What a distributor is really deciding in your first meeting

I walked into my first distributor meeting completely misreading the room.

I had the deck, the samples, the pitch. They didn't care about any of it. They were figuring out if my brand would move without me hovering over it.

Distributors don't babysit brands. Their reps carry dozens of SKUs and have about 45 minutes per store. They fight for what moves. Everything else gets ignored.

Before your next distributor meeting, answer three questions honestly:

Can a rep describe your brand without meeting you?

Does your velocity give them a reason to prioritize you?

What happens to reorders if you go quiet for 60 days?

If any of those answers make you uncomfortable, that is the work to do before the meeting, not after it. The pitch gets you into the room. The answers to those three questions decide whether your brand is still on the truck six months later.

If this is your week, request a call with Douglas. The introductory call is free.