If you sell a physical product, one of your goals may be to develop retail relationships and have your products featured in retail outlets across your town, across the nation, or even across the world.
But is it really necessary? There are pros and cons to this, and before you invest too much in to making it happen, I think it’s important to think about both sides of the equation.
As for the pros, I’m sure you know them all: you’ll get exposure, possibly have some steady wholesale orders to carry you through hard times, and hopefully end up selling more product than you ever thought possible.
But what about the cons? If you are not ready to produce enough items, this could be an overwhelming work load that leaves you stressed, irritated, and without much of a social life. The cost of your product is going to go up, since the retail outlet needs to make money on top of the money you are making, and what happens if you don’t like the way the store is representing you or your product?
Selling your product yourself via a website may be a better solution. You can still attract local and global customers, you can set any price you want, and you are in complete control of your product.
Now, if you REALLY want to develop some retail relationships, I wrote an article explaining how to get your products noticed (and possibly picked up) Click Here to read it