Scaling The Wal

To do business with Wal-Mart, you've got to know your product and market intimately. Don't approach the retail giant unless you can answer the following questions:

• Where is future growth in this market/industry going to come from?

• How will your product or service help position Wal-Mart to take advantage of this growth (gain market share and control costs)?

• Who is your customer (age, income, median family size, geographical location and population size)?

• What is the overall size of the market/industry, and who is your competition?

• What added value does your product or service have over your competition?

• How will your product or service impact other related products or services in Wal-Mart stores?

Contact Sources

Liz Tahir & Associates, 201 St. Charles Ave., #2500, New Orleans, LA 70170, (800) 506-1670

Marketforce Inc., 131 Third Ave. N., #107-108, Franklin, TN 37064, (800) 509-9961

Monte Babe Inc., 1400 S. Lincoln Ave., Bay City, MI 48708, (517) 895-7020

SMK Marketing, 9648 Olive, #115, St. Louis, MO 63132, (314) 991-4441

Utilitote Inc., 3371 Smith Farm Rd., Matthews, NC 28105, (704) 821-6199

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., 702 S.W. Eighth St., Bentonville, AR 72716, (501) 273-4000

This article was originally published in the January 1998 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Scaling The Wal.