Need advice and help for botlled water product

[philv]

Hey guys, I decided not to purse the magazine idea...but now im into the bottled water idea and project. I live in NJ and have located about 5 manufacuturers and suppliers in my area...

First the product will be geared to the youth of america. Anywhere 5-12 years of age... I cannot give exact details for obvious reasons. I have already registered the domain name and within 6 months me and my parents will be registering the business. I currently work at a great wholesale place (think walmart or costco) so I have a way to get at least looked at for putting my product on display and or at least promoting it there for a while

I will be buying the water from a independent water and bottling and labeling supplier. Basically they bottle the water and put my label on it. Water is probably one of the easiest start up in terms of: not doing much other than putting a label on it and marketing it..however...

Got a couple questions

I have identified my niche market...there is nothing like it out there...there are competitors such as juicy juice and other products for kids....my idea isnt about the water, it is about the label...I got a great marketing idea and concepts for it to work...just some questions....where would be some of the best places to try to sell this product to or for kids 5-12 years old? Vending machines will not work because coke and pepsi controll them all....my best bet are individual shops in my local area, sporting events for the youth, schools, movies. theme and amusement parks, plays and etc...I will also target some websites for parents and etc...I will also try to get it into the newspapers to spread the word....

I am not worried about the financial aspect because I have backers...its just the fact if I cannot get the demand right away for target, walmart and costco...what other places might be good to sell at?

If anyone has any other ideas, advice, questions, comments please let me know....I prefer you ask alot of questions, this way I am sure I know what I need to get done, gets done!

Thanks

[Paint and Air Sportz]

I would first go to independent mom and pop grocery stores and see if they are interested in carring your product, it is much much much easier to get a product into a small store then a corporate chain.

[Envydia]

I agree with Paint and air sportz and go somewhere that is independent store or small place first, or go to a buyer in a larger chain.

[akula]

no, I'm afraid my experience is a bit diffrent. I haven't found that the size of the organisation being pitched is the most important factor determining the length of the sales process

the determining factor is the severity of the need in the prospect. if the large prospect has a stronger need for the product offred, they'll close quicker than a smaller prospect who has a lesser need in the product

[akula]

Hey guys, I decided not to purse the magazine idea...but now im into the bottled water idea and project. I live in NJ and have located about 5 manufacuturers and suppliers in my area...

First the product will be geared to the youth of america. Anywhere 5-12 years of age... I cannot give exact details for obvious reasons. I have already registered the domain name and within 6 months me and my parents will be registering the business. I currently work at a great wholesale place (think walmart or costco) so I have a way to get at least looked at for putting my product on display and or at least promoting it there for a while

I will be buying the water from a independent water and bottling and labeling supplier. Basically they bottle the water and put my label on it. Water is probably one of the easiest start up in terms of: not doing much other than putting a label on it and marketing it..however...

Got a couple questions

I have identified my niche market...there is nothing like it out there...there are competitors such as juicy juice and other products for kids....my idea isnt about the water, it is about the label...I got a great marketing idea and concepts for it to work...just some questions....where would be some of the best places to try to sell this product to or for kids 5-12 years old? Vending machines will not work because coke and pepsi controll them all....my best bet are individual shops in my local area, sporting events for the youth, schools, movies. theme and amusement parks, plays and etc...I will also target some websites for parents and etc...I will also try to get it into the newspapers to spread the word....

I am not worried about the financial aspect because I have backers...its just the fact if I cannot get the demand right away for target, walmart and costco...what other places might be good to sell at?

If anyone has any other ideas, advice, questions, comments please let me know....I prefer you ask alot of questions, this way I am sure I know what I need to get done, gets done!

Thanks

okey dokey...I see what your questions are

what sort of a response do you want?

look at it from my perspective..here's a guy saying "I want to sell bottled water but I can't decide on a marketing mix. help me decide on a marketing mix"

one way to NOT answer this question is to say "well, you should try doing your distribution here and do your promotions there"

in other words, I can't answer "what other places might be good to sell at?" or comment as to whether "I will also target some websites for parents and etc...I will also try to get it into the newspapers to spread the word...." is a good opportunity

why? because this feedback is only gonna be speculative in nature

all in all: I've said this to you a million times, start your opportunity selection process with problem definition. For example, you could try, "The problem facing US armed forces overseas is the unavailability of safe drinking water in places like Kunduz. This problem requires the delivery of prepackaged water, which is expensive and logistically difficult. My solution is diffrent to using trucks in transporting megalitres of liquid to remote locations."

If you start with this kind of problem formulation, you will have identified the optimal marketing mix. If not, you will be playing a guessing game.

[philv]

thanks guys......

well I have the problem and the solution. I was watching the BIG IDEA LAST Night.....and they said....keep it simple and get the niche. I have both. My problem is....well not really a problem....but there are 40,000 elementary schools on the east coast alone. They will be the people I wish to supply the most, but most of them have contracts with coke and pepsi. WHen they see my idea, they will love it....but they most likely have contracts?

I plan on marketing with a bunch of little kids my mom babysits (all of different races) and making short commercials on the site...

I know im difficult.....but I have the people I wish to supply to...but If that fails because of contracts and other issues, I was thinking about pizza places, bowling alleys, movie stores etc...small places that get alot of parents and kids...


So basically what im trying to say AKULA is, what are some of the best places (incase the large places say no) to sell and market my product, that I might wish to look into...

hope that helps

[akula]

good question....let me give you an answer by reflecting on the usual means that founders get distribution

if you take any notable business as an example, the founders usually set up shop either through an acquisition (so distribution was already sorted) or via a spin off, whereby they'd spend some time working for a company, got to know the distribution channels, possibly saw an opportunity and then quit to setup shop and fill the gap

ventures don't normally work in a "I've got a product, what's the best way to sell it now?" kind of fashion. a sales learning curve is a protracted process, it starts with the founder doing surveys, selling to people who answer the surveys and then diversifying their distribution based on the availability of their cashflow or the good fortune to be in the right place and at the right time

the point: you want to sell water. normally, the play would work like this. you're working for a water distributor. you go to the conferences. you meet some other water guy who's hoping to retire. you buy his business and then go from there. what I'm saying is, I'm not sure you're in the position to brainstorm all these new weird and wonderful ways to sell water. what you need is cashflow and a position in a mature distribution chain. if you wanna pursue some nascent new market, it's not gonna be cheap or easy

does this answer "what are some of the best places to sell and market my product"? no, because my guess is as good as yours. what would be the point in me saying "have you thought about supplying offshore oil rigs"? there would be none.

look...I dunno...I'm not sure you've ever even sold anything in your life, and so I doubt there is a point in discussing the possibility of a new marketing mix for moving spring water

encouraging note: do problem formulation. do surveys and your distribution challenges will disappear :-)

[ltressel]

Hi PhilV,

Akula is right on this one. I believe that you might have an exciting product in your hands. However, there's a lot of logistics to be considered before you push through and end up with thousands of water bottles in your parents garage.

First, you have to research your market. You said your target are kids from 5-12. You might try to do a test to see if the 5-12 yr old kids would pick your product based on your "label." I say this because as you have mentioned, it's just water but the label is what you are banking on.

Second, I saw this lady who asked Ellen to help her sell her product on her show. Basically, the idea is water in a box. Kids apparently don't like water bottles, but they will drink the water in a box because to them it's like drinking juice because juice comes in a box.

Simple but made this woman tons of money. Distribution became a cinch because they called her instead of her seeking out the companies. Besides the celebrity endorsement, Timberlake did a SNL version of the jingle into "D*** in the box." This even put the product mainstream.

Third, the second point is to show you, that to be successful-there's hard work involved and plenty of research. You've done part as in finding the bottling factories but they will not help you in understanding your market. Business 101 is key to this-then you need a little bit of luck.

Hope this helps some-

LT

[harrymcwealth]

This is Sparta, I mean uh, a good example of a (successful) drink product directed toward children...
http://www.bellywashers.com

[philv]

thanks again

to answers some of your comments....

about the cashflow....in the next year I will have around apprx 22-25 thousand....not alot, but a starting point...i am getting help from my parents....say 10 k....then i have some wealthy hard working uncles....try to get some from them....then have a millionaire ENTPR friend of the family...will try to get him involved.....so all in all say i have 40 K.....not alot, but alot more secure then just using my 25 K....then I will try to get a loan...great credit, have a job.....

yeah it is just water, and yes I am banking on my label, because in the end it is just water...but every single bottled water company has just a plain label....

like i said....i will contact my company who is a huge retailer and see if they will let me put it on display at a store around me where I work...I will also set up a stand at the store and take surveys and see if they would keep purchasing it....then I would go to the next store and the next to get my product marketed.....

Yeah I have found about 5 manufacturers all within an hr of me....I would not buy a buy a bunch of water and let it sit....I would first take the prototype to every store which has kids involved like I stated in earlier posts....show them the individual bottle as well as the 24 pack

Yeah busienss 101 would help...but I am marketing major so i have some tricks up my sleave...selling is another thing....never sold anything....im using my skills to market it, and use my parents skills of talking to sell

I am not worried about getting rich off this is 6 months... I want to slowly sell it to local stores, daycare centers, pizza places etc if the big boys dont like it, then get the word out and make the big boys sell it

but there is no need to buy any water until i got buyers...so i would just get the prototype and the 24 pack and bring it to everybody and everybody....also around me.....there is a huge surplux of sporting events with 1,000's of kids and parents that play baseball, softball and soccer....i will bring it to all them

thanks again....

[philv]

well i took a shower and had a vision about this idea.....since i already have an in with my company (basically i pitched some ideas to the CFO (pretty cool) i will focus on everything to try to create a partnership with my company)....since i want to bring this into the global market and since they have shops internationally and will be continuing to expand globally, this might be the best way to go....they already have the distribution for water.....

any thoughts?

bump.....

[philv]

so here is where i am at:

i am putting my idea for my 4 custom labels i wish to create on paper..then will have a friend do it on the cpu then take it to a printer....have him print it out...i will also create the business plan as well as other marketing tools which i can bring to wholesales, distributors and such to try to get them to partner with me and get my produc out there....

me and my father are contacting a lawyer to clarify anything and possible get the name registered for the label idea and the business name so no1 we show this idea to can use it......

any other questions/comments let me know

one last thing.....will "the big boys" listen to someone like me who does not have a registered business? i know if you contact a company and tell them you have an idea....they do not listen....so that is why i would register it as a business.....and also.....what would i bring to show my label off? i am thinking the four water bottles with the labels...the packaging of the 24 pack with the label on it.....possibly the website....the business plan/marketing plan....anything else?

[Paint and Air Sportz]

Well if you do get this company off the ground, I can get you in contact with the Drink Manager for all 7-11 stores in the north east.

[philv]

paint....care to explain some more?

[jesterx]

you can do what some idiot did here....fill up nice looking bottles with tap water and tell people it comes from freezing cold sping way up in and unforbidden cave...blah blah blah....yeah right.... LIES.....that sod is in alot of trouble now.


people that sell water now have no credibility here after that happend.....time for a new market maybe....LOL