When breweries think about wholesale growth, the first instinct is usually the same: “We need more accounts.”
New placements are exciting. Every new account creates another opportunity for consumers to discover your beer.
But opening new accounts isn’t always the fastest path to growth.
In fact, some of the biggest wholesale opportunities are with your existing customers.
Before chasing the next placement, ask yourself a question: Are we maximizing sales to the accounts we already have?
Focus your efforts on activities like:
- Improving sales velocity – how quickly your beer sells through at current accounts
- Using an 80/20 analysis to identify the handful of customers that generate the majority of your wholesale sales.
- Reconnecting with former accounts that already know your brand and may be ready to buy again.
The most efficient sale is to a customer already buying your beer.
Your current customers already know your products, trust your brand, and have an established ordering process. Helping them sell more beer is often faster, and far less expensive, than convincing someone new to give you a chance.
The same idea applies to former customers.
Every brewery has accounts that stopped ordering six months ago, a year ago, or even longer. Instead of writing them off, reach out and ask a simple question: “What can we do better?”
Sometimes the answer is better service, or a different product mix, or maybe they just haven’t heard from you in a while.
Every conversation is an opportunity to rebuild a relationship.
Focus your time where it produces the greatest return. That’s how sustainable wholesale growth happens.
P.S. Next week we’ll explore how better merchandising, stronger retailer relationships, and consistent market execution can dramatically increase sales velocity.
Ready to grow wholesale sales more predictably? Learn how the Beer Business Finance Association helps breweries install practical management systems from financial planning to wholesale sales forecasting that create sustainable, profitable growth.
