How Craft Spirit Brands Win Distributor Rep Attention

I play devil’s advocate. I tell my clients: “I’m going to challenge you.” It’s not to be contrarian or combative, but if we can poke holes in the plan from the beginning, it’s a lot more reasonable to fix it early as opposed to having the general public point out a mistake, or worse, having to recall a bunch of product.

The theme of this session is simple: when you’re not one of those massive brands with the revenue-generating leverage to command a dedicated spot in a distributor rep’s bag, how the hell do you get your bottle in that bag? How do you force them to pay attention?

Before advising on distribution, I was the distributor. I spent the better part of a decade with Empire Merchants here in Metro New York—a wholesaler that, for a very long time, was much larger in this market than Southern Glazer’s. I was assigned to the division selling the entire 190-page master catalog of spirits, liqueurs, wines, sakes, and champagnes.

That was probably the most valuable chapter of my career because sitting in that middle layer allowed me to understand the distinct objectives and operational obstacles of every stakeholder in the ecosystem: the supplier, the wholesaler, and the retailer (both on- and off-premise).

Reps have hundreds—sometimes thousands—of brands in their portfolio. Why should they focus on yours? Respectfully, you are not their priority until you actively make yourself one. Securing a distribution deal and signing with a wholesaler simply means your bottle can legally be sold in that market. It does not mean you have a team of passionate advocates going out to sell it for you.

Furthermore, once a product is purchased by a retail account, 6% to 14% of brands sit forgotten in a back room rather than being merchandised on the floor. Getting sold into a distributor’s warehouse is just the starting line.

The “Cheryl Story”: How to Win Rep Advocacy

During my time as a rep at Empire, I received a phone call from an regional sales manager representing a wine supplier. Her name was Cheryl. She said:

“Hey Gary, I just walked into ARP’s Tavern, spoke to Tommy, and he loved the Sauvignon Blanc. He wants five cases on his next order.”

I paused and asked: “Did you just make me money?”

Cheryl said: “Yeah, I did.”

My immediate response was: “Let’s meet for lunch.”

If this brand partner was willing to go out into the field, hustle, do the selling herself, and secure house-wine placements to make me money, I wanted to invest in her. When we sat down for lunch, I brought a physical hit list of 15 to 20 of my personal key accounts—complete with account names, addresses, and the specific decision-maker to ask for. I told her:

“When you go into this next account, ask for Beth. She’s a schoolteacher during the day, so she’s only at the bar between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM.”

I gave Cheryl all the insider ammunition she needed so that when she walked through the door, she was fully equipped. Cheryl executed brilliantly—she landed placements in 12 of those 18 accounts.

By taking initiative instead of asking for a ride-along, Cheryl turned me into a permanent brand evangelist.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                       THE "CHERYL" FLYWHEEL IN ACTION                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1. SUPPLIER ACTION  ➔ Moves cases directly without waiting on rep.         │
│ 2. REP INCENTIVE    ➔ Earns immediate commission; champions brand to peers.│
│ 3. WHOLESALE NOTICE ➔ Management spots case volume & allocates resources.   │
│ 4. TERRITORY DEFENSE➔ Rep actively monitors inventory to prevent delisting. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Protecting Placements & Verification Tools

Securing a shelf placement is useless if the inventory isn’t maintained on the floor. According to research by McKinsey, if a shopper enters a store looking for a specific brand and can’t find it on the shelf because no one replenished the inventory from the back room, 43% of consumers will simply buy a competitor’s product rather than return later.

As a brand owner, you must actively verify shelf execution:

• Verify Positioning: Did the bottle make it to eye level as promised, or did the retail clerk leave it in a box because moving 36 bottles down the shelf was too much work?

• Audit Mandates: Corporate chains often issue national placement mandates, but local store execution frequently lags. Reps focus on closing new sales rather than auditing existing placements.

• Leverage Third-Party Verification: Consider using crowd-sourced auditing platforms like Shop Eileen. The app leverages gig-economy workers (such as off-duty rideshare drivers) to visit specific local retailers, verify retail pricing, snap photos of your shelf presence, and confirm stock levels in real time.

Strategy: Go an Inch Wide and a Mile Deep

Too many emerging brands spread their capital and field teams far too thin across sprawling territories.

Owning 3 to 5 core accounts doing 5 to 10 cases a week completely destroys having a single, slow-moving bottle sitting behind the bar across 200 accounts.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      PROOF OF CONCEPT: LOCAL DENSITY                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Home Market Focus: Establish velocity and core demographics locally first.│
│ • Local Synergy: Build consumer awareness via geofencing and sampling.    │
│ • Retail Leverage: Show local liquor stores nearby on-premise volume:       │
│   "We sell 6 cases/week across 5 bars within 2 blocks—you need this stock." │
│ • Scale Responsibly: Don't accept national chain mandates (e.g., Costco)    │
│   unless you have the field staff and budget to support every location.    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

As the industry saying goes: “Execution without strategy is hallucination. Don’t mistake activity for progress.”

Summary Checklist: How Small Brands Win

• Earn Distributor Advocacy: Do the heavy lifting, move cases independently, and make the distributor rep money right out of the gate.

• Build Account Advocacy: Spend time with floor staff and bartenders. They know their customer base better than anyone and will push your liquid if they feel an emotional connection to your brand.

• Control Your Execution: Treat wholesale distribution as the starting line of a marathon, not the finish line.

• Maintain Independent Verification: Audit inventory, track reorders, and verify shelf placement independently. Never assume the work is getting done automatically.