I was reminded today in a conference call with a client, how incredibly important it is for a start up to stay as close to customers as possible. My client is starting a food business and needed some counsel on how to get distribution into stores. Should he do it himself, through a distributor or some hybrid approach. I emphasized how valuable it is to be at the marketing front lines in the beginning so that you get first-hand information.
The closer you can be, the better the data. The better the data, the more effective you can be in your startup.
The Marketing Front Lines
In this situation, the person I was advising will be physically distributing, selling and sampling the product in stores. He will get to hear what consumer’s say, how they react to the packaging and what they think of the product. No one else can do this with the first 50 stores. No one else will care enough to be forthright and reach out to every passerby. By hearing, seeing and observing first hand, you gain invaluable insight about your price, package and position.
You can’t leave this to a demo company. You need to learn, do I have a product that solves a problem that people will pay for? Does my brand, my story and my promise resonate with them?
When you have an answer to that question, that supports your hypothesis, then you can go to investors for money. First you have to convince yourself with data that this crazy venture might work. The rest is the hard work of building a business.
Get close to the customer. And never leave retreat from that position.
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