Instead, develop your product one step at a time. One of those steps, after you’ve started manufacturing your product, improved your packaging a few times, and tested it out online, is to approach brick and mortar stores and online retailers. The big retailers won’t want to see your product if it hasn’t been proven in a retail environment.

I finally reached the point with the Headset Buddy that I felt comfortable approaching some online and offline retailers. But how do I know what stores to contact?

Fortunately, ever since I started selling the product online, I’ve been getting customers to complete surveys. One question I ask them is “What retail store would you first look for this item?”

Based on their answers, I researched some of the companies selling headsets and contacted their purchasing department. I provided samples to at an independently owned Radio Shack, local computer store, and a local UPS store to see how sales would do in those markets. I also asked some chain retailers the best way to get into their system.

I’m still waiting for the results, but I’m hopefully that at least two of my traditional retail stores and several of the online stores will prove worthwhile. You just have to be patient because the turnover for small retail stores for a single SKU can be half a dozen to a few dozen units per year. So it can take anywhere from a few weeks or a few months for that store to determine if it’s worthwhile to carry your product.

Remember, you’re competing with other products on their shelf, so your product has to make more money for the retailer than something else on their shelf. If you keep in mind these tips, you’ll do much better when your product is ready to be introduced to the retail market.

- Bryan Daigle