Virtual is a part of everyday business now and it\u2019s here to stay \u2013 even once the pandemic passes. Virtual meetings are how buyers are connecting with suppliers and whether you are meeting with a buyer you met through RangeMe on your own via Teams or Zoom, or if you are participating in ECRM\u2019s Virtual Sessions and Supplier Introductions, it\u2019s important to make sure your game is strong and that you deliver a memorable experience through the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To discuss how you can perfect your next virtual buyer meeting, Alli Ball, Founder & Principal of Allison Ball Consulting, met with Joe Tarnowski on The ECRM Podcast, where she outlined five key steps to holding a perfect virtual buyer pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ball is a former buyer from award-winning, San Francisco-based independent grocer Bi-Rite. For the past several years she has been helping emerging food and beverage brands succeed at retail. She\u2019s also host of the Food Biz Wiz podcast, which provides in-the-trenches, practical information for brands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the podcast interview, Ball provides details on the five steps to the perfect virtual pitch, which are: identify your why, prepare your materials, set the scene, script it out, and practice! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We highly recommend watching the full interview<\/a> below, but here\u2019s a quick summary of the steps, along with some commentary from Ball: <\/p>\n\n\n\n There has to be a clear, succinct, and compelling reason as to \u201cwhy\u201d the buyer would spend the time and resources needed to bring in your product. Be sure your \u201cwhy\u201d is buyer-focused, not consumer-focused. Buyers need to know what\u2019s in it for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s common for brands to make the mistake of identifying the wrong why,\u201d says Ball. \u201cThey may speak about how delicious the product is, or how sustainably-sourced its ingredients are, and all of that is wonderful, but buyers bring in new products to enhance a particular category in their stores. It\u2019s to increase sales, increase margin, reduce spoilage \u2013 typically a numbers-based reason. So if your product doesn\u2019t help the buyer meet specific category goals, it\u2019s not worth the work to bring it in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your pitch can\u2019t just be a simple one-for-one swap, either. Your product must be an improvement over what they already carry in some way. \u201cLet\u2019s say that you make almond butter,\u201d says Ball. \u201cWhen a buyer says yes to your product, they are making a bet that your almond butter is going to out-sell and out-perform the current almond butter they will be discontinuing to put yours on the shelf. So you have to exceed the current sales velocity of the SKU you are replacing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suppliers need to have a sell sheet (or your RangeMe<\/a> profile), price list, and promotional plan that will knock the socks off a buyer. It should include all of the information that a buyer could ever need about your brand, how they can order and receive your product, pricing, promotional offers, marketing support, case counts, pallet configurations, distributor information, shelf-life, and so on \u2013 all in one place. Buyers don\u2019t have the time for back and forth emails with a supplier to gather missing information, so you want it to be as complete as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen thousands of sell sheets, and many of them are mediocre, at best,\u201d says Ball. \u201cI was on a webinar with a category manager from KeHE recently who said that they hear pitches for 200,000 products every year, and only bring in about 19,000. So you need to ask yourself, \u2018Would your sell sheet stand out in a crowd of 200,000 others?\u2019 That\u2019s how good it needs to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This includes stellar images and product dimensions, as well. The buyer needs to be able to envision what your product will look like on the shelf and whether it would fit in the available space. (Click here for more details on the value of hi-res 3D product mockups for virtual presentations<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same applies to RangeMe profiles, which often function as a sales sheet for many brands. Make sure that your profile is complete, includes as many details as possible with descriptive, compelling text, and includes sharp, hi-res images of your products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the buyer\u2019s eyes during a virtual meeting, your entire world consists of the area in your room or office that\u2019s visible on the buyer\u2019s screen, so make that space work for you. Be creative and be memorable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne of my Retail Ready clients who makes popsicles actually did her pitch from her freezer, wearing a parka and a fake fur hood,\u201d says Ball. \u201cIt was cheeky and wonderful, and definitely stood out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, as mentioned above, make sure that you have all the basics down, especially tech-wise. Good lighting, audio, and a fast Internet connection<\/a> are critical for a successful pitch. Don\u2019t let bad tech be the reason that a buyer loses interest. (Click here for some products that Ball recommends on her website<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Write out the entire script of your pitch \u2013 word for word \u2013 with a particular emphasis on the opening sentence, the one that includes your WHY. \u201cMost people skip this step,\u201d says Ball. \u201cI always suggest that my Retail Ready students write out the entire script, and use a timer so they can see how long it takes. They can then reduce it down to bullet points as they commit it to memory. This helps you to have a concise and impactful message, reduces the chance of rambling on, and results in the pitch sounding more confident.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also helps ensure that you get your pitch completed in enough time to leave room for Q&A with the buyer. You may also want to write some answers to frequently asked questions the buyers might ask, so that your answers sound confident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The opening sentence should be designed to get that buyer to sit up a little straighter in their chair, and completely focus their attention on you. One recommendation from Ball is to lead with some relevant data that will grab their attention, such as \u201cDo you know that the gluten-free category is up by 35% led by shelf-stable yeast?\u201d (Note \u2013 this is just an example, we made up the numbers). It should set the stage for the rest of your pitch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBuyers are numbers people, so it\u2019s always good to start with a stat or some data,\u201d says Ball. \u201cAs a buyer, if you told me that your category is trending up, or that your products sell on average six cases a week, that\u2019s something that captures their attention right away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cbody\u201d of the pitch should be aimed at providing all of the basic information the buyer needs to help with their decision \u2013 consider it your verbal sell sheet. It should include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Above all do not <\/strong>lie or pad information to sound good in the meeting. Be honest about your products and capabilities, because the buyer will eventually find out anyway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This may sound obvious, but we can\u2019t overstate the importance of practice! Many of us are new to being in front of the camera, and virtual meetings are much different than sitting across from someone in a meeting space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou can get really creative on how your system is set up, but you need to practice with that setup to know what works,\u201d says Ball. \u201cFor example, if you are practicing and notice that you have mediocre light or your camera angle is off, you can get a lamp or a ring light and put your laptop on a stack of books if you need to. But you\u2019re not going to know if you need these things unless you practice and do some test runs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, practice runs are a part of the prep for each participant in ECRM Virtual Sessions. But if you are meeting on your own, it\u2019s important to practice your virtual meeting with some colleagues, or even with friends and family. Ask for their honest feedback and incorporate it into your pitch. This way, there are no surprises when it counts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also have a backup plan. What if your wifi goes out? Do you have a mobile hotspot you can use? Can you do the meeting from your ipad if there are issues with your computer? In this tech-dependent world, things can happen that are beyond your control, so have a back up plan in place, and practice that as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve said it before and we\u2019ll say it again, virtual is here to stay. The efficiencies it delivers are just too great to ignore, so it will remain an essential part of our business even when in-person gatherings are back at full capacity. By following the above steps, you\u2019ll be sure to stand out from the crowd with a memorable and impactful virtual presentation!<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 1: Identify the <\/strong>why<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 2: Prepare your materials<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 3: Set the scene<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 4: Write your script<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 5: We\u2019re talking about practice!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n