# 058: How to Pitch Your Product to Retail Stores

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2020-12-21
- Length: 42m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2020-12-21-058-how-to-pitch-your-product-to-retail-stores
- Listen: https://productstartup.com/

## Summary

Mark Shanahan, a former Vice President at Staples with 25 years of retail buying experience, explains the 'HIT' framework (Homework, In-person, Trust) for pitching products to major retailers. He emphasizes that inventors must demonstrate market viability, bring tangible prototypes, and maintain transparency about their capabilities to build trust with buyers. Shanahan advises entrepreneurs to be concise, respect the buyer's time, and leverage their own innovation to create a competitive advantage in the retail environment.

## Chapters

- [0:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2020-12-21-058-how-to-pitch-your-product-to-retail-stores#t=29) Introduction: Mark Shanahan and his career at Staples
- [9:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2020-12-21-058-how-to-pitch-your-product-to-retail-stores#t=593) Homework: Market analysis, competition, and value proposition
- [17:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2020-12-21-058-how-to-pitch-your-product-to-retail-stores#t=1024) In-person: Meeting logistics, prototypes, and time management
- [29:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2020-12-21-058-how-to-pitch-your-product-to-retail-stores#t=1767) Trust: Transparency, reliability, and managing expectations
- [35:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2020-12-21-058-how-to-pitch-your-product-to-retail-stores#t=2138) Retailer dynamics: Innovation, margins, and buyer competition

## Topics

- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Staples (company)
- Sage (other)
- Triplunger (product)
- Walmart (company)
- Best Buy (company)
- Mako Design + Invent (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#244 - Live Pitch Practice & Feedback](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-04-14-244-live-pitch-practice-feedback) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Opportunity Knocks: Get Direct Access to Top Retailers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-04-26-opportunity-knocks-get-direct-access-to-top-retailers) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Bonus: Getting Into Retail & Tips from a Buyer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-12-30-bonus-getting-into-retail-tips-from-a-buyer) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#128 Buyer Spotlight: Dwight Richmond, Town & Country Markets](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-02-13-128-buyer-spotlight-dwight-richmond-town-country-markets) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#020 - Executing lean and agile retail growth for your startup or SME, with Benjamin Ertl of Retailbound, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-04-05-020-executing-lean-and-agile-retail-growth-for-your-startup-or-sme-with-benjamin) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2020-12-21-058-how-to-pitch-your-product-to-retail-stores. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Product Startup.