In short
How to use in-store product demos as a strategic growth system (not a one-off “check the box”), focusing on base sales lift, repeat exposure, and retailer confidence.
Guests
Andrew Therrien, Vice President of Sales at Samplers Inc. (15 years). Samplers is a nationwide experiential agency running ~180,000 events/year across food, adult beverage, and other community experiential work. Also discussed: Samplers’ training and field execution model; Dan Lohman is the host.
Key claims
- Demos rarely pay for themselves on the demo day; measure base sales 4 weeks before vs. 4 weeks after.
- Target middle-performing stores and revisit them 3–5 months to build trial, repeat, and habit.
- Training and professional execution matter more than just handing out samples.
- Retailers want traffic, profit, and contribution; consistent demos reduce retailer risk and improve reorder compliance.
Notable examples
- Whole Foods palm-oil product: objections traced to labeling/process; switching to a separate oil led to ~35% sales spike in 4 months, funding line extensions.
- “Mabel with the table” cart-only demos are less effective than premium, story-driven experiences (e.g., chef’s coat charcuterie setup; co-demos like pasta sauce + garlic bread).
- Demo mistakes: one-and-done mentality; poor product distribution leading to empty shelves; incorrect objection handling (e.g., vegan mayo demo person responding “you can’t make mayo without eggs”).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOConsumer Feedback Impact on Product Choices
0:00 to 1:16
Learn how consumer feedback from demos influenced product reformulation and sales.
“I can remember there was a product that had palm oil in it, right?”
Understanding Samplers and Their Role
1:52 to 4:32
Explore the role of Samplers in the market and their approach to demos.
“Can you please start by sharing something about yourself and tell us a little bit about your background and how you got to where you're at today?”
Strategic Use of Demos for Brand Growth
4:32 to 7:45
Discuss the strategic approach to using demos as a growth lever for brands.
“So they sit there and say, you know, go out and find an agency that can go and do demos.”
Creating Memorable In-Store Experiences
7:45 to 11:24
Learn about the importance of creating memorable experiences during product demos.
“The bottom performing stores might have other issues outside of anything that the brand has any control over.”
The Importance of Training in Demos
11:24 to 14:01
Understand how training impacts the effectiveness of product demonstrations.
“Secondarily, when it comes down to the actual experience inside the store, I'd ask sort to the people that are watching, what do you envision when you think of the in-store demo?”
Event Impact on Sales
14:01 to 14:31
Learn how events can influence customer purchasing behavior and sales.
Understanding Base Sales
14:32 to 15:38
Discover why base sales are a critical metric for evaluating promotions.
“I want to go back and I want to pack some of the things you said about base sales, because I want to frame this.”
Long-term Sales Growth Strategies
15:39 to 16:51
Explore strategies for building sustainable sales growth beyond promotional spikes.
“most founders or most brands look at the spike or the increase in sales.”
Trial, Repeat, and Habit Formation
16:52 to 18:52
Understand the importance of trial and repeat purchases in building customer habits.
“So the reason this matters is because when you're looking at your trade spend, instead of just throwing money at trade spend, you're actually using this as a strategic growth lever.”
Retailer Confidence and Compliance
18:53 to 21:08
Learn how consistent demos enhance retailer confidence and improve compliance.
“So one, the demo can check and double check because we're going to need enough product to sample and to sell.”
Show all 26 chapters
Differentiating Your Brand
21:09 to 22:39
Explore how to differentiate your brand to gain retailer trust and opportunities.
“stores, you get the reorders and now you have strong base sales.”
Strategic Investor Relationships
22:40 to 24:32
Discover the importance of holistic approaches to building retailer relationships.
“I mean, granted, I understand other parts of it because I'm a student of the business, right?”
Common Demo Mistakes
24:33 to 28:09
Identify common mistakes in demo strategies and how to navigate them effectively.
“it's about the whole picture and where things make sense the most.”
The One-and-Done Mentality in Sampling
28:09 to 29:58
Learn about the pitfalls of a one-time sampling approach and how to strategically plan demos.
“But making sure that products on the table.”
Understanding Retail Dynamics
29:58 to 31:46
Discover the importance of knowing your retailer's characteristics and shopping patterns.
“Is there a new item that you're in love with that you would like for us to partner with so we could help bring them along and we could help them be successful, but we could split the cost of the demos?”
Effective Coordination for Demos
31:46 to 34:22
Get insights into the logistical aspects of executing successful product demos.
“There's some that are just small concept stores.”
The Importance of Inventory Management
34:22 to 36:19
Understand how proper inventory management can impact the success of promotions.
“And then we sell through it in a matter of an hour.”
Building Relationships with Retailers
36:19 to 38:09
Learn how strong relationships with retailers can enhance promotional opportunities.
“picked up in the POS data, your sales data.”
Training for Success in Demos
38:09 to 40:05
Explore the importance of training and preparation for demo personnel.
“The differentiator is how I prepare those individuals and the expectations that I set and how I hold them accountable.”
Leveraging Data for Continuous Improvement
40:05 to 42:00
Discover how data from demos can inform product changes and marketing strategies.
“I can remember there was a product that had palm oil in it.”
Building Brand Confidence Through Demos
42:00 to 44:20
Learn how effective demo strategies can enhance brand trust and sales.
“both you, me, and the brand, to be able to sit there and say, what other information can we gather that will make this spend worth it to us?”
Navigating Retailer Relationships
44:20 to 46:40
Discover how to structure demo programs to maximize retailer relationships.
“So that the brand can pivot and then explode sales.”
Effective Scheduling and Compliance
46:40 to 50:00
Understand the importance of scheduling and compliance in demo programs.
“So we start and it really depends on where you are with the retailer, right?”
The Role of Communication in Demos
50:00 to 54:25
Learn how continuous communication can lead to successful demo outcomes.
“What information do you want to capture because sales is one KPI, if you will.”
Assessing and Improving Demo Strategies
54:25 to 56:00
Explore methods for assessing demo effectiveness and improving strategies.
“and whether it's a shared Google doc or, you know, a check-in because we're a couple weeks out, we just want to give you an update as to where we are.”
Building Relationships in the Industry
56:00 to 57:50
Learn about the importance of camaraderie and relationships in the natural specialty space.
“And figuring out what makes the most sense.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00I can remember there was a product that had palm oil in it, right? And it was a great product. And people just wouldn't buy it. It was at Whole Foods. And we had a conversation because the demos brought out that the palm oil was part of the problem. A lot of people were objecting to it. And we saw that as trends throughout the reporting that we do. so they made a strategic decision because they had fair trade palm oil but they didn't go through the process because it was expensive and all of that so they went through the process and they were able to put that it was fair trade palm oil people didn't buy it right because they just didn't think that that was what it was so they changed it to a separate oil that was much more effective.
0:53Within a matter of four months, their overall sales spiked like 35%. And it was a game changer for them. That long-term change that came from the feedback from the demos funded their line extensions. They're super successful now.
1:15Andrew Therrien:Are you ready to hear more? Welcome to the Bulk Proof Your CBG Brand Podcast, where we discuss tactics and strategies that you need to give your brand the unfair competitive advantage it deserves. Hello, I'm Dan Lohman. Be certain to comment and subscribe to get immediate access to new brand building episodes. Please recommend this to friends and colleagues and help me raise the bar in natural. Let me know what your most pressing issues are, and I'll do my best to address them on future episodes. There's a free downloadable guide at the end of every episode to help you go deeper into the topics we discussed.
1:51Andrew Therrien:Now let's roll up our sleeves and get started. Andrew, thank you for coming on today. Can you please start by sharing something about yourself and tell us a little bit about your background and how you got to where you're at today? Dan, always great to chat with you. I appreciate all the work that you do. I'm Andrew with Samplers Inc. For those who don't know me, I'm vice president of sales. I've been at the company going on 15 years now. Sort of got into it because I kept in touch with old college friends that I met the first weekend of school. And we've kept a great relationship over time. For me, outside of work, you know, it's just really spending time with my two boys.
2:39trying to stay healthy in a crazy time of, you know, just work and life in general, being a dad. So, you know, that's that's sort of my story.
2:55Andrew Therrien:Cool. And tell us a little bit about samplers. What do samplers do? Why? What does it matter? Why does it matter? And the point being is that I used to run demos years ago and we've talked about this a lot. And what a great opportunity for a brand to not only get exposure, but the lift stays or remains long after the event ends. And that's not typical for most trade events. Yeah. I mean, Samplers is a nationwide experiential agency. We do about 180 ,000 events a year of different types. You know, I have a personal love for the natural specialty space. but we also have sort of segmented talent that also handle the conventional food space, adult beverage, and more experiential events sort of out in the community, whether it's concerts, guerrilla marketing, that type of thing, or parking lot events.
3:54And, you know, really it's our ultimate goal is to support the experiences for the retailers that we're in for the brands, gain exposure for the brands, make sure that people know that they're there, sort of take away that risk that people have to try new items and, you know, drive overall sales. But with the experience as well, there's a marketing aspect to it and there's a sales aspect to it. And we try and bring sort of that nice blend that supports everybody in the ecosystem. You know, sometimes we do business directly with the brands because retailers don't have a set vendor of record, let's say, within the organization.
4:44So they sit there and say, you know, go out and find an agency that can go and do demos. And then other times we partner directly with the retailers and you'll see that a lot more, especially with the regional retailers and with Sam's Club in particular. where we actually run a portion of their test program, where we onboard new items, identify new items that are on trend, test it out in their ecosystem in 25 to 600 stores, and provide the data back to the buyers of, you know, is this a good fit? And is it going to have legs to be able to meet their metrics from a square footage, you know, sales perspective, which you know well from, you know, your time of the precursor for Costco and such.
5:36Andrew Therrien:Yeah, I mean, it's a great opportunity, great event. So thank you for sharing that. So we've talked a lot about some of the challenges. And so let's talk about the industry problem, demos being treated as a tactical versus a strategic lever. Why does it, let's reframe that. And then let's talk about how, why that matters and how a brand can maximize the experience? A lot of times when people are in the growth phase of a brand, particularly, cash flow is always an issue, right? And it's always a concern. You get into new doors and the retailers today are starting to work towards media groups or shopper marketing groups is what it used to be called, but now people are kind of calling it media groups with the advent of sort of digital and sort of, you know, fairly unique tactics that are out there.
6:35And brands will sit there and use demo sometimes as a negotiation tool to be able to get in. But sometimes it turns into a check the box where it's like, hey, we said we were going and do this. So we're going to do a round of demos and then we're going to move on where it's almost looking at it as a finish line instead of a starting line of getting in the doors. And really what I try and encourage people to do on a more regular basis is figure out, you know, sell for a little bit, establish your base sales inside a store through other promotions, whether it's temporary price promotion, signage, end caps, whatever it might be.
7:23Establish sort of your base sales and then figure out not the top performing stores or the bottom performing stores, but let's figure out a subset of those middle performing stores that we can hit multiple times over a three to five month period strategically because that's where the majority of the growth is going to be able to come from. The top performing stores are always going to be your top performing stores. The bottom performing stores might have other issues outside of anything that the brand has any control over. But that middle market of stores within a retailer is really important to focus on.
8:03And we can always pivot, right? But hitting the same store multiple times over a reasonable period of time will create a better return on investment because the day of, very rarely do you cover the expense of the demo. Right. It's more about looking back four weeks prior with no promos going on. What was your base sales? And four weeks after to be able to sit there and say, not only did we have this many sales the day of the demo, but how many people came back and made that part of their regular shopping experience and how can we impact that the most? And it's through product education, training, and really investing in the training of what's the story of the brand?
8:53What's the three main selling points? With the idea of you're selling against other items, right? What can you say positively about yourself without saying anything about another brand where an educated consumer is going to go, I know why they said that. I know why this makes them different. And this is why I want to try it. And then really, what are the common objections and misconceptions that consumers have about the brand? And how do you want us to respectfully overcome that in a way that drives experience, education, and sales, essentially?
9:31Andrew Therrien:I love the fact that you framed it that way. I'm going to talk about base, but let's go back for a minute. Let's talk about what makes sampler so unique and what makes you stand out in the industry. So the point being is that if you can visualize when you go to a store and there's someone handing out samples, a lot of companies just hand out the samples, but they don't understand the product. They're not connected to the product. It's just somebody that they're paying to stand there and just give out product. I mean, when you say experience or market, let's talk about that and understand why that matters so much.
10:07Andrew Therrien:And the reason I wanted to go here is because if you just demo your product, hand out samples, you're not making an impact. But if you can bring someone into an experiential situation where there's a memory that's formed or an experience that's so positive that they want to share that, that's what matters. That's what's going to drive sales long term. So please talk a little bit about that and then how samplers uses that to differentiate themselves in the market. so from a differentiation standpoint really the training is critical that's why i spent so much time sort of explaining those buckets because i think that that's probably the place that gets missed it's it's all about figuring out the schedule figuring out the distro to make sure that there's going to be enough product and the training gets missed we really focus and we really sit there and will encourage a delay in the actual events, which delays our revenue, right?
11:13But it's in the best interest of the ecosystem to make sure that the training is intact. That is probably one of the most critical, but one of the most overlooked in our industry, just in my opinion, right? Secondarily, when it comes down to the actual experience inside the store, I'd ask sort to the people that are watching, what do you envision when you think of the in-store demo? And usually it's a cart somewhere along the racetrack, Mabel with a table, sort of hairnet, ready to go, you know, usually a bubbly person, outgoing, hopefully, is the perception that you have, right? But how can we sort of change that, right?
11:59One of the things that we had was, it was a charcuterie board, right? It was an all-in-one charcuterie board. So instead of us standing at the cart and just setting up a table on an end cap and blocking an end cap, one of the things that we talked about was getting them a chef's coat, getting them a nice hat, and doing past hors d 'oeuvres throughout the store. So people weren't just, we didn't, one, have to rely on them walking up to us. But two, we created an environment that the retailer approved to sit there and say that we were okay to approach customers. And by and large, people loved it, right?
12:45Because it was a premium experience. You know, there's sort of this, you know, yeah, we know we're in a grocery store, but it felt a little bit like a nice cocktail party and person was dressed nice and sort of trained and you know they they knew about the cheese and they knew about what was sweet and they knew about you know all the different pieces of it it really creates a different experience compared to there's a chip in a cup and if you like it it's$3.99 now five for this week only kind of thing so that's what we try and And that's what we try and do and get creative. There's certain times where we're cooking, right?
13:27So maybe it's a co-demo. If you have somebody that you know that complements you well, bad example, but a pasta, pasta sauce, and a garlic bread company. Let's get the three together and let's split the cost and let's make your dollars go further. and let's make the experience better for the retailer because you're going to be able to go back when you do your recaps or your top-to-tops to be able to sit there and say, here's some pictures of some events we did. And it wasn't just about me. It was about you, Mr. Customer. It was about you, Mr. Retailer. And the way that we did that was we cross-pollinated to make sure that the pasta sauce got bought, the pasta got bought, the, you know, whatever the add on was to that dish where we gave the customer a 20 minute meal idea that cost them less, gave them a better perspective on the price of groceries, you know, at your particular store.
14:28And we put on a great event.
14:30Andrew Therrien:Love that. Love that. So let's unpack. I want to go back and I want to pack some of the things you said about base sales, because I want to frame this. So base sales are the sales in the absence of a promotion. And any of the databases that you're using have that calculation. So you don't need to worry about figuring it out yourself. But to your point, understanding base sales, that's your benchmark. That's your threshold. I mean, that's where you start. And then you want to look at where you're building. So if I take a product and I use a temporary price reduction, a TPR, I'm going to get a lift.
15:02Andrew Therrien:And the lift is going to be small, but not very big. If I were to put that on an end cap, that product on an end cap, I'm going to get a huge lift. But the problem is, to your point, that after the event's over, typically that lift disappears. And so your base sales doesn't grow. So as you look at your sales, base sales removes that promotion from your sales. And ideally, you want base sales to trickle up. Typically, with most promotions, they remain flat or even decline, depending on the category. So the point here is that while you get a nice spike, and this is why it matters, most founders or most brands look at the spike or the increase in sales.
15:47Andrew Therrien:They don't look at what happened afterwards. That's not as important. Because if you're just worried, focusing on that, you're missing the point of the promotion. So let's keep going. So if I've got base sales and I have an event and it forces that number, that base sales number up, that's contribution that the retailer takes to the bank. That's growth you can count on over time. So you mentioned having a promotion, a demo with multiple items. Brilliant idea. Because if I put three items on an end cap, the lift is exponentially higher. I'm introducing my product to other customers and so we're like you said cross pollinating so my lift is going to explode but again that lift if you just put it on an end cap is going to be high but base sales is probably going to go back to where it was the key point here is and the key takeaway is is that when you create an experience people come back time after time after time, they share it with their friend and your base sales trickle up.
16:55So the reason this
16:57Andrew Therrien:matters is because when you're looking at your trade spend, instead of just throwing money at trade spend, you're actually using this as a strategic growth lever. So the fact that you don't see the huge spike in base sales, because that takes time to realize that's where the opportunity is, that's what you're trying to accomplish is trying to grow that. So when we're talking about base sales and some of the core drivers are trial, repeat, and habit. Can you talk about that, your velocity signals to the buyer, and then how you also, I love the way you put this, retail confidence in terms of space.
17:35Andrew Therrien:You're justifying it, but more importantly, you're giving the retailer what they want. And retailers want three things, more traffic in the store, reasonable profit, and they want contribution. yeah from a trial repeat habit perspective the trial takes away that risk right allows for them to do it if we do a one-off demo there still is base sales sort of increase over a four-week period but if you do the repeat one you're going to capture more clients that you know maybe just weren't shopping on that Saturday for the four hour event that we were doing. So you catch them sort of the next time around.
18:18But additionally, you're giving additional marketing impressions and it's showing sort of the resources because consumers, one of the things that we see from the research that comes back, get very nervous about new items because they feel as though it was introduced and then I can't find it anymore. Right. And they don't want to invest that sort of bandwidth if they don't think that they're going to be able to get it long term. So seeing multiple demos over a period of time is going to give them sort of that impression subconsciously that this has longevity. Secondarily, from a store perspective, it reminds the store associates and the store managers and the people who potentially, you know, and a lot of retailers are going to be in charge of whether or not they're going to order more of the product.
19:17They're seeing that. So it's going to help you as well, because especially for new items, you know, one of the biggest problems that I have is, you know, even if they're slotting paid, sort of the compliance from a store level and actually checking it. So one, the demo can check and double check because we're going to need enough product to sample and to sell. But secondarily, it's going to give a better impression to the store associates that the brand is real and has staying power and will give you better compliance from a reorder standpoint and shelf integrity standpoint. So that sort of ties into the velocity signal to the buyers.
20:08But from a habit standpoint, we generally recognize that if somebody buys the same product three times, it becomes part of their regular purchasing sort of cart, if you will. right so we have to figure out a way okay we got them purchased once how do we remind them again and demo isn't the only tool in your toolkit i want people to understand this is this is one tool to the toolkit you kind of have to approach it from a shopper marketing perspective but it's a very important part of it and not just because i run a demo company right but um you know you really want to figure out the different ways that we can get them to buy it three times just to be able to sort of create that habit.
21:00And then, you know, once they see the support from a retail standpoint on a consistent basis and not just a one-off basis because there's a lot of traffic, there's a lot going on in stores, you get the reorders and now you have strong base sales. that's going to give the retailer confidence. And then they're going to start calling you for things. Hey, we have a special event that's going on. We'd like for you to be involved. Hey, we have this idea from a media group standpoint. We'd like for you to be involved. And it's going to give you opportunities because I think most people get it, but sometimes in the minutia of sales, we really forget that to the brand, the retailer is the customer.
21:50And then your customer 1B is the shopper, right? So it's really making that impression on the retailer to be invited to the party and sort of expand that relationship through not only demo support, but all the other support that we talk about from a shopper marketing perspective.
22:14Andrew Therrien:Thank you for sharing that. If you listen to any of my content, the key theme throughout everything is that the more you do for the retailer, that's how you differentiate yourself and become what I call a category leader. The point being is this, is that if you can do that to the point where the retailer trusts you and leans on you, you're going to get incremental opportunities not available to other brands. Let me repeat that again. This is your opportunity to get displays and opportunities that you may not have to pay for that may not be available to other brands because you prove yourself at store.
22:51Andrew Therrien:So thank you for sharing that. And that's why I send people your way. I'm one piece of the cock, right? You understand. I mean, granted, I understand other parts of it because I'm a student of the business, right? But that's where your value comes into play of, listen, I've done all these different things. I've been on the retailer side. You know, no trade spend inside and out. That's where the value of you sort of being that fractional quarterback internally really shines through because, you know, brands don't realize how money can leak out the back door. and you're a very inexpensive, relatively speaking, option for that to make sure that the money is not leaking out the door.
23:49And any investment that somebody makes on your side, they're going to make that money back fivefold, tenfold, 50fold, depending on what their organization's doing and how they're doing it. Because I tell you what, there's a lot of brands that go in, get approved, and then ask the shopper marketing team, hey, what would you like me to do? And they sit there and dictate based off of their comp plan and the buckets that they need to fill. Nothing wrong with that. They're doing their job the way that their comp plan is written at the retailer. But it doesn't mean that it translates to what's good for the brand and the retailer.
24:31It might only be good for a portion of that retailer's media group, but not that brand in particular. Anybody that has new items or they're coming through and even if they have established items, but they're getting into a new retailer or they're trying to grow within that retailer, I really strongly suggest that they talk to you because it's not just about the demo. it's about the whole picture and where things make sense the most. And if you come in with a plan, one, you're going to gain more respect from the retailer, but two, you're going to be able to spend your money, generally speaking, where it makes the most sense for you.
25:17And sometimes you got to throw them a bone just to be able to help them out in one specific bucket. But holistically, generally speaking, everything is going to be moving you in the right direction towards a better relationship with the retailer and better sales where it matters.
25:34Andrew Therrien:Appreciate you saying that. Thank you so much. And the reason this matters, the reason I love working with you, the reason I love having this relationship with you is because you're the secret weapon. Having an experiential marketing opportunity where I can build a relationship, not only to your point with the retailer, but the customer. The cool thing is this. If I am a customer, I go in and look at a product on a shelf, your packaging has to do all the selling. When I take that product home, I like it, don't like it, whatever, but I don't know anything special about it. I don't know anything extra outside of what's written on your packaging.
26:12Andrew Therrien:Assume I read it. If you set up the demo right, and again, this is your point of differentiation. Because of the way you guys do this, you create a story in my mind that I can then share with other people. and the benefit of that is that like I said the lifts are exponential and they last so thank you for saying that and thanks for breaking all this out because I think it's important that people understand that this is a very very what you do is a very very important strategic lever that people can rely on and if you do this and do this right this can create opportunity down the road. So thank you for sharing that.
26:54Andrew Therrien:One of the things you kind of touched on a little bit are some of the biggest mistakes brands make. You talked about Mabel with the table. Love that reference. You shared a story with me once that just briefly, you heard about someone doing a demo for a vegan mayo and a customer came up and said, how can they make mayo without eggs? And the demo person said they can't. It kind of defeats the purpose. But can you talk about some of the mistakes that that people make and how do you how do you help people navigate around that so that this becomes a win? Yeah, I, you know, a couple of things, I think one and done mentality, which I'll sort of dig into a little bit, you know, not having that store level strategy, you know, and then integration into the distribution and sales team for like bridging that gap.
27:53So whoever's handling it from a marketing perspective and sort of has that responsibility, making sure that I'm in touch with either the distributor, the broker, sales team, anybody, unless, of course, we already have an established, you know, continuity program with the said retailer, then it's our responsibility, right? Right. But making sure that products on the table. So I kind of talked about that one and done mentality previously. Right. Earlier in what we talked about. And it's really we sampled in all the stores once we check the box and then feel like, all right, we're at the finish line.
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28:36Figure out more strategically, do less stores multiple times and strategically pick that, you know, with with data the way it is today. We have access where we have a data partner that we work with, where if we put in demographics and we put in the retailer, it'll spit out the top 20 % of stores, right, based off of demographic, you know. So we can make the biggest impact and we can be as strategic as possible. So, and then take some time off from it, right? It's not like demos have to happen in a continuous basis. But where I think people miss the boat really is once your brand's sort of established and things are humming in a retailer, it's easy to sort of sit back because there's a bunch of fires burning.
29:30Let's be honest, like you're trying to get into new retailers, you're planning for Expo West, you're planning for fancy food, you know, it's show season. You have deductions that you're going to have to deal with from your distributor and you're trying to tackle that. go back to the retailers that are working well and delight them by sitting there saying, I know things are going well, but I think that they could be better. Right. And I'd like to be able to strategically figure out where we can go and help make experiences. And sometimes it's a demo. It's a one-off demo that you're doing. Sometimes it's a co-demo.
30:10Who can I partner with? You know, hey, category manager. You know, we're established. Is there a new item that you're in love with that you would like for us to partner with so we could help bring them along and we could help them be successful, but we could split the cost of the demos? You know, now you're sitting there putting yourself in your customer's head to sit there and go, this person actually cares about other products that they're not affiliated with because I care about them and they want to help me. that's a completely different approach um then sort of things are going well at that retailer um we're going to do the bare minimum from a promotion standpoint because things are you know we have to put the resources elsewhere um that kind of ties into the store level strategy but you know really looking at the data and understanding your retailer too is your retailer an early adopter or are they a laggard sort of or are they somewhere in between you know how innovative can they be?
31:15And that needs to sort of shape what you propose and put forward. You know, some people want clean floor plans, shippers aren't an option, you know, stickers or shelf talkers, whatever, you know, all these things help and all these things matter, but knowing your customer matters more. You know, we talked about demographics and volume tiers. you know, and really treating all stores equally. Not all stores are equal, even within the same banner, right? There's some that are just small concept stores. Maybe that works for you, or maybe it doesn't. But understanding, you know, what stores, you know, this was something in particular that I remember what the common understanding is that Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday are the demo days.
32:15And that's where a lot of the foot traffic comes from. One of the things that we recognized really quick, because we have a continuity program with an urban chain. And one of the things that we realized was three to seven during the week, especially Wednesdays and Mondays, were awesome because we were catching people coming off the commuter trains. And they were were coming home and they were looking for, you know, because of where they were, they couldn't carry a lot. Right. So they would do their shopping multiple times a week. And we recognized that Saturdays there wasn't as much foot traffic because you didn't have sort of that business commuter going back and forth doing their shopping for the next two or three days.
33:06So really knowing your retailer and knowing when to be there. and we can sort of help with that, obviously. Both you and I can sort of consult as it relates to that. And then, sorry, I'm talking so much. No, no, keep going. From an integration with the sales team,
33:29if we're the vendor of record and we have a continuity program where you sort of have to deal with us in that retailer, will have the ability to send a distro. But if it's Whole Foods, for example, or Fresh Market, where they don't have a specific demo partner that they utilize on a daily basis, and you're hiring us to do that, we're going to handle the coordination with the store. We're going to handle the schedule with the store. But a lot of times we'll ask, okay, we know the base sales. can you order an extra four cases for the demo? And we hear, sure. And we follow up the week before and it doesn't happen.
34:17We get there, there's five units on the shelf. We have to use some of that for sampling. And then we sell through it in a matter of an hour. That's not a good use of our time and that's not a good use of your resources or the time you spent putting this all together. If we can get in touch with either the broker, the distributor, or sometimes even the buyer to make sure that they can do a distro and they can support it appropriately, or they will give you an inkling of whether or not they're actually going to support it. And maybe you want to consider reallocating those resources to something else.
35:00If you don't have the confidence that there's going to be enough product there and that there's going to be a buy because if you're doing the support, you want to be able to get the buy-in from the players to make sure that there's going to be enough product present, not only for us to sample, but for us to actually increase those base sales.
35:23Andrew Therrien:I'm so glad that you talked about product being a stock at retail execution. Let's talk about this as back up. The worst thing in the world, and I'm just going to paint a picture for everyone listening is to see a demo cart with your sign on it and nobody's standing there. And that is, that's worse than not doing it down. It is, it is, it is. It says that you don't, you don't understand your business, but the cool thing is that because of your relationship with the retailer, you're going to take the extra steps. So if I'm running a demo, I don't know how much extra product I need, but you should have.
36:00Andrew Therrien:As a side note, anytime you run a promotion, doesn't matter what kind of promotion is in a store, you should be able to tell the retailer, this is how much incremental product you need in every store, every store individually, so that that product's on stock, so that you don't have out of stocks. Because when people measure their sales, if you run out of something, that's not picked up in the POS data, your sales data. That is a void, a blind spot. But first impression, right? If you have an out of stock, an empty hole on the shelf, that leaves a lasting impression with the consumer. So long story short, the fact that you can help guide me and help work with me to make sure that I've got enough back stock, that's critically important.
36:45Andrew Therrien:And then your other point about coordinating with the store and the store staff, this is, I think, perhaps one of the best values that you offer. Because if I'm a brand, these are things I'm not taught. These are things that I don't understand. And if you can help me negotiate that so that I become the value added resource to the retailer so that the retailer calls me up and says, Hey, Dan, we've got an opportunity. Can you do this? So why does this matter? The grand opening of a superstore in Colorado. I was back when I was doing a DSD driver and I sold the private label chips and also a regional chip.
37:28Andrew Therrien:And because I had had such a good relationship with the retailer, Frito could not get a display in the store. They couldn't get an end cap or side sack or anything else. That says something right there. Yeah, it was great. It was amazing. And by the way, I didn't have to pay for that. So, I mean, it is huge. And so, and this is how I, my whole reputation is built and not, not, we're not talking about me, but the point is this stuff works. This stuff makes a lot of sense. So thank you for sharing the fact that you can help guide me into that position so that I can maximize each and every opportunity.
38:07Andrew Therrien:So thank you for that. Let me, let me add one more thing too. You know, when I think about professional execution, right, and the reason why I break out the training the way I do, you know, the reality is I'm pulling from the same pool of talent, if you will, that other agencies are pulling through, right? The differentiator is how I prepare those individuals and the expectations that I set and how I hold them accountable. So, you know, when we put that training together, it's with the idea that we treat our people like assisted sales professionals, not samplers per se. Right. Their talent. They're not just part time W2 workers.
39:05Right. So we need to be able to you know, there's a reason why we're talking about the three main selling points, you know, strategically written so they can put talk tracks together. These are already naturally outgoing people or they would have been merchandisers, right? There's a reason why they're demo people. They like talking to people. They like opening up conversations with new people. That talent they already have, it's really week to week. They're constantly introduced to new items. We need to follow a process that will create an environment of professional execution, of setting standards, giving them the why behind the selling points of why it's important, so they can understand the dynamic within a conversation that they're having.
39:57This is effective communication that we're essentially trying to teach them and give them the tools to be able to do. And then the objection handling, you know, is huge. I can remember there was a product that had palm oil in it. Right. And it was a it was a great product and people just wouldn't buy it. It was at Whole Foods. And we had a conversation because the demos brought out that the palm oil was part of the problem. A lot of people were objecting to it. And we saw that as trends throughout the reporting that we do. so they made a strategic decision because they had fair trade palm oil but they didn't go through the process because it was expensive and all of that so they went through the process and they were able to put that it was fair trade palm oil people didn't buy it right because they just didn't think that that was what it was so they changed it to a separate oil that was much more effective.
41:02Within a matter of four months, their overall sales spiked like 35%. And it was a game changer for them. That long-term change that came from the feedback from the demos funded their line extensions. They're super successful now. I mean, but there were times where they were like, why did we get out of tech? Why did we get out of finance to start this natural food company? But it mattered, right? And so we've talked a lot about how the sales are going to convert, but also really the data that we're going to be able to provide. We're going to be able to provide the trends on the back end because these people are professional, you know, assisted sales people.
41:54And we're going to be capturing photos. We're going to be capturing other information from a data that we can sort of cultivate together as a team, both you, me, and the brand, to be able to sit there and say, what other information can we gather that will make this spend worth it to us? You know, potentially it's competitive information. You know, hey, we need a picture of, you know, a specific other brand that's sold within the store, a picture of ours just to see how it's slotted. So we can go back and sit there and say, we paid for slotting fees. Please help us from a compliance standpoint.
42:36So giving them the proof necessary to be able to do that. And there's a lot of ways that we can bring value other than putting Mabel behind the table at the end cap.
42:50Andrew Therrien:That's funny. I appreciate you're saying that. So the key word here, the takeaway is confidence. You're giving the brand confidence that they can rely on you to get the job done and do it right, that you're going to be professional. The people that you're going to put in there are going to maximize each and every opportunity. And you're giving the retailer confidence that they know that you're going to do, that brand's going to do everything right. and the point there is that going back to what we've been talking about the retailer needs to have trust when they look at our brand it used to be hey i'm a nice guy please put my product on the shelf but now you're giving that retailer confidence that they can trust that you're going to grow sales increase foot traffic all that stuff things retailers want i love your story about the palm oil that's something that goes above and beyond what we're talking about so when a brand makes a product and they put it out there, they assume everyone's going to like it.
43:53Andrew Therrien:And for you to help validate that is gold. So a brand could spend not billions, but a ton of money. Big brands spend a lot of money doing this. And a lot of times that money's wasted. I could have, we could go on for hours about stories of where brands failed. Focus group said this would be great, it didn't. But the point is, now you're actually having customers, real life people tell you, give you feedback in real time. Hey, here's what I like. Here's what I don't like. So that the brand can pivot and then explode sales. That is a great story. So thank you for sharing that. So we'll also filter because there's some times where you get certain feedback that's maybe inaccurate that a brand's like, hey, I want to jump on this.
44:39And it's like, not every feedback is the right thing. Maybe you're in the wrong retailer, right? If it's a natural specialty brand and it's really healthy and it's a really clean label and you're selling it at a certain retailer where the shopper isn't looking for that, don't make change it. Like we'll help you from an advisement standpoint to sit there and say, this isn't actionable other than maybe you're not in the right place. Let's focus your resources on retailers that fit your ethos and sort of brand a little bit better. Or, hey, this is actionable. We're seeing this wherever we go. And this is hurting your growth potential in the retailers that matter.
45:26And we'll help sort of differentiate that on the backend as well.
45:30Andrew Therrien:That's a great selling point. So thank you for sharing that. So Samplers, to recap, is going to partner with you in this as opposed to someone who's just going to take a paycheck to hand out samples. That's a wasted money. In fact, actually, when I talk about Expo West, it's not a sampling event. It's a trade event. And the point being is this kind of very relevant to what we're talking about is that instead of just handing stuff out, getting feedback, understanding what people like, what they don't like. And the other cool thing is you could be getting testimonials for me so that when I go into the retailer or maybe even a future retailer, I have quote unquote pre-sold the product so that I've got validation behind it.
46:13Andrew Therrien:So thank you for sharing that. Can you talk about the right model demo versus a system? So how do you, when you're setting this up, how do you structure this? If I'm coming to you, I don't know what I don't know. So how do you do that? The cadence, the store segment, you talked a little bit about this, but what are some of the things that you would ask me or help me lead into so that I can maximize each and every opportunity with you? Yeah. So we start and it really depends on where you are with the retailer, right? Are you in already or are you just launching in a store? If it's a launch, it's really going back to the buyer and saying, you know, what are your top 20-30 % of stores and we're going to go and capture those if it's an established brand and you at least have some time under your belt, it's going to be going and asking the retailer or figuring out in different ways that you can help them with what sort of those mid-range where is the biggest potential for growth going to come from and education going to come from and identifying those stores From there, concurrently, we're going to be working on training and making sure that that's good.
47:35And then at the same time, my team is going to be going out scheduling. So we're going to be evangelizing and communicating with the individual stores to be able to put a schedule out, usually four to six weeks out. The A-team of brand ambassadors generally make their schedule four to six weeks out. If it gets under four weeks, you kind of go into the B squad. If it gets under sort of two or three weeks, it's whoever happens to be available at that time. They get to pick what they want to do. We want to capture the really good people early. So we'll get that schedule and we'll get that done. At that point, it's really about us getting in touch with the distro team, whoever is going to be in charge of that distro.
48:21Is it a broker? Is it going to be a distributor? Is it going to be somebody internally that sits inside corporate? Because a lot of times people will take the easy way out and say, well, the store is going to handle it. Just please ask them to do it. it probably has when a store is responsible for the order we generally see about a 70 compliance rate and that's not good right that can blow up a a demo program or or any sort of program so what we'll we'll generally try and do is is is to push back usually we'll utilize our relationships to be able to go in to the retailer to sit there and say, here's the support that's going to happen over the next three to six months.
49:14What can we do to get some help to make sure that we're going to have enough product? Here's the product array that we're going to be utilizing. Can we push that in? And it's obviously much easier when we're the vendor of record for the retailer because we can easily do that. Sometimes it's harder with the ones that don't have a centralized demo program and we're sort of coming in ad hoc where we're bringing everything in and taking everything out with us. Then we'll talk about sort of what that setup is going to look like. So what's the person going to be wearing? How is it going to be merchandised?
49:53How is it going to be prepped? And then we'll strategize as it relates to the reporting. What information do you want to capture because sales is one KPI, if you will. But what are some of the other marketing and sales KPIs that we can have to be able to make sure that we can give you a nice snapshot on the backend that you can utilize as a selling tool when your broker inevitably gets you that meeting to sit there and talk about your future promotional schedules, line extensions, any other promotional support that's going to happen.
50:33Andrew Therrien:Andrew, thank you for sharing this. I guess the key point I want to come back to is that we're talking about confidence, confidence in the brand and confidence to the retailer. And one of the things I want to really emphasize is your relationship with the brand. If I'm a founder and the retailer says, hey, I need you to do demos, I'm thinking I don't have the bandwidth. I don't have the time. I don't have the ability to structure, to hire people, to train people, whatever. The point that you will take over and do everything for me in partnership with me, so I'm not operating alone. You're not going to blindside me.
51:09Andrew Therrien:You're going to help guide me through this process so that I can maximize every opportunity. And then not only are you going to do that, but you're going to give me the feedback on the back end. I think that's critically important because when I'm looking at measuring this and understanding this, that's, I think, the missing piece. That's how I'm able to turn this into a strategic growth lever that I can measure and then look at ways to maximize this down the road. With that said, what am I missing? Anything? And is there any dots you want to connect? Yeah, I love the way that you framed it. The only thing that I would even add to it is that samplers as a culture, right?
51:59The way that we hire, the fact that we have a very flat hierarchy where a lot of our supports out in the field, we structured it because we understand what brands and retailers go through. And we're not just looking at it through the silo of demos, right? We understand all of the other challenges. I've run my own brands before. People who work internally have worked at retailers. They've worked at other marketing agencies where it wasn't just about demos. It might have been a holistic marketing agency. so we're able to see the different perspectives and we're able to see the different challenges that people face day to day so you sort of said it we're handling it but we're staying in constant communication with you where our job is to be your ultimate support for what we specialize in and there's a lot of agencies out there that try and be everything to everyone, right?
53:17Quite honestly, you know, they're your broker, they're your private label, they're your demo company, they do everything okay, right? We specialize in creating those experiences and the process that goes into play to make these events successful. And that's a huge differentiator, not only for the brand, but for the retailer as well, right? So it's like, and there's a benefit to the brand in that regard, because if we make it easier for the retailer, it's that much better for the brand because the retailer is looking at that brand through a different lens. so um we understand that this isn't the only thing you're doing too right so you know especially when it's a launch there's a lot going on we're going to be a good use of your time we're not going to overdo it but we're not going to leave you on an island either and be like okay we've got it we're going to go handle it wish us luck because we understand that it's people's livelihoods it's people's jobs and they need to be able to know what we're doing, you know, throughout the process and whether it's a shared Google doc or, you know, a check-in because we're a couple weeks out, we just want to give you an update as to where we are.
54:41I mean, that goes a hell of a long way. So when inevitably your boss comes and says, Hey, where are we at with this launch? you have the information at your fingertips and you're in the know, but you're not in the weeds.
54:56Andrew Therrien:Love that. So to recap that, every brand wants to convert their occasional shopper into a loyal evangelist. You are going that extra step where you're helping me, the brand, convert me to a loyal evangelist, not only for you, but helping me understand how to maximize each and every opportunity. And I love how that ties back to, this is the way you would treat your customer. Here's how we're going to treat you, the brand. So thank you for sharing that. You and you, the retailer. So thank you for sharing that. Any parting comments, anything else you want to share, Andrew? You know, if anybody's struggling with this and if anybody's sort of, you know, having hiccups or they haven't had the greatest experience in the world, call in first, right?
55:48And kind of do that Six Sigma 360 sort of assessment, just to understand where you're at. And then from there, it's a natural progression where, you know, you're, you're great at seeing where the lakes are, right? And figuring out what makes the most sense. You know, sometimes, sometimes quite honestly i'm i may not be the right tool in the tool belt but the thing that i love about you is if a brand calls me and says hey i don't know how to do this but i trust you uh is it something that you can help me with generally speaking my first call is to you if I don't know the answer. So you're sort of the hub, if you will.
56:42And, you know, there's offshoots. Some of the people that you've introduced me to, the Brian Bukas of the world, right? You know, invaluable, not only to my profession, but just life because, especially in the natural specialty space, the thing I think I love most about it is just the camaraderie and the ecosystem that we're building and have built over our careers. And that matters. And that's meaningful because I know how much time we all spend at work. And being able to enjoy the people that you work with, it's a game changer when it comes to quality real life.
57:27Andrew Therrien:Well, I appreciate you saying that. And thank you right back at you. I love the fact that I can connect you with someone and I know that they're in good hands and you guys are absolutely amazing. And I love the fact that you guys have that company culture because that's what this industry is about. It's the relationship. So thank you so much for sharing that. And again, cannot thank you enough for coming on, Andrew. Thanks for making time for me today and for not only sharing your story, but helping to differentiate why this matters and how I can maximize this as a strategic growth lever. So thank you.
58:03Anytime. I appreciate you very much.
58:06Andrew Therrien:And likewise. Thanks, Andrew. Have a good day. Appreciate it. You don't have a sales problem. You have a visibility problem. Most brands rely on reports to understand their business, but those reports don't show you what actually happened in store. The Retail Audit Checklist helps you quickly identify gaps in execution, placement, pricing, and promotion so you can fix what's costing you sales. This is one of the fastest ways to improve performance without spending more. If you want to see what others miss and act faster, download the Retail Audit Checklist in the show notes. Thanks again for joining us today.
58:41Andrew Therrien:Please reach out and share your most pressing questions, and I'll do my best to get you the answers that you need on future episodes, including with expert advice from CEOs and industry thought leaders. Comment, leave your questions, and get this week's free downloadable guide and the show notes at retailsolve.com slash session 317.
From the publisher
317. From Checkpoint to Growth Engine: Reimagining In-Store Sampling
Most brands treat demos like a checkbox. Hand out samples, move on, hope sales follow. That approach fails—and it matters because you're wasting money while missing one of the most powerful growth levers in retail.
In this episode, I sit down with Andrew from Samplers to break down how in-store demos should actually work. You'll learn why demos are not events—they're systems, how to turn trial into repeat and habit, why base sales (not spikes) are what matter, and how professional execution, training, and storytelling dramatically improve results.
We also unpack how demos provide real-time shopper feedback that can reshape your product, messaging, and growth strategy—often faster and cheaper than traditional research.
Sampling doesn't grow brands. Strategy does.
Download the Retail Audit Checklist at RetailSolved.com/session317 and start identifying the gaps in execution, placement, and promotion that are costing you sales.
Download the free The 15-Minute Trade Spend Leak Finder at RetailSolved.com/guide30
⏰ Timecodes
03:20 Why Samplers - The Purpose Of Demos
05:59 What Actually Drives Base Sales
10:39 The Biggest Mistakes Brands Make
11:56 The Right Model: Demos as a System
14:30 Base Sales Defined - Your Strategic Growth Lever
17:46 The "In-Store Funnel" Framework
18:51 Retailer Perspective
22:14 ROI Framework: Making Demos Financially Make Sense
22:33 How To Get Incremental Opportunities Not Available To Other Brands
25:34 Demos - Your Secret Weapon To Grow Sales And Loyal Customers
27:33 Actionable Playbook for Brands
29:47 Elevating the Industry
35:23 Why Retail Execution Matters
38:09 Why Training Matters - Use Assisted Sales Professionals
40:08 Case Study / Real-World Application
42:51 Confidence Matters - Partner With The Right Company
45:32 Recap - Why Samplers
46:39 Choose The Right Model
51:46 Make Every Product Experience A Success
