Score your brand before a buyer does.

Does your price leave the store the cut it expects?

The store takes its cut off the shelf price, not off your cost. Most pitches get this backward.

Can you pay for the first year on the shelf without going broke?

Free cases, sale weeks and shelf fees add up. Buyers know it, and they check whether you do.

Do you know what one unit costs by the time it reaches the store?

Shipping and damaged units are real costs. Leave them out and your margin is wrong.

Could you wait two months to get paid on a big order?

Stores pay slowly and order big. Running out of cash kills more brands than slow sales do.

Can a stranger tell what your product is from four feet away?

On a shelf you get two seconds and nobody there to explain it.

Does your shipping case fit a normal shelf without a special tray?

Shelves are planned to the inch. An odd-sized case is an easy reason to say no.

Can you show how fast your product sells, online or in local stores?

Every brand that made it sold well online first. Proof of sales is what gets you the meeting.

Are your labels and claims legal to sell in a store today?

One claim you cannot back up and the review stops. Paperwork is pass or fail.

Can you name the exact stores and regions you want first?

"Everywhere" is not a plan. Buyers respect a brand that picked its doors.

Do you know how your first-choice store takes in new brands?

An online form, a broker, or invite only. The way in decides your first move.

Do you know when your store reviews your category, and are you early?

Stores look at each aisle once or twice a year. Miss it and you wait six months.

Could you handle demos, restocks and promos if you won the shelf?

Getting on shelf is half. Staying on shelf is what the buyer is really deciding.