Selling Another Vendor's Product at My Tent

PepperDaddy

PepperDaddy

I am going to be in a large BBQ trade show at the end of Sep. that has been put on for the last 10 years by a local BBQ shop.  That BBQ shop is also carrying my sauce.  He bought 3 cases. I told him I was at the farmer's market down the road from him and was letting everyone know they could also get my sauce at his store and that maybe in a few weeks he would see a few sales.  He told me when he bought the sauce that demand for BBQ sauces and condiments is very low in his store and most are there for the equipment.  He then said this:  "Maybe we could work out a deal where you could sell my BBQ sauce in your booth during the event and I would give you a take of my proceeds."
 
Part of me wants to do this because he's a super nice guy, has great connections in the BBQ scene and bought 3 cases from me.  Part of says if I do it now I'll have to do it every year and it could cut into my profits.
 
I'm leaning towards selling it just to be a team player and help out a local guy who helped me out.  It may also look as though I'm part of the sponsorship since his shop puts on this event.  Everyone in the BBQ circuit in ST. Louis knows and likes him. I also plan to give a $1/bottle discount to all BBQ team members, which will hopefully get it in the hands of many local restaurant owners and maybe on their tables at the event.  That email would go through the shop owner.  So there’s some back scratching going on here as well.
 
Any thoughts?  Should I do this?
 
Ken
 
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Gemini,
 
Get behind your own product and don't worry about gimmicks. People will be walking around all day seeing gimmick after gimmick of bacon just added to something to add it.
 
You want to go because you know your sauces are good with bacon, right?
You sell a spicy ketchup, right?
 
Shit man, sell them on your ketchup being perfect for a bacon cheeseburger. These people aren't all looking for gimmicks. They are not looking for bacon ketchup. They just love bacon! Sell them on it! It is a handcrafted superior ketchup right? It has a nice kick so it's unique. Tell them when they make that bacon burger with the superior bacon and aged cheese, you don't want to ruin it with cheap ketchup.
 
You could go as far as samples. Sliders, too expensive. Bacon and cheese on crackers, possible. Or they make cheese crackers. Also they probably make bacon crackers just don't show the box or they'll want them, lol. This way you have bacon at your table!
 
Someone there is probably selling bacon cheeseburgers, maybe ask to be next to a burger vendor and offer samples directly on burgers or fries.
 
Make a nice slick sign with a bacon cheeseburger, and your sauce dripping off, and the bottle. And have it say "Don't ruin your bacon cheeseburger with an inferior ketchup!"
 
I'm with the others on the gimmick sauce. Be confident in your own product, and think outside the box. That sauce won't really do you any good imo, and as LD says, could do harm.
 
YOU DO have a product for bacon lovers. Now, sell them on it.
 
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The more I think about it the more confident I am that I would never sell someone else's product in my booth.

If you only evaluate it as a money making proposition, you might think it's a good idea.

But I do festivals for product exposure and marketing. Customer acquisition is my primary goal - when people taste my creations, they tend to get on board - that's my highest % of new customers, through direct marketing/sampling.

Always bear in mind that your time as an owner has value. Every minute I spend in my booth is time I could be doing something productive for my brand. So if I'm there, and I'm paying $100-400 to be there, I want to maximize my time.

And spending even 5 seconds talking to someone about someone else's product is time I lose marketing my brand. And at a festival it's usually more like 3-5 mins.

And consider this practical aspect: where do you start your tasting? Let's say you have them taste your products 1st - the natural emphasis. So if they love your products, but then try the "other" stuff and don't like it, they're left with an "average" impression that the products you're representing are mediocre as the "other" drags down your average impression. Worse, what if they like the competitor's more? Then you've given them a direct comparison where your products look inferior. Oops.

What if you go the opposite & have them try the competitors sauces 1st then yours? Same thing.

As I suggested before - you're severely diluting your product line and providing an opportunity for your potential customer to become distracted. People have poor attention spans as it is - it's hard enough to keep someone focused, especially at a festival where they're dragging around a spouse & 2 chil'rens....having multiple brands will only serve as further distraction.

And to me, that's a direct conflict with the fundamental reasons I do festivals in the 1st place. They're a hell of a lot of work - 1st day is usually 14-16 hours, 2nd day typically 12-14 hours. Of that, 30% of he time is set-up/break-down/clean-up - I want to maximize on the other 70%. And I don't want to burn a single minute taking about someone else's products.

My $.02
 
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And if you need another vendor's bacon sauce to try to sell your sauce at a bacon fest, you just simply shouldn't be doing a bacon fest. The need of a gateway sauce is proof you shouldn't be there... unless you think your sauces can stand on their own. Like I said. Use the ketchup/bacon angle, if you believe in it.
 
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The Hot Pepper said:
Gemini,
 
Get behind your own product and don't worry about gimmicks. People will be walking around all day seeing gimmick after gimmick of bacon just added to something to add it.
 
You want to go because you know your sauces are good with bacon, right?
You sell a spicy ketchup, right?
 
Shit man, sell them on your ketchup being perfect for a bacon cheeseburger. These people aren't all looking for gimmicks. They are not looking for bacon ketchup. They just love bacon! Sell them on it! It is a handcrafted superior ketchup right? It has a nice kick so it's unique. Tell them when they make that bacon burger with the superior bacon and aged cheese, you don't want to ruin it with cheap ketchup.
 
You could go as far as samples. Sliders, too expensive. Bacon and cheese on crackers, possible. Or they make cheese crackers. Also they probably make bacon crackers just don't show the box or they'll want them, lol. This way you have bacon at your table!
 
Someone there is probably selling bacon cheeseburgers, maybe ask to be next to a burger vendor and offer samples directly on burgers or fries.
 
Make a nice slick sign with a bacon cheeseburger, and your sauce dripping off, and the bottle. And have it say "Don't ruin your bacon cheeseburger with an inferior ketchup!"
 
I'm with the others on the gimmick sauce. Be confident in your own product, and think outside the box. That sauce won't really do you any good imo, and as LD says, could do harm.
 
YOU DO have a product for bacon lovers. Now, sell them on it.
Click to expand...
 
Agreed....
Never terribly comfortable with the idea to begin with, but as a newbie, i keep looking for that 'edge'.....Im signing up and moving my own stuff!!
sorry for the semi-thread hijak.
 
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Lucky Dog Hot Sauce said:
The more I think about it the more confident I am that I would never sell someone else's product in my booth.

If you only evaluate it as a money making proposition, you might think it's a good idea.

But I do festivals for product exposure and marketing. Customer acquisition is my primary goal - when people taste my creations, they tend to get on board - that's my highest % of new customers, through direct marketing/sampling.

Always bear in mind that your time as an owner has value. Every minute I spend in my booth is time I could be doing something productive for my brand. So if I'm there, and I'm paying $100-400 to be there, I want to maximize my time.

And spending even 5 seconds talking to someone about someone else's product is time I lose marketing my brand. And at a festival it's usually more like 3-5 mins.

And consider this practical aspect: where do you start your tasting? Let's say you have them taste your products 1st - the natural emphasis. So if they love your products, but then try the "other" stuff and don't like it, they're left with an "average" impression that the products you're representing are mediocre as the "other" drags down your average impression. Worse, what if they like the competitor's more? Then you've given them a direct comparison where your products look inferior. Oops.

What if you go the opposite & have them try the competitors sauces 1st then yours? Same thing.

As I suggested before - you're severely diluting your product line and providing an opportunity for your potential customer to become distracted. People have poor attention spans as it is - it's hard enough to keep someone focused, especially at a festival where they're dragging around a spouse & 2 chil'rens....having multiple brands will only serve as further distraction.

And to me, that's a direct conflict with the fundamental reasons I do festivals in the 1st place. They're a hell of a lot of work - 1st day is usually 14-16 hours, 2nd day typically 12-14 hours. Of that, 30% of he time is set-up/break-down/clean-up - I want to maximize on the other 70%. And I don't want to burn a single minute taking about someone else's products.

My $.02
Click to expand...
 
:cheers:   #excellentperception
The Hot Pepper said:
Sounds like a plan!
 
Keep us posted. Pics!
 
Hey where is this event anyway?
Click to expand...
 
It's in Easton, PA..forgot the date off the top of my head....next few months...
they are also doing a chili pepper festival and it is expensive for a 5 hour affair, so i passed on that....
but i'm down like a clown for this one now.
 
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