Coming up with 5 reasons you need a CPG consultant for your product is probably difficult if you don’t know what a Consumer-Packaged Goods consultant does. Add in that you have probably spent all of your time (and money, most likely) up until this point getting your product going all by yourself and bringing anyone in to help can seem impossible.  

I get it, it’s not easy trusting someone new with your baby. But you know having experts in various fields focusing on your product can help growth. I promise you, having a consumer-packaged goods consultant like Come Sell or High Water is a MUST if you plan on getting into stores.  

Here are 5 reasons you need a CPG consultant for your product: 

1. Figuring Out Your Market: A CPG consultant can help identify the right stores for a product to target for an initial launch. We can add a level head (and decades of experience, in my case) to the decision-making process. Because maybe ‘getting into all the Whole Foods stores in the country’ sounds cool, but it probably shouldn’t be your opening salvo.  
2. Like Everything Else There are Hidden Fees: Well, not exactly ‘hidden’ but they are elusive. Especially if you haven’t done this before. For instance, most markets have what’s called a ‘slotting fee’. That’s a fee you pay to get your product on the shelf. CPG consultants can help you plan for — and call BS on, if necessary — fees that come up during the process.  
3. Identifying Competitors: This may seem simple but knowing who you are up against, and how you can best them, can be crucial to whether you succeed or fail. Especially if that brand is already in stores. They have a head start, so you’ll need all the leverage you can get. 
4. The Point Isn’t Just Getting Invited: A good CPG consultant should know about and help you strategize how you are going to actually move product. Because the goal isn’t just to get on the shelf, right? It’s to sell. So, does that mean in-store samples? Getting into the store’s circular? Something else?  
5. Financial Viability: If you have gotten this far in the startup process then you know what you spend on each unit. But do you know how to price your product, so you actually make money on each sale? Have you worked out your price architecture to help optimize your value equation?  

If you are thinking of getting into stores, or you just want to see what it would take to get to that point, contact me today to get the ball rolling.