Page 133 - Paulisms: Gold Nuggets for Small Business

I remember in the late nineties that a particular company had done a great job in creating a generic brand at the time for heat/fan/light product. The supplier company came along and pulled the carpet from underneath their feet and took over the distribution. Tough, I know, but commercial. The distributor hadn’t protected their brand, nor destiny.
Many companies came along and offered us their products. One particular supplier wanted us to sell their widget. I said yes, that was fine, but that we wanted our own brand. They asked why we wanted our own brand when they were out there marketing the product with newspaper advertising, Home Shows, online, specifying their products by architects in their plans, etc. I said, ‘Fine, but you are selling direct on your website. Why should we go out there, promote your brand and help develop the market when you’re selling direct and picking up some of that business we developed?’ I got some possum eyes over that one. Funnily enough he came back a couple of years later and offered us our own brand. But it was too late by then!
When we got our model right of ‘own brands’ or national exclusivity, it was easy to say no and not waste time on various companies pitching to us.