Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Last week we talked about kicking the year off right and how “One of us is never smarter than both of us”.  That little saying has many meanings, like, getting advice and opinions from others, and asking for help in areas that aren’t your strength. Another is, asking for help from your partners in business.

All of your suppliers have a vested interest in your success, and in addition to having access to extraordinary marketing funds, they can also be a valuable resource beyond traditional co-op funds and what we refer to as “Squeaky Wheel Money”, all of which can help you sell more of their products.

There are two “best” times of the year to ask for help from vendors and suppliers… the beginning of the year and the end of the year.

With the new year in gear, don’t think it’s too early to ask for help from your vendors. Sometimes, the early bird truly does get the worm. Millions of manufacturers’ co-op and promotional dollars go unused every year. The main reason is that seldom does anyone ask for these funds! If you don’t access those funds, you are literally throwing money away, or worse yet, your competitors will scoop up those funds and use them against you.

But it goes beyond just marketing and advertising support. There are many other “things” and “ways” your vendors and suppliers can help you. And, here’s the cool thing. In most cases, they want to help you. In the rare case they don’t, it may be time to seek out other vendors.

In our How to Leverage Your Suppliers’ Marketing Muscle, tactic number three is “Leverage Your Suppliers’ Expertise”. Ask your suppliers to participate in your sales training program. They often have trainers that can and will train your people how to sell their products at no cost to you.

Still, other businesses opt not to leverage their suppliers’ marketing muscle because it takes time and effort. In today’s competitive environment, you need to take advantage of every competitive edge you can.

The beginning of the year is often the best time to ask for their help both monetarily and in other ways. Start the process now. Be the first to “ask”!

If you would like to receive more tips or tactics on How to Leverage Your Suppliers’ Marketing Muscle, click here and “Ye shall receive“.