← How to Get a Deal with National Retailers

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By Marcia Wade Talbert | Published December 21, 2010 | Full size is 500 × 327 pixels

Get endorsements from people with influence. Pope turned to Stuart Skorman, a serial entrepreneur who successfully turned local retail shops into national chains. Skorman’s business advice was invaluable, but his name was worth just as much. “That [name] added a lot of clout to what I was doing,” says Pope. It didn’t stop Safeway from telling him no, but it did catch the attention of SuperValu Stores, one of Safeway’s competitors. “That opened their ears a little bit,” he remembers. “They said, ‘[Skorman] knows what he’s talking about. We’re going to listen a little bit more to what Pope has to say.’”

Get endorsements from people with influence. Pope turned to Stuart Skorman, a serial entrepreneur who…