Four Steps to a Better Business Relationship

(from Comics & Games Retailer #173)

You hear it at the trade show every year. You read it on the message boards. “If publishers would offer me support, I could sell more of their games,” says the retailer. “If retailers would stock/actually try to sell my games, they could turn them into a real profit center,” replies the publisher. So it goes in this uneasy business relationship.

The fact is both tiers need the other. Publishers need retail outlets to get their games in front of consumers. Retailers need product to sell. It would seem to be a match made in heaven, but it rarely is.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. It only takes a little more effort on the part of both publishers and retailers to turn things around. They just need to communicate more. Here’s my four-step plan to improve the relationship between the two and raise sales for both.

Step 1: Retailers Identify Products to Believe In

Take a look around your stores, retailers. Find those games you think are dynamite. They play well, or they look cool, or they sell well. Find those products you would recommend to a friend, a first-timer, or a parent. Find the ones you’d push on a hardcore gamer. They might be from a big company and have lots of support, or they might come from a tiny publisher that only puts out that one game.

When you locate these products, understand that you believe in them. You’re willing to risk your rent on stocking these products, because you believe they will sell. These products represent your core business.

Step 2: Retailers Contact the Publishers

Go out to the web sites of the publishers of your core products and find the contact information. (For the sake of argument, we’re going to assume that a product good enough for you to believe in is published by someone smart enough to know you must have a web site for your business and is also bright enough to provide you with a phone number or an e-mail address.) When you’re at trade or consumer shows, make certain to sign up for mailing lists.

Now call or write that publisher. (Writing is the better route, since you’ll be able to do it when you have some downtime and don’t have to be worried about customers interrupting a phone call.) Tell the publisher how much you like the game. Don’t write a fan letter; just explain that you stock it in your store and that it does well for you. Thank the company for the product.

Then ask for support. Explain that you would like to sell more but that you need assistance. You can make suggestions for what would help, but ask for what is available.

Step 3: Publishers Make Support Available

Publishers, you should have support materials of some sort for everything you publish. Quick-start rules, demo materials, game tips from the designers, background material that didn’t make the book, design notes – whatever it is, it should be readily available. Make it possible for retailers to talk about your games with authority. Empower them to run demos that sell in their store. Conjure up prize support, POP materials, anything the retailer can use to turn your products into cold, hard cash. When a retailer makes contact, be able to offer him or her something to help sell. The truth is retailers want to sell games. And they’ll take any advantage of they can get (and think highly of the companies that provide them).

Step 4: Publishers Communicate with Retailers

It’s not enough to have support materials available. Publishers must constantly be telling the retailer about what’s happening at the company and what’s coming next. A retailer wants to know when he or she can expect that new game in the store. A retailer wants to know what’s exciting about it so he or she can push it onto consumers. Is an older game really out of print, or is it just out of stock at the distributor? Retailers need this information so they can sell your products more effectively, and they’re too busy to constantly be calling or e-mailing you to find out.

At trade and consumer shows, get retailers signed up for a mailing list. An e-mail newsletter is simple to build and maintain. It should go out at least once a month, more often if you have the news to manage it. It should include shipping news, information on what’s in stock, offer previews of upcoming releases, and reminders about available support materials.

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