201. Sales & Distribution: Are You Focused on the Right Things at the Right Time? (5 of 9)

More sales sounds like a good thing, but we know that's not always true.

With so many ways to sell and distribute your product, it's important to know which channels to focus on to help you meet your specific business goals—and how to crack the code within those channels.

In this episode, we (Katie Mleziva & Clint Matthews) continue our Food Business Maintenance Check by looking at a few key things to consider as you assess your sales and distribution plan.

We talk about choosing the channels that make sense for your product and business goals, understanding the financial and operational implications of how your product gets to the end user, and knowing when it may be time to change course.

Clint also shares a costly lesson from Start Right Foods about a retail opportunity that once looked like a big win—but no longer made financial sense when circumstances changed. It's a good reminder that even when you have a plan, you need to keep reassessing it as the market, your business, and your goals evolve.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How to think about which sales channels make sense for your product and business goals
• Why it can be fruitful to focus on one channel and build a strong foothold before spreading yourself too thin
• How distribution can impact your margins
• Why a sales opportunity that once made sense may not always be the right opportunity to keep pursuing
• How questioning your assumptions can uncover opportunities to make your sales and distribution more effective
• Why grounding your sales strategy in your brand strategy can give you a major advantage when deciding where to focus

You don't need to pursue every sales opportunity or have every answer today. The goal is to have a strategy for where you're focusing, understand why that path makes sense for the business you're working to build, and keep reassessing as you learn and circumstances change.

If you could use support creating that and bringing it to life, we're happy to have a conversation about how we might be a good fit as part of your team.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The 4 P's of Sales Series Playlist
• Choosing the Right Partners episode
• Brand Checkup Scorecard (Self Assessment)

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>>> Subscribe HERE to Katie's weekly email Newsletter for ways to bring the ideas you hear here to life for your business.

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Have a great week – see you next Wednesday!

Katie & Clint