When we first started building relationships with brand owners, we were just like you – uncertain about how to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Creating meaningful partnerships with brand owners changed everything for us.
It’s the cornerstone of sustainable success in the Amazon ecosystem. As established 8-figure sellers, we’ve seen firsthand how providing exceptional value to brands can transform simple wholesale relationships into thriving long-term partnerships.
Let’s dive into what actually works.
1. Getting the Fundamentals Right
Position yourself as an extension of their brand rather than just another sales channel. This mindset shift transformed our business.
Key fundamentals to master:
- Put the brand’s interests first to drive mutual success
- Shift from being just a retailer to becoming a trusted consultant
- Lead with education to demonstrate expertise
- Start meaningful conversations with the right questions
The most successful Amazon sellers (ourselves included) understand that putting the brand’s interests first ultimately drives mutual success. When we made this switch, everything changed – suddenly we weren’t just retailers, we became trusted consultants and partners.
One of the most accessible ways to provide immediate value is through education. Many brand owners lack in-depth knowledge about the Amazon marketplace, its nuances, and optimization strategies.
To effectively begin this value-creation journey, start by asking the right questions.
“How can we help you?” might seem basic, but it opens the door for meaningful dialogue. For brands that aren’t sure what they need (which is common), try focusing the conversation on bigger picture objectives.
2. Moving Beyond Timidity
We remember when we were too afraid to be direct with brands.
Confidence-building approaches:
- Transition from asking to recommending
- Present specific strategies instead of open-ended questions
- Position yourself as the expert they need
- Tailor your recommendations to each brand’s priorities
As your experience grows, you’ll likely find yourself moving away from a timid approach to a more directive one. Initially, asking what the brand wants seems like the right move, but often they don’t know what they need to succeed on Amazon.
That’s where your expertise becomes invaluable.
Instead of endless open-ended questions, consider presenting the brand with specific strategies and recommendations. This approach positions you as the expert they need and demonstrates confidence in your ability to drive results.
When first working with brands, you’ll likely focus on standard optimization tasks: evaluating listings, merging duplicates, addressing UPC and brand registry issues, and implementing comprehensive listing optimizations.
3. Creating Distinctive Value and Building Strong Relationships
Want to know how we beat out major agencies for brand partnerships?
Differentiation strategies that work:
- Leverage your unique background and expertise
- Emphasize personalized service over corporate approaches
- Be more responsive than larger agencies
- Maintain proactive communication, even for small updates
To truly stand out and develop lasting partnerships with brands, you need to move beyond the standard optimizations that every Amazon seller offers. This is where your unique background and expertise can become your greatest differentiator.
Everyone in this space brings a different set of skills and experiences to the table.
When competing against larger agencies, we’ve consistently won brand partnerships by emphasizing the personalized service that only a smaller operation can provide. While large agencies often use polished sales teams to acquire clients before passing them to junior account managers, we emphasize continuity and personal attention.
Responsiveness is another critical differentiator.
Brand owners deeply appreciate partners who handle issues promptly without needing to be prompted. This level of service creates a relationship where the brand feels comfortable reaching out directly with urgent matters, knowing they’ll receive immediate attention.
4. Beyond Amazon: Expanding Your Value Proposition
Some of our strongest partnerships have nothing to do with Amazon at all.
High-value expansion opportunities:
- Shopify store development and optimization
- Packaging redesign consultation
- Expansion to other marketplaces like Walmart
- Holistic business strategy beyond just Amazon
Some of the most successful value propositions extend beyond the Amazon marketplace. Helping brands with their Shopify stores, packaging redesigns, or expanding to other marketplaces like Walmart can significantly deepen your relationship.
When brands see that you understand their business holistically rather than just their Amazon presence, they’re more likely to view you as a strategic partner rather than a tactical service provider.
5. The Compensation Question: To Charge or Not to Charge?
This is probably the question we get asked most often.
Effective compensation models:
- Incorporate services into your wholesale relationship
- Use service fees for brands with limited sales volume
- Consider pass-through costs for external resources
- Set minimum ad spend requirements when managing ads
- Include minimum payment provisions in commission structures
- Explore cost-sharing models for shared investment
One of the most common questions among Amazon sellers is whether to charge brands separately for value-added services and, if so, how much. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but several models have proven effective.
The most straightforward approach is incorporating these services into your wholesale relationship.
In this model, you don’t explicitly charge for services because you’re compensated through your margin on product sales.
For instance, if you generate $200,000 in gross profit from a brand annually through retail sales, it might be difficult to justify additional service fees. In such cases, positioning your services as investments rather than expenses can preserve the relationship while ensuring you’re adequately compensated for your work.
However, not every brand will generate sufficient revenue to justify this approach.
For newer brands with limited sales volume, a service fee structure might be more appropriate. In these cases, be transparent about costs and ensure your pricing reflects the actual work involved.
6. The Importance of Transparency and Communication
Let us tell you a story about when we got this wrong.
Communication best practices:
- Detail all resources you’re investing in a brand’s success
- Never make significant changes without consultation
- Be clear about what’s included in your base offering
- Distinguish between standard services and additional fees
- Document everything in writing, even informal agreements
Regardless of your compensation model, transparency is paramount.
If you’re investing resources in a brand’s success, make sure they understand the value of those investments.
Similarly, never make significant changes to a brand’s presence without prior consultation. Their brand is their identity, and they need to feel in control of how it’s presented. The goal is for improvements to happen for them, not to them.
When determining what services to include in your base offering versus what warrants additional fees, consider the scope of work originally discussed. Services like listing optimization might be standard, while creating a website or redesigning packaging would typically require separate discussion and compensation.
7. Key Takeaways for Building Valuable Brand Partnerships
Here’s what we’ve learned after years of building these relationships:
Essential partnership principles:
- Position yourself as an extension of the brand
- Provide education to demonstrate expertise
- Listen carefully to understand priorities
- Present confident recommendations
- Leverage your unique background and skills
- Emphasize personalized service and responsiveness
- Maintain proactive communication
- Consider expanding beyond Amazon
- Be strategic about compensation models
- Always maintain transparency
- Respect brand ownership and identity
- Calculate ROI for both parties
By thoughtfully applying these principles, you can transform transactional relationships into strategic partnerships that drive lasting success for both your business and the brands you represent.
Remember that in the Amazon ecosystem, your expertise and commitment to brand success are your most valuable assets—leverage them accordingly.
We didn’t know this when we started, but now we do. And so do you.
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