As we've gone through the process of finding a supplier for 50+ stores over the last few years, probably the most common issue we've run into is manufacturers telling us we needed to have an actual store front (i.e. a "brick and mortar store") in order to become a dealer. A fair percentage of manufacturers will tell you they have a "no online-only" policy.

From our experience, the manufacturers don't actually CARE whether you have a brick and mortar store. They just want to sell as many products as they can and ALSO protect their good name & image. They only say they have a "no online-only" policy (or a "brick & mortar stores only" policy) because they're using it to screen out potentially "iffy" retailers that might tarnish their name & image. What they're actually worried about is protecting themselves from irresponsible dealers who could hurt their name and image. If a dealer blows off customers, is slow processing orders, is unresponsive to problems, is not knowledgeable about the products, and so on, it could hurt the manufacturer. Unhappy customers post negative reviews online and/or report problems to the BBB. That's why manufacturers try to screen out potentially iffy retailers. They're making the assumption that somebody who has gone to the time and expense of setting up a brick and mortar store is knowledgeable & serious about the business. And they're assuming that somebody who "just" threw up a website is more likely to be flaky. Of course, this assumption isn't true all the time... but that's the assumption they've made!

But again, most manufacturers have absolutely nothing against dealers selling their products online. A sale is a sale! Regardless of how or where the product is sold, they make money. Rarely if ever have we encountered a manufacturer that doesn't allow any Internet-based, online sales! We've only really encountered manufacturers who say they have a 'no online-ONLY' policy (i.e. they want you to have a store front in addition to a website).

So what you need to do is address the manufacturer's true concern, as discussed above. You do this by convincing them that you are a trustworthy, responsible, on-the-ball retailer who will protect their name and image. Convince them that you take care of customers. Convince them that you're responsive to questions before the sale and any problems after the sale. Convince them that you process orders quickly and that you keep customers up-to-date of the shipping status (which Zulu Cart does for you).

If you have (or will have) a toll-free number, make sure they know that. If you will activate and use Zulu Cart's built-in live chat feature, tell them you have live chat. Talk about your amazingly responsive customer service department (even if that "department" consists of only you)! Make sure they understand that you use a cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, professional shopping cart software. They should know that this isn't going to be a cheesy site that's just been thrown together; help them understand it's going to be a first-rate, professional website better than everything else in the market. (If you already have other stores, definitely talk about them and show them off and tell them about the success you've had in other markets.)

Again, the key is to address the manufacturer's true concern, which is whether you will protect their good name and image. In most cases, manufacturers are perfectly fine with you selling their products online. In our experience, the "no online-only" policy can easily be overcome by convincing them that you are trustworthy, reliable, responsible, and on the ball. Once you've done that, the so-called policy they've talked about magically disappears! Numerous times over the years we've been able to get a dealer account set up despite the fact that we were initially told there was a "no online-only" policy.