on during my next race.?

Professional athletes (especially those who compete in long-distance endurance sports like cycling) are always looking for clean energy, from easy-to-digest food. ?

So, I tested his mixture out…?

And couldn’t believe how good I felt.?

When I saw Art again, I told him, “We’ve got to sell this! It’s amazing.”?

So I came up with the name, “ProBar” – for professionals.?

And got it into the first 100 stores.?

Every store I went to purchased ProBars.?

I had a 100% sales success rate.??

Was it beginners’ luck??

What would you say to get your new product on the shelf at your local supermarket??

First, I started with a direct question –

Because store managers are busy, direct questions show them you’re not wasting their time.

?“Are you the owner?”

?“I’m Cory Molloy, the marketing director at ProBar, and I have a new product for you…”?

“Have you ever had a ProBar??

I’d hand them a Bar.?

While they were taking a bite or looking at the package, I’d ask an unexpected question (pattern interrupt) to get their attention…?

“Do you have kids?”??

“Well (or if you did) wouldn’t you want to give them the best tasting, highest nutritional content bar ever made?”?

“My best friend made this in his kitchen with 17 whole food ingredients, and it’s delicious.”?

There are a lot of variations on this – that worked great.?

But I made it clear that I was offering something, more, better, and different to make their customers happy.

Sometimes the owner/manager didn’t want to be bothered or didn’t show interest. ?

To them, I’d say: ?

“Aren’t you in business to make money?”?

This is a powerful question (pattern interrupt) that gets to the core of why they work so hard.?

This was my lead-in question so I could explain how a good businessman would want to carry our new bar…?

“Because it’s the bestselling bar in all the stores, we’ve gotten them into…”

“And wouldn’t you want to carry the bestselling bar in your store?”

“I guarantee it will be the bestselling bar because we hand out FREE SAMPLES to your customers, so they all know how good it is.”?

“And if the bars don’t sell - we will buy them ALL back from you.”

?I made it easy for them to say “YES” with very little risk, (a few minutes of their time) to carry a profitable product. ?

Here Are 3 Ways To Ask Your Powerful Sales Questions:?

1.???Be Direct:?Successful Entrepreneurs are busy, and they appreciate a clear, concise message that respects their time.

2.???Be Unexpected:?Create fun ways – to stand out and get attention.

3.???Be Bold:?Share how you are there to serve them, and how you guarantee their success. ?

Questions are important in sales and marketing. ?

Sometimes the MOST important part. ??

You can engage your audience, get advice about how to improve your product, and build their desire to work with you… ?

Ask a question like this to Increase Your Value.?

When someone shows interest in hiring Effective Advertising, I might ask them – ?

“What’s important about working with us?”?

When they answer this question, it helps them to think about their reasons and often strengthens their desire to work with us.?

This is how powerful questions work –?

Ask questions to learn what your client values, and then connect their “why” to your offer…?

That's how you find yourself with loyal customers...?

Once they realize you are genuinely there to serve them.

And you better be there to serve them!

It's also effective to speak in the language of imagination and possibility.

If you could hire a top sales and marketing team – ?

What would you ask them to do for you??

That approach does well…?

Yet, you could also go with something softer. ?

If you’d like a hand making some extra money with your messaging, we know some talented creatives you could talk to. ?

If you find these examples helpful –?

Let us know in the comments. ?

Your Favorite Advertising Professionals, Cory, and Joni Molloy