Selling into retail chains is complicated. Your key point of contact is a category manager or buyer. In addition to developing that relationship, you should invest in knowing employees in other parts of the business. Produce managers are a good example. While they are not ultimate decision-makers, they can impact the relationship you have with the retailer. That’s because they have insights with consumers and how produce flows from the back of store to front of store.  

Produce managers have a challenging job. They have different priorities than the merchants working in the office. At store level, it is much more about driving sales that day or week, productivity, reducing shrink, training employees and managing other controllable expenses.

If you plan to invest time and resources with people in stores, make sure you understand them. An employee working in the produce department of a discount retailer has a very different job than someone working in a conventional store or specialty store. For example, it is a waste of time to demonstrate to employees in a discount store how they can educate consumers on the six different uses of an apple. They have limited labour and they are there to keep stock full and turning. They would be more interested in the fastest way to empty a case of apples without bruising them.

Considerations when talking to employees at the stores

Priorities at store level are different. They are trying to meet or exceed the weekly sales target and do this within the work schedule. Labour is the largest controllable expense in retail and it is a constant battle to deliver the sales, quality, service and assortment within timelines.

The turnover of employees is a constant challenge. Produce managers are usually working with people who do not come with a lot of produce knowledge. Do they know the difference between an artichoke and okra?  Not likely. It always sounds good to build solid programs to train new employees, but these initiatives get cut and often department managers are left to train on the fly.

If your product is sold in the produce department of a conventional store you are one of 350 SKUs. People in the stores can be great allies, but they are not there to build your brand or be your spokesperson.

10 ideas to build relationships with employees at stores

1.  Visit stores before you invest a lot of time and resources. Understand what they need and what they are trying to do every week. Get a sense of the level of understanding they have for your products and categories. Be realistic about the focus they can put on your products or category. Once you have figured out what you want to do, make sure you keep the category manager informed. 

2.  Many people working in produce have very little experience and the full- time people do not have the hours to train them properly. Start with the basics for part time people and perhaps something more advanced for the full-time employees that have been around longer. Do not assume they know how to do things right for your product. Merchandising standards such as keeping kiwi away from ethylene-heavy bananas are not as well-known as they used to be.

3.  Offer to do a session at the next produce manager’s meeting. Retailers will bring these people together occasionally and it is a great audience to speak to. Sponsor a break so they want to include you on the agenda and make sure the content is helpful to a produce manager, not an infomercial about your product. Provide them with something to take back to their employees or even some swag. They do not get much.

4.  Add relevant information to your master case. These are such great opportunities to communicate with people at store level. Print on the inside or include an insert. If possible, change it up to keep things fresh and avoid becoming wallpaper they do not notice.

5.  Offer content to your category manager to be shared in communication to produce managers. Many have regular correspondence and if you can provide relevant content that saves them time (and makes them look good) you will build relationships at the office and the stores.

6.  Thank them! As we said earlier, working in retail is tough. If these people did not take your products out of the back room and display them, you would deliver zero sales. Yes, it is their job but letting people know they are appreciated can go a long way. A simple note in your cases for a month will deliver the message.

7.  When you visit stores, find something you can leave behind that is helpful to them. Perhaps you are trying to help them understand the importance of trimming the butt on your lettuce properly. A good produce knife with your logo will be there long after you leave. Make sure your category manager and the operations team are ok with you providing these.

8.  Ask their opinion! These people are working with your products every day. They also interact with consumers every day. They can be such a great resource in terms of how your product is performing and what people think about it. Take the time to ask them what they think and acknowledge the information they share.

9.  Consider a retail program like a consumer campaign. Determine different themes such as how to use/consume the product, how to treat it in a produce department, how to reduce waste on the item in the store, how to treat it at home, when it is in peak season, how to determine if it is ripe, complementary products etc. Repetition is important – but within reason. 

10.   Share your outreach activities and the results with your key contacts in category management and operations. Include photos in your presentations and illustrate the sales growth or improvements in sell through. Illustrate the benefits to their stores and their business.