Turning a Buyer No Into a Yes

I recently had an industry friend ask me what they could do to turn a no from a retail buyer into a yes.

When a retail buyer declines to bring on our product or even continue the conversation, it can be something that can absolutely wreck your state of mind as a founder or salesperson.

There are a range of no’s that a brand can hear, and not all of them have the same impact on us, although they all hurt.

You might get a quick no from a discovery email to a buyer and honestly, those are the best kind of no’s. A quick no is the best thing outside of a yes. Although it can hurt or seem abrupt, it doesn’t allow hope to fester.

The next type of no is usually one that happens after some sort of initial interest. Maybe the buyer requested samples or you had a meeting with them. These no’s can definitely sting and leave the founder asking themselves what they are doing wrong.

The last no is the worst kind, it’s a no after you received a yes.

Your meeting went well, the samples were a hit, and the buyer gave you verbal confirmation that they want to bring you in. You’re elated and you start to make plans for the big launch, waiting for the P.O. to hit, but it never shows. Eventually, you get an email saying they went in a different direction or have to punt on this until next year. Often times it’s a decision coming from above the buyer and out of their control completely.

So, how do we turn these no’s into a yes?

We don’t…

I hope this newsletter was helpful, and please come back next week for another great edition.

I’m joking, but only partially. The best way to turn those no’s into a yes, is not to push back or press that buyer for reconsideration, it’s to stop selling and start relationship building after you receive the no.

The buying cycle is slow in CPG, you have one maybe two chances a year to secure placement in a retailer, which makes the fact that there is no silver bullet to change a buyer’s decision a painful pill to swallow.

But you have to realize that no email you are going to send after they just said no is going to make them think, “You know what, they’re right and I’m wrong, I definitely need to bring this in.” It’s just not going to happen because you don’t know their product set and customer needs as well as they know them (or think they know them).

Instead, an email that says, “Although your decision is difficult to hear, I understand fully that you have hundreds of brands pitching you for a very limited amount of space. I would love to stay in contact and update you on our progress as we continue to grow so that we can revisit this opportunity in the future.”

The response to that email is going to be positive from the buyer. They are not callously saying no because they have something against your brand, they just have limited space and way too many options, and they are making the decision they think is best for their stores and their job security.

This is where your relationship is going to change. For the next year, you're not going to sell that buyer. You're not going to ask for anything. You are just going to build the relationship.

• “Hey! We launched a new flavor this week and I would love to give you a sneak peak if interested. I know we are out of the review period, but I honestly just wanted your feedback on the flavor profile.”

• “I saw you were going to be at Expo West. It would be great to catch up if you are around on Thursday.”

• “Ahh, we just had (Celebrity X) post about our brand on TikTok, I thought I would send over the link.”

• “We just surpassed (Brand X) in the natural channel for the last 30 days. I know this brand is currently in your stores, do you think this is a strong indicator for us?”

Gentle nudges that center around the value or new information should be the only emails you send between the no and the next review period.

You want to stay top of mind with your buyer contact so that when the next review period comes up, you are making it even more difficult for them to say no because they have established a personal relationship with you. Also, they see so many brands come and go, so seeing that your brand is still in business and thriving, will help de-risk that decision for them.

The biggest takeaway from this post should be that this is a long-term process. Building a successful CPG company is a multi-year endeavor and many of the retailers you open will be on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th try. It’s not a no forever, it’s just a no for right now.

So instead of responding to the buyer in a pushy way directly after receiving the bad news, make sure your response is dripping with empathy and make it feel that this is actually just the start of your relationship together.